Originally Posted by JungleBus

I don't doubt it's being developed. Flight International just reported a few weeks ago that Boeing, in conjunction with Honeywell, Thales, and a few other companies is developing a single-pilot cockpit that would use utilize a human "copilot" on the ground to monitor and if necessary override the pilot in the air. It's thoroughly doable with technology only a little more advanced than that in widespread use today. I could even see them convincing the public that it represents a safety advance, considering nobody is watching those persnickety pilots right now, much less in a position to override them. The real problem is securing the datalink. Thus far the only really foolproof way to secure networks against attack and infiltration has been to make them closed loop - and even then the larger the network, the more vulnerable. By the very nature of the system, the aircraft monitoring & control network would be open-loop and worldwide. It would be a terrorist's wet dream and the ultimate hacker challenge. The real advance in technology needed for single-pilot or no-pilot aircraft to become a reality is network security. It's not even close to where it needs to be for the FAA to dream of certifying the system. In my lifetime, maybe. But I don't see the cost savings justifying the development & certification cost + infrastructure + added risk anytime soon unless pilots get massively more expensive. We can only hope .