Originally Posted by
rickair7777
Only in the sense that automation reduces pilot workload to allow them to maintain the big picture.
Automation to actually replace pilots with an equivalent level of safety would be hideously expensive.
Well using your logic then what would be safer than two pilots who are completely liberated from having to fly the plane? Both of them could stare out the window looking for traffic.
In addition I don't know a lot about WAAS or free flight however it seems to me that they would work wonderfully with a fully automated and ground controlled aircraft. Often I have wondered when ATC was going to do away with clogged frequencies and the errors due to spoken communications. ATC could send instructions via land line/email to the UAV pilot on the ground.
Skyhigh