Originally Posted by TheSultanofScud

Unmanned tactical aircraft can exist due to the progress in automation and remote technology versus the slower progress in aircraft performance.

It all seems like a race to me...Professional, skilled pilots can only convincingly justify their existence to the public when perceptions exist that automation and remote control technologies aren't sophisticated enough to safely and efficiently manage performance.

I haven't yet flown a day of 121 or 135...but it stings to read the following on a blog about why pilots don't get tipped:

"As a pilot myself, I find it amusing how everyone thinks we make big bucks. People always figure we have hundreds of lives in our hands, both in air and on the ground, but that isn't true. Airline planes have auto-pilot, so the people in the cockpit are really just there to make the passengers feel better. The big jets can fly without pilots, but who would get on a plane being operated by some guy in a dark control room at an undisclosed ground location? Of course, the salary of pilots isn't so bad when you consider the benfits they get. All pilots are compensated fairly for their work, just like everyone else with a job."

Y'all remember that?

I only wish that the good captain's interview today was given more attention than it probably has been.