Originally Posted by
Magpuller
No...I'm not. There were numerous articles last years in the trade magazines regarding Airbus's offer to build 100% automated airframes.
Here's one..I'm too lazy to dig up more:
LINK
You vastly underestimate where the technology actually is because you don't want it to be true. Neither do I. You have to put your ego aside and realize that our trade is getting dumbed down and whittled down. I have an ego to. After nearly 2 decades of flying professionally it was difficult for me to admit where technology is going and where it is as well. A year ago I would have agreed with you and argued your point for you. But I read up on it bound and determined to prove a friend(an aerospace engineer) wrong. Automation is taking over. If you really don't believe that the technology isn't there yet you just aren't paying attention just like I wasn't. This is happening, we all need to come to peace with it. Though I don't think anyone flying today will loose a job to "George" outright I do think some sectors of flying particularly the cargo side will see "robot freighters" very soon.
The FAA is also running a study to determine the near term viability of requiring auto-land to be used over hand flying if so equipped. We are in an interesting period. There will be rapid changes in technology that we never saw coming implmented virtually "overnight" througout the next few decades in all walks of life and business.
Yes the technology exists....today. However what is the benefit of removing the pilot from the vehicle. In military applications it makes sense because you increase your loiter time and remove the possibility of giving up a pilot to the enemy if he gets shot down.
None of that applies to the airline sector. So what would be the benefit of removing the pilot? Airlines don't have to pay him or her? You would still need someone to monitor they just would not be on the vehicle. Does not make sense to remove the pilot.
That being said, you could easily make the argument for less pay because less skill is required.
Trains still have engineers and you could have automated that decades ago.