Computer Airplanes
 

I am really hoping to become a pilot and I'm just very worried about this whole entire industry because of the thing called the computer. Does anybody have any thoughts about the future of airplanes with pilots in the cockpit. Does anybody think computers will fly airplanes one day without the need for a pilot. I would really like to hear some opinions and advice if I should even become a pilot. Thanks

keep in mind there is already a thing called a computer in airplanes. In most aircraft there are several computers. Everyone still requires someone to monitor them, cuz you can't beat the human mind for diagnosing and coming up with solutions. If computers could do all that most companies wouldn't have I.T. guys on call 24-7. Also having flown with E.F.B. (electronic flight bags) essentially a computer that shows all your charts I can almost guarantee you Bill Gates pilots don't use em. Nothing like being on an approach and have one "freeze". I wonder if anyone will really be comfortable on an airplane with out knowing someone up front is going to pucker up when things go wrong and do their best to live while a computer is going to keep running it's programs.

You will be surprised how much physical 'hands-on' flying you sometimes have to do in modern 'computer' airplanes. I remember an approach in gusty winds in an Fokker 100 (auto-everything) into Chicago O'Hare. The winds were so bad that we had to turn the autopilot off and wrestle with the controls to almost exhaustion. Besides all of the cockpit auto gimmicks can fail at any time and you are back to stick and rudder bankin' & yankin'.
P.S. It is more fun to fly computer airplanes, like on a flight simulator on your computer than in real life.

I think good ole' fashion airplanes are here to stay! I fly a Lear 35 but used to fly a more heavily automated airplane. They all break! Gotta have a pilot!

Realistically, there will come a day when computers will replace crewmembers. Heck, the computer has already replaced crewmembers (in the form of the flight engineer).

I do forsee that in my career, the technology will improve enough that many aircraft that require two pilots today, will only require one down the road. There will come a point where pilots take more and more of the role of computer programmer than hands-on aviator.

But I highly doubt that we will see fully-automated aircraft or transports anytime in the future. Simply put, people aren't willing to put their lives into the hands of automation... yet. I figure that before we have automated airplanes, we will have automated automobiles.

I think that your job (and career track) are okay for quite a while...

Automation
 

Even now in modern planes the pilot might have his hands on the controls for five minutes out of a five hour flight. In my estimation we are already there.

SkyHigh