09-Jun-2010

SCIENTISTS at the US Federal Aviation Administration’s have started testing early prototypes of pilotless freighters.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have already been in use for several years, but this is the first time that serious work has been started on UAV freighters and subsequently passenger aircraft.

Although at least 20 years in the future, the work already has the backing of some of the larger airfreight companies.

“FedEx certainly is always interested in new technology that will help us improve service to our customers,” said spokesman Jim McCluskey. “Whether this would, or wouldn’t, I don’t know. I can’t speculate on what that technology is, and how the FAA will apply it.”

James Ray, spokesman for the US Airline Pilots Association, referring to the US Airways famous Hudson River landing last year by pilot Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, said, “You can’t troubleshoot remotely to solve problems that may occur, such as exterior forces like the weather. Pilots have to make split-second decisions.”

Are robo-freighters the future :: Air Cargo News :: The World's Best Read Air Cargo Newspaper

 

I posted this recently in another thread, but its relative to this so I'll copy paste it here....

The problem with pilotless airliners never seems to get mentioned.

Yes, we can build planes that can autonomously fly from point A to point B. That technology exists. The fact is that very little of our job as airline pilots is flying the plane. Much more importantly, we are onboard, highly skilled and experienced, decision makers. Think of the thousands of decisions you make on every flight. Those are what gets the plane there, not your ability to operate the ailerons or thrust levers.

In addition to that, we are interacters. We interact with ground crew, company, ATC, (and in the case of passenger carriers), passengers, flight attendants, gate agents, etc. Computers can't do any of that. We're the center of the web that encompasses each flight.

Besides that, computers do mess up, we are also onboard systems operators, evaluators, etc. We recognize problems that exist and handle them in ways computers never could. Something smell funny? Something not quite sound right? The airplane feel a little odd on the controls?

And last but not least, FedEx is still flying around planes with 3 pilots. They don't seem to be in a huge rush to eliminate as many pilots as possible. Airplanes without pilots are new airplanes, requiring new infrastructure, new airframe purchases, and an entirely new way of doing business. Sounds a little more expensive to introduce than to just continue to pay 2 guys to sit up front, make decisions, interact with others, and handle problems.

I'm not worried about my job being replaced by computers. There are lots of other things to worry about first.

 

The article did say it was about 20 years in the future. I do believe we will see robotic freighters, if not passenger planes, at some point down the road. Thankfully, my career will be long over before that possibility exists.

 

Anyone who is old enough to read this will be able to finish his career flying an airplane. If you are a teenager now and get into freight flying you might be the only person in the cockpit at the end of your career.

 

Don't forget the dog...

 

The beancounters have not yet begun to comprehend how much pay I will demand to pick up dog doo.

 

Since we are buying every 777 we can get our hands on, I don't think anyone reading this has anything to worry about. How long have we had 727s?

 

I read in Aviation Week in 1987 that for every A300 that FDX took delivery of, they intended to retire 2 727's?

That certainly turned out to be wrong? ... Then I assumed the 757 would be a 727 replacement? So far it's turned out to be an A310 replacement?

 

Just make sure that the robots get seniority numbers. No voting privileges, of course!

 

Until they started taking those out of the desert, essentially less than a year than they went away.