Lets be brutally honest for a second.
It's going to happen.
Technology will advance to the point where reduced crew becomes an option.
It will take a few things though..
1) Harden aircraft avionics, systems and secured data links.
B) Someone to be the first to operate in a "test" mode.
iii) Public acceptance.
Starting with 1)-
Boeing (and Airbus and the other manufactures) continue to make advancements in aircraft design. [Not withstanding the MAX fiasco].
Boeing is the next one up.. they will probably build the 797/NMA with advanced avionics and secured comm from the getgo. Probably a lot easier to design and build from a clean sheet vs. retrofitting older gen aircraft (even 78's/triples)
With advancements in comm, it will be interesting to see how they secure datalinks between aircraft, satellites and a home operating/observing base. But it will be doable at some point.
B)-
I would bet Bezos would be willing to step up and make a deal deal with the FAA and Boeing to get some of these aircraft as freighters with reduced pilots as a test program. If he buys 25 off the bat to be operated as Amazon Air with single pilot operations and monitored from a few control centers.. I can see the FAA buying into it. They would still have 2 pilots on board, but maybe one is just acting as an observer while the 'single' pilot and the control base are 'operating' the aircraft. Once that starts, they will get all the data they need to confirm their theory. Give it a couple of years of testing, and you can see the direction it's going~
iii)-
The public!
As a 52yr old, I will probably never get into a self driving taxi, or anything else motorized that is in a dynamic transportation system. But... I'm not the target audience~
The newer generation doesn't look at cars like we (older) guys do.
I still love driving my car vs. sitting back and letting a computer do all the fun stuff.
But someone who is in their teens or 20's will probably be more accepting of getting on an aircraft with a single pilot (or maybe 2 pilots for long haul) in 10 years from now.
Times change. And we would be nuts not to understand that and not plan for it.
Will be be flying 2 man trips to Europe from the East coast in 2035 on a 797, ie EWR-MUC.. at M.87? A good chance.
Would I still encourage young people to become Pilots.. definitely.
Interesting times!
Always
Motch
PS) FS, FP & FtC