Posted on 04/28/2019 8:59:02 AM PDT by BenLurkin
FULL TITLE: Would you fly in a pilotless plane? Concept craft ideal for island hopping that could carry four passengers up to 434 miles is unveiled by a Czech travel firm
Online travel agency Kiwi.com has partnered with Czech aero technology company Zuri to develop a concept that could fly completely unmanned.
Developers hope the prototype will be able to fly up to 434 miles (698 km)- the equivalent of flying from London to Germany.
Similar to drones, it would use vertical take off and landing (VTOL) technology, and be powered using eight electromotors.
The concept craft is expected to carry up to four passengers, according to Zuri which is looking to produce a functional prototype with the initial investment.
Autonomous aircraft and technologies could help cut costs for airlines by reducing the number of crew and opening up the potential option of a single pilot operation.
Plane manufacturers including Airbus and Boeing are racing to develop artificial intelligence that will one day enable computers to fly planes.
Zuri's plane is expected to be able to travel on a pre-programmed route up to 700km (434 miles) - the equivalent of London to Germany.
The plane would have a wing span of roughly 36 feet (11m) and would weigh only 900kg (141 stone).
The VTOL technology means the plane can land vertically, so not as much space as a regular plane is needed, meaning you could land in more places.
Its design combines the advantages of helicopters and aircraft, with electrically driven rotors that allow vertical takeoff and landing
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Announced that our plane was unmanned. (both of us on the deck LOL).
After a few years of human testing without constant upgrades. Otherwise, no. I’d rather fly with a drunk human at the controls.
Perhaps “crewed” by a talented aviatrix....
I don’t trust driverless vehicles. Passengers bear all of the consequences for stepping into a vehicle they can’t control nor appeal to. If another person is driving, you can at least ask them to be careful, because their own life is at stake, too.
LOL - ya. Well sitting here waiting for my flight to show up after bringing another one here to STL.
No. I don’t mind having autopilot on, but I want a very seasoned pilot to be there when/if the unexpected happens.
Just think of how many more rows of seats they could jam into a plane if they didn’t have pilots!
NO.
If they say inshallah or allahu akbar, their life in this mortal coil may have far less value to them than their imaginings of the next.
And your life? Zero value.
Then there’s still a chance I can bail or take the wheel! :-D
Just think of how many more rows of seats they could jam into a plane if they didn’t have pilots!
Maybe Payne Stewart’s plane could have landed itself.
Might not have helped the passengers or crew much, though.
Designed for island hopping over 300 miles over water without a pilot? What could possibly go wrong?
No
Throw that Z in to the coordinate system makes it a wee bit more dangerous...
What plane do you do you usually fly?
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