Todos
← Back to Squawk list
Why airplanes might soon have just one pilot
If you boarded a passenger plane in 1950 and peeked into the cockpit, you would have seen five people in there (almost certainly men): two pilots, a radio operator, a navigator and a flight engineer. (www.cnn.com) Mais...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I am reminded of the old joke about the "Cockpit of the Future". It is crewed by 1 man and 1 dog. The man's job is to fly the airplane; the dog's job is to bite the man's hand if he touches anything.
Garmin can put a system in a GA airplane that in case of pilot incapacitation anyone onboard can press a big red button that will automatically have the plane head to and land at the nearest suitable airport, notify ATC of the emergency, announce to the passengers what it is doing, and stop the aircraft on the runway so emergency services can respond. How hard could it be to put such a system into a modern jet aircraft that is pretty much fully automated already? The hardest part will be convincing the public that it is safe and overcoming the pilot union work actions if such a system is implemented.
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/aviation/five-ways-garmin-autoland-offers-peace-of-mind-to-aircraft-pilots-and-passengers/
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/aviation/five-ways-garmin-autoland-offers-peace-of-mind-to-aircraft-pilots-and-passengers/
When everything is working well, sure. what happens when you have an engine fail, or a control system issue, or a gear malfunction. You think some Garmin box is going to have the wherewithal to deal with those types of issues?
There have been accidents were a trained crew could not handle these situations either. Heck, airplanes have crashed because an entire crew was distracted by single burned out lightbulb. Another accident would have been avoided if the entire crew had just sat on their hands for a minute. So, crews in the cockpit are not the magic answer in all situations.
Before this is implimented, all flights on government aircraft, by members of Congress, should be the norm for a five year period! If there are no problems, then it could be considered for the masses!
How is AI going to handle an uncontained engine failure? I'd hate to think what Al Haynes flight would have done if there were just one pilot up front, let alone zero.