Unmanned airliners
11-23-2009, 02:17 AM
#21
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,919
Originally Posted by SkyHigh
One of the benefits of not having to rely on this profession as a source of income anymore is that I am free to see things as they are and not as how I would wish them to be.
If DC-3 pilot from the 1950's were able to take a look at a modern flight deck his assumption would be that the pilot had been removed from the airplane long ago. Moving map GPS, TCAS, live weather radar, autopilots that can land the plane and flight computers that can managed the entire flight would have blown their minds.
Technological advancements are perpetually removing the pilot from the equation. As a result airlines do not have to hire a pilot based upon his/her skills and experience anymore. Today airlines are staffed according to other criteria. They can lower minimums instead of raising wages to attract more experienced pilots. The regionals have proven that pilots with 300 hours total time can effectively serve as first officers on modern jetliners.
As a professional pilot I agree that the world should treat us better, but they will not. And no amount of professionalism or wishful thinking will change that. Airlines will choose to invest in new technology over paying more for better pilots. New technology is an asset that adds to the companies net worth. Paying more for better trained and experienced pilots is a drain on the balance sheet. Managements motivation is to continually find ways to reduce costs.
It hurts me too to come to these realizations, but to me putting a head in the sand is not going to help. Like it or not ground control is on its way. If a new pilot were to start today at 21 then they could have as much as 44 years of career ahead of them. 44 years is a long time. Undoubtedly aviation will not hardly resemble what it is today by then. Just think of how far we have come since 1965. It is totally realistic to think that over the next 20 years ground controlled airliners will be the norm.
It does not make me happy to consider the future of aviation either. I too wish things were different and that we all could be well respected and well compensated professionals again however I believe in trying to take an honest view and adapt to change rather than to resist the obvious. Sometimes that means changing your game plan and other times it means getting out of the way entirely. The heyday of the professional pilot is passing. Pilots in the future will not have it as good as they do today.
Unless of course they are former military UAV pilots. I hear those guys will be in huge demand.
Skyhigh
If DC-3 pilot from the 1950's were able to take a look at a modern flight deck his assumption would be that the pilot had been removed from the airplane long ago. Moving map GPS, TCAS, live weather radar, autopilots that can land the plane and flight computers that can managed the entire flight would have blown their minds.
Technological advancements are perpetually removing the pilot from the equation. As a result airlines do not have to hire a pilot based upon his/her skills and experience anymore. Today airlines are staffed according to other criteria. They can lower minimums instead of raising wages to attract more experienced pilots. The regionals have proven that pilots with 300 hours total time can effectively serve as first officers on modern jetliners.
As a professional pilot I agree that the world should treat us better, but they will not. And no amount of professionalism or wishful thinking will change that. Airlines will choose to invest in new technology over paying more for better pilots. New technology is an asset that adds to the companies net worth. Paying more for better trained and experienced pilots is a drain on the balance sheet. Managements motivation is to continually find ways to reduce costs.
It hurts me too to come to these realizations, but to me putting a head in the sand is not going to help. Like it or not ground control is on its way. If a new pilot were to start today at 21 then they could have as much as 44 years of career ahead of them. 44 years is a long time. Undoubtedly aviation will not hardly resemble what it is today by then. Just think of how far we have come since 1965. It is totally realistic to think that over the next 20 years ground controlled airliners will be the norm.
It does not make me happy to consider the future of aviation either. I too wish things were different and that we all could be well respected and well compensated professionals again however I believe in trying to take an honest view and adapt to change rather than to resist the obvious. Sometimes that means changing your game plan and other times it means getting out of the way entirely. The heyday of the professional pilot is passing. Pilots in the future will not have it as good as they do today.
Unless of course they are former military UAV pilots. I hear those guys will be in huge demand.
Skyhigh
Not sure if you've seen this, but here is the FIRST fully-automated, pilot-less aircraft in flight.
YouTube - Airbus Crash
Saying that technological advancements have made it feasible for a 300 wonder pilot to work at regional is a heinous disrespect towards, any and all, current airline pilots.
If you're content about the career decisions you've made in life, then great, you should show some humility and cease with the constant barrage of negativity towards aviation as a career.
11-23-2009, 05:39 AM
#22
Self Employed.
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
I hate to break it to ya
Originally Posted by jared4271987
All I have to say is that if airlines ever switch to computer-only flights I'm taking the bus. There's no algorithm, programming, or any other fancy mathematical concept that I don't understand, in this world that would give me peace of mind at FL350 going .80 with a computer in charge. I'll stick to the risk of pilot error. My computer has crashed way too many times for me to ever feel comfortable with this in my lifetime. At least when humans are "crashing" there are signs of stress, depression, anxiety, fatigue... 
Skyhigh
11-23-2009, 06:23 AM
#23
Self Employed.
Thread Starter
Joined APC: May 2005
Position: Corporate Pilot
Posts: 7,119
Not negativity
Originally Posted by DeadHead
The DC-3 pilot you speak of, flew around in a very different time period/environment. Technological advancements have helped improve situational awareness and safety, however they have not removed the pilot from the airplane. The different advancements that your speak of are all just tools the pilot uses.
Not sure if you've seen this, but here is the FIRST fully-automated, pilot-less aircraft in flight.
YouTube - Airbus Crash
Saying that technological advancements have made it feasible for a 300 wonder pilot to work at regional is a heinous disrespect towards, any and all, current airline pilots.
If you're content about the career decisions you've made in life, then great, you should show some humility and cease with the constant barrage of negativity towards aviation as a career.
Not sure if you've seen this, but here is the FIRST fully-automated, pilot-less aircraft in flight.
YouTube - Airbus Crash
Saying that technological advancements have made it feasible for a 300 wonder pilot to work at regional is a heinous disrespect towards, any and all, current airline pilots.
If you're content about the career decisions you've made in life, then great, you should show some humility and cease with the constant barrage of negativity towards aviation as a career.
I can understand how you would like to preserve your image of airline pilots but the fact is that there is little value left in professional pilots. Regionals were able to hire pilots with as little as a king tape education plus 300 hours of flight time. It takes more effort and training to become licensed to cut hair then to fly an airliner. The price of entry is very low.
Modern airliners are a lot easier to fly and understand then planes of the past. A pilot use to have to routinely do math in their head while retaining a mental fix of their position while hand flying the plane. Now they sit there arms crossed while the flight computer follows along on a moving map display. Aviation is more available to a wider group of people. It is considered a fun career and those who "love" it are now free to jump in at will. Airlines are more than happy to agree and let martyrs come in waves to crash upon the rocks of aviation.
It was not always like this. When I was in college pilots were focused on the money. No one would have taken flight one if we had been told that our prospects were similar to that of music majors. It took a huge sacrifice to get though college, flight training and the initial years (decades) of experience building. If we had known that there was no pot of gold at the end then I doubt anyone of us would have done it. In fact most have quit long ago.
I was laid off and kicked to the curb by my profession. I am not content with the state of the industry. I want another flying job but it has to be able to pay for my experience level and permit me to provide for my family. The reality is that airlines will not pay more for experienced pilots and have learned that pilots who "love" flying will even do it for less. After 20 years of effort I am worth about as much as a second year RJ FO.
I wish things were different. Just like you I worked very hard to get where I did. However I can not deny that most likely conditions will not get any better. I have more self respect then to keep putting my family into a bad situation. I am here in protest. Others to be fully informed of concepts in aviation that perhaps they previously had not thought of before. It is not nice to think of these things bit it is better to coldly face the situation then to deny the facts.
It is not right that a guy who starts out working at the dump makes more than most new regional captains. There is little to restrict entry into the profession. Modern planes are flown by procedurally driven automatons who are trained not to think but to follow decision trees. Modern automated planes can be flown by people who have not dedicated a lifetime to the profession. A ski instructor one day and airline pilot the next. Legions of pilots with little invested are willing to do it for free. Technological advances have made it so that modern airliners no not need well experienced pilots anymore. The airlines can hire whomever they want.
Skyhigh
11-23-2009, 06:47 AM
#24
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,261
Originally Posted by SkyHigh
Airliners are already flown by human programmed computers and fly by wire.
Skyhigh
Skyhigh
But they are really limited in their ability to respond adaptively to unforeseen circumstances. That's where pilots come in.
To replace pilots, you need
a) A computer which is smart enough (doesn't exist yet)
b) A very expensive hardware system to ensure the computer can execute it's desires reliably, all maintained to nasa standards...$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Predators are cheap, but they don't have a good survival rate. If 737's had the same operational statistics, we would have crashed almost 2000 of them in the last ten years...even the most oblivious John Q Public would have sat up and noticed THAT.
Last edited by rickair7777; 11-23-2009 at 06:58 AM.
11-23-2009, 06:54 AM
#25
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,919
Originally Posted by SkyHigh
It is not negativity. Just a different perspective.
I can understand how you would like to preserve your image of airline pilots but the fact is that there is little value left in professional pilots. Regionals were able to hire pilots with as little as a king tape education plus 300 hours of flight time. It takes more effort and training to become licensed to cut hair then to fly an airliner. The price of entry is very low.
Modern airliners are a lot easier to fly and understand then planes of the past. A pilot use to have to routinely do math in their head while retaining a mental fix of their position while hand flying the plane. Now they sit there arms crossed while the flight computer follows along on a moving map display. Aviation is more available to a wider group of people. It is considered a fun career and those who "love" it are now free to jump in at will. Airlines are more than happy to agree and let martyrs come in waves to crash upon the rocks of aviation.
It was not always like this. When I was in college pilots were focused on the money. No one would have taken flight one if we had been told that our prospects were similar to that of music majors. It took a huge sacrifice to get though college, flight training and the initial years (decades) of experience building. If we had known that there was no pot of gold at the end then I doubt anyone of us would have done it. In fact most have quit long ago.
I was laid off and kicked to the curb by my profession. I am not content with the state of the industry. I want another flying job but it has to be able to pay for my experience level and permit me to provide for my family. The reality is that airlines will not pay more for experienced pilots and have learned that pilots who "love" flying will even do it for less. After 20 years of effort I am worth about as much as a second year RJ FO.
I wish things were different. Just like you I worked very hard to get where I did. However I can not deny that most likely conditions will not get any better. I have more self respect then to keep putting my family into a bad situation. I am here in protest. Others to be fully informed of concepts in aviation that perhaps they previously had not thought of before. It is not nice to think of these things bit it is better to coldly face the situation then to deny the facts.
It is not right that a guy who starts out working at the dump makes more than most new regional captains. There is little to restrict entry into the profession. Modern planes are flown by procedurally driven automatons who are trained not to think but to follow decision trees. Modern automated planes can be flown by people who have not dedicated a lifetime to the profession. A ski instructor one day and airline pilot the next. Legions of pilots with little invested are willing to do it for free. Technological advances have made it so that modern airliners no not need well experienced pilots anymore. The airlines can hire whomever they want.
Skyhigh
I can understand how you would like to preserve your image of airline pilots but the fact is that there is little value left in professional pilots. Regionals were able to hire pilots with as little as a king tape education plus 300 hours of flight time. It takes more effort and training to become licensed to cut hair then to fly an airliner. The price of entry is very low.
Modern airliners are a lot easier to fly and understand then planes of the past. A pilot use to have to routinely do math in their head while retaining a mental fix of their position while hand flying the plane. Now they sit there arms crossed while the flight computer follows along on a moving map display. Aviation is more available to a wider group of people. It is considered a fun career and those who "love" it are now free to jump in at will. Airlines are more than happy to agree and let martyrs come in waves to crash upon the rocks of aviation.
It was not always like this. When I was in college pilots were focused on the money. No one would have taken flight one if we had been told that our prospects were similar to that of music majors. It took a huge sacrifice to get though college, flight training and the initial years (decades) of experience building. If we had known that there was no pot of gold at the end then I doubt anyone of us would have done it. In fact most have quit long ago.
I was laid off and kicked to the curb by my profession. I am not content with the state of the industry. I want another flying job but it has to be able to pay for my experience level and permit me to provide for my family. The reality is that airlines will not pay more for experienced pilots and have learned that pilots who "love" flying will even do it for less. After 20 years of effort I am worth about as much as a second year RJ FO.
I wish things were different. Just like you I worked very hard to get where I did. However I can not deny that most likely conditions will not get any better. I have more self respect then to keep putting my family into a bad situation. I am here in protest. Others to be fully informed of concepts in aviation that perhaps they previously had not thought of before. It is not nice to think of these things bit it is better to coldly face the situation then to deny the facts.
It is not right that a guy who starts out working at the dump makes more than most new regional captains. There is little to restrict entry into the profession. Modern planes are flown by procedurally driven automatons who are trained not to think but to follow decision trees. Modern automated planes can be flown by people who have not dedicated a lifetime to the profession. A ski instructor one day and airline pilot the next. Legions of pilots with little invested are willing to do it for free. Technological advances have made it so that modern airliners no not need well experienced pilots anymore. The airlines can hire whomever they want.
Skyhigh
I definitely agree with you that about it not being fair to have all this time and experience only to be lumped in to new-hire regional pool paying less than $20K. The system is not practical, but it is the system we have created as pilots. Aviation is one of the few professions where an individual is actually frowned upon if they apply somewhere with too much experience.
I do, however, respectfully disagree about how automation has completely made the pilot's job obsolete, and eventually unnecessary. I really think it's offensive to say that it takes more schooling and experience to cut to get a hairstylists license. Personally I see something like that and think that a person like you has a lot of resentment and bitterness towards professional pilots. I come to that conclusion because it is extremely demeaning. Training to become a Police Officer, Fireman, Doctor, Lawyer, Hair Stylists, or an Airline Pilot, all take some strong level of discipline and commitment. Attempting to place the difficulty levels for certain professions is sophomoric at best.
11-23-2009, 03:06 PM
#26
Line Holder
Joined APC: Sep 2008
Position: Cessna 172 Right Seat
Posts: 71
Originally Posted by SkyHigh
Airliners are already flown by human programmed computers and fly by wire.
Skyhigh
Skyhigh
)(Could you also imagine the security issue if multiple aircraft were flown/remote controlled from a single company location?)
11-23-2009, 05:36 PM
#27
No one's home
Joined APC: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by DeadHead
Not sure if you've seen this, but here is the FIRST fully-automated, pilot-less aircraft in flight.
YouTube - Airbus Crash
Guys like Dr. Weiner note that automation lowers workload where it is alreay low and MAY raise it where it is already high. And it CHANGES workload. The argument that it reduces workload can not be proven.
Automation has its place. For the most part it is dependable and reliable until it fails and then it often fails in unanticipated modes. On the other hand, the Human MK1 is not dependable (compared to a machine) but it is flexible and adaptive.
As for fighters and observation, it is more a matter of removing the pilot so as to reduce the possibility of a POW and removing the pilot will eventually allow the UAVs to pull Gs above human limits.
But as someone noted, the cheapest redundancy will always be a 'meat sack' in the seat. The problem will be keeping the meat sack involved because we are doers, not good monitors.
To appreciate the complexity, is anyone working on automated CARS to take people to/from PtA? And is there any notion the public will accept such a vehicle. An automated car is not rail (but one could argue it would be hard to be any worse than some of the aimers (not drivers by any measure) in the Atlanta area).
11-23-2009, 05:45 PM
#28
Line Holder
Joined APC: Aug 2009
Posts: 51
Originally Posted by SkyHigh
Automation will continue its slow advance. The flight deck will get cameras and then free flight will reduce pilot work load to near zero while en-route. Slowly but surly ground control will eventually make an appearance. The pilots will loose actual control of the plane but will still be up front just in case.
Eventually the crew will be cut to one impotent pilot in the flight deck who basically sits there as an organic back up system. A UAV pilot on the ground will be the one who is controlling the aircraft. Every three months the back up pilots will go to the sim to remain current. Once a year they will get to land the real plane.
At one time airport subways and elevators all use to have operators and now they don't. Some transportation systems have a half asleep minimum wage person up front to give the appearance of on-board control for the passengers benefit. Pilots have been slowly loosing control since aviation began. Ground control is the next logical step, but not quite yet.
Skyhigh
Eventually the crew will be cut to one impotent pilot in the flight deck who basically sits there as an organic back up system. A UAV pilot on the ground will be the one who is controlling the aircraft. Every three months the back up pilots will go to the sim to remain current. Once a year they will get to land the real plane.
At one time airport subways and elevators all use to have operators and now they don't. Some transportation systems have a half asleep minimum wage person up front to give the appearance of on-board control for the passengers benefit. Pilots have been slowly loosing control since aviation began. Ground control is the next logical step, but not quite yet.
Skyhigh
To go out on a bit of a limb, I actually agree with skyhigh's commentary here. Once upon a time it took 5+ men to fly, navigate, and operate a big airliner with its complex systems, engines, sextons and radios. One by one, the radio operators, navigators, and flight engineers were replaced by better and more advanced systems. By the same token today's 2 man airplane is by no means the end of the airliner design evolution. Certaintly automation technology by current standards is nowhere near ready to assume the task of replacing both human pilots, but I can see single pilot airliners, with ground datalink to dispatch as a backup, as a possiblity within my lifetime.
The pilot profession will simply evolve along with the technology. In the future, the experienced "captain" might be sitting in the dispatcher's chair rather than in the left seat, to back up the lone onboard pilot/system operator. It might sound dreadful to us today, but imagine if you ask that same DC-3 driver in skyhigh's example to "operate" in today's environment, with FBW, flight directors, FMS, GPS, moving map, CATIIIB autoland, satcom, dispatchers, locked bullet proof doors, TSA, etc, and he'll probably tell you it sounds awfully dull and to take your so called "pilot" job and shove it too.
On the other hand, one can always look back and complain the "golden age" has passed, but today might just be another "golden age" when you look back from tomorrow - so make the best of it.
Last edited by flyingchicken; 11-23-2009 at 06:01 PM.
11-23-2009, 06:27 PM
#29
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,919
Originally Posted by flyingchicken
To go out on a bit of a limb, I actually agree with skyhigh's commentary here. Once upon a time it took 5+ men to fly, navigate, and operate a big airliner with its complex systems, engines, sextons and radios. One by one, the radio operators, navigators, and flight engineers were replaced by better and more advanced systems. By the same token today's 2 man airplane is by no means the end of the airliner design evolution. Certaintly automation technology by current standards is nowhere near ready to assume the task of replacing both human pilots, but I can see single pilot airliners, with ground datalink to dispatch as a backup, as a possiblity within my lifetime.
The pilot profession will simply evolve along with the technology. In the future, the experienced "captain" might be sitting in the dispatcher's chair rather than in the left seat, to back up the lone onboard pilot/system operator. It might sound dreadful to us today, but imagine if you ask that same DC-3 driver in skyhigh's example to "operate" in today's environment, with FBW, flight directors, FMS, GPS, moving map, CATIIIB autoland, satcom, dispatchers, locked bullet proof doors, TSA, etc, and he'll probably tell you it sounds awfully dull and to take your so called "pilot" job and shove it too.
On the other hand, one can always look back and complain the "golden age" has passed, but today might just be another "golden age" when you look back from tomorrow - so make the best of it.
The pilot profession will simply evolve along with the technology. In the future, the experienced "captain" might be sitting in the dispatcher's chair rather than in the left seat, to back up the lone onboard pilot/system operator. It might sound dreadful to us today, but imagine if you ask that same DC-3 driver in skyhigh's example to "operate" in today's environment, with FBW, flight directors, FMS, GPS, moving map, CATIIIB autoland, satcom, dispatchers, locked bullet proof doors, TSA, etc, and he'll probably tell you it sounds awfully dull and to take your so called "pilot" job and shove it too.
On the other hand, one can always look back and complain the "golden age" has passed, but today might just be another "golden age" when you look back from tomorrow - so make the best of it.
Perhaps the technology does exist to make a "meatsack" in the cockpit a thing of the past, but is it cost effective, safer, and more reliable? Maybe one day it will be, maybe one day it won't.
So today we'll replace airline pilots, tomorrow we'll replace architects, and the day after that we'll replace surgeons. Let's continue to allow our technology to replace and improve on human ability so that one day there will no longer be the need for careered professionals. Schools and colleges will be a thing of the past since our technological advancements will take care of all our desires and needs.
I'm speaking out of sarcastic context to illustrate my point, machines will NEVER be able to make decisions. Whether your flying a DC-3 with a crew of 4 in 1950, or setting off on a Trans-Atlantic Europe flight in a state-of-the-art B-777, the skills of prudent judgment, decision making, and comprehensive planning are all human abilities.
11-23-2009, 08:23 PM
#30
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2007
Position: Legacy FO
Posts: 4,096
Originally Posted by SkyHigh
It is not negativity. Just a different perspective.
I can understand how you would like to preserve your image of airline pilots but the fact is that there is little value left in professional pilots. Regionals were able to hire pilots with as little as a king tape education plus 300 hours of flight time. It takes more effort and training to become licensed to cut hair then to fly an airliner. The price of entry is very low.
Modern airliners are a lot easier to fly and understand then planes of the past. A pilot use to have to routinely do math in their head while retaining a mental fix of their position while hand flying the plane. Now they sit there arms crossed while the flight computer follows along on a moving map display. Aviation is more available to a wider group of people. It is considered a fun career and those who "love" it are now free to jump in at will. Airlines are more than happy to agree and let martyrs come in waves to crash upon the rocks of aviation.
It was not always like this. When I was in college pilots were focused on the money. No one would have taken flight one if we had been told that our prospects were similar to that of music majors. It took a huge sacrifice to get though college, flight training and the initial years (decades) of experience building. If we had known that there was no pot of gold at the end then I doubt anyone of us would have done it. In fact most have quit long ago.
I was laid off and kicked to the curb by my profession. I am not content with the state of the industry. I want another flying job but it has to be able to pay for my experience level and permit me to provide for my family. The reality is that airlines will not pay more for experienced pilots and have learned that pilots who "love" flying will even do it for less. After 20 years of effort I am worth about as much as a second year RJ FO.
I wish things were different. Just like you I worked very hard to get where I did. However I can not deny that most likely conditions will not get any better. I have more self respect then to keep putting my family into a bad situation. I am here in protest. Others to be fully informed of concepts in aviation that perhaps they previously had not thought of before. It is not nice to think of these things bit it is better to coldly face the situation then to deny the facts.
It is not right that a guy who starts out working at the dump makes more than most new regional captains. There is little to restrict entry into the profession. Modern planes are flown by procedurally driven automatons who are trained not to think but to follow decision trees. Modern automated planes can be flown by people who have not dedicated a lifetime to the profession. A ski instructor one day and airline pilot the next. Legions of pilots with little invested are willing to do it for free. Technological advances have made it so that modern airliners no not need well experienced pilots anymore. The airlines can hire whomever they want.
Skyhigh
I can understand how you would like to preserve your image of airline pilots but the fact is that there is little value left in professional pilots. Regionals were able to hire pilots with as little as a king tape education plus 300 hours of flight time. It takes more effort and training to become licensed to cut hair then to fly an airliner. The price of entry is very low.
Modern airliners are a lot easier to fly and understand then planes of the past. A pilot use to have to routinely do math in their head while retaining a mental fix of their position while hand flying the plane. Now they sit there arms crossed while the flight computer follows along on a moving map display. Aviation is more available to a wider group of people. It is considered a fun career and those who "love" it are now free to jump in at will. Airlines are more than happy to agree and let martyrs come in waves to crash upon the rocks of aviation.
It was not always like this. When I was in college pilots were focused on the money. No one would have taken flight one if we had been told that our prospects were similar to that of music majors. It took a huge sacrifice to get though college, flight training and the initial years (decades) of experience building. If we had known that there was no pot of gold at the end then I doubt anyone of us would have done it. In fact most have quit long ago.
I was laid off and kicked to the curb by my profession. I am not content with the state of the industry. I want another flying job but it has to be able to pay for my experience level and permit me to provide for my family. The reality is that airlines will not pay more for experienced pilots and have learned that pilots who "love" flying will even do it for less. After 20 years of effort I am worth about as much as a second year RJ FO.
I wish things were different. Just like you I worked very hard to get where I did. However I can not deny that most likely conditions will not get any better. I have more self respect then to keep putting my family into a bad situation. I am here in protest. Others to be fully informed of concepts in aviation that perhaps they previously had not thought of before. It is not nice to think of these things bit it is better to coldly face the situation then to deny the facts.
It is not right that a guy who starts out working at the dump makes more than most new regional captains. There is little to restrict entry into the profession. Modern planes are flown by procedurally driven automatons who are trained not to think but to follow decision trees. Modern automated planes can be flown by people who have not dedicated a lifetime to the profession. A ski instructor one day and airline pilot the next. Legions of pilots with little invested are willing to do it for free. Technological advances have made it so that modern airliners no not need well experienced pilots anymore. The airlines can hire whomever they want.
Skyhigh
Your comment that modern airliners don't need well experienced pilots anymore is reckless and ignorant. That is exactly the problem we have in this industry today. We have a few companies who allowed inexperienced people into the profession. And as such, we see this lack of experience show up when things don't go as planned.
If anything, I think the modern airliners are harder in that they allow you to become very complacent and ignorant all the while "making it look easy." But when something goes wrong, they expose your flaws.
Pilots still need to do math. They still need to hand fly. They still need to know how to enter holding. They still need to know the myriad of FARs and rules. They still need to be damn near experts in meteorology. They still need leadership skills in order to lead a crew and 150 passengers through a stressful emergecy or any other run-of-the-mill day-to-day situation that is an airline.
So please, cut with the "any idiot can fly" crap because they can't.
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