Posted on 05/16/2021 3:34:49 AM PDT by zeestephen
Reliable Robots and Xwing are two Bay Area start-ups working on planes that can fly themselves...Both companies said they are working with major logistics companies to deliver cargo as a first use case once FAA approval happens. [Link includes a 19 minute video with some beautiful photography]
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
What could possibly go wrong?????
The same type of fools that eagerly allow themselves to be injected with an experimental medical treatment by people that have repeated lied to them are the type of people that will eventually eagerly embrace this, then be shocked when things don't work out as promised.
The technology is already in commercial use. The Garmin Auto Land system will land a plane with no human intervention once it has been activate. It’s intended to get a plane safely down in the event the pilot is incapacitated. Any non-pilot passenger can simply push a button on the panel and the system transmits an emergency code on the radio, finds a suitable landing strip, lands the plane and shuts the engine down. It’s currently installed on the Piper 600 and Cirrus Vision Jet. It’s quite amazing.
An intermediate step to fully autonomous flight is single-pilot operations. Most operations involving larger jets require two crew members at all times. The single-pilot concept places one in the cockpit and another on the ground. The pilot on the ground might be monitoring several flights and be able to ‘fly’ the plane to landing from the ground via computer in the event of pilot incapacitation.
This would save considerable expense, but would also require no small measure of public acceptance before it would be used for passenger flights. It’s an interesting concept, and one in which improvements in connectivity technology increasingly supports.
Here’s a 2014 NASA paper on the subject.
https://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/publications/HCIAero2014_Bilimoria.pdf
>>The pilot on the ground might be monitoring several flights and be able to ‘fly’ the plane to landing from the ground via computer in the event of pilot incapacitation.<<
Or a hacker can take over and fly the plane into a building without need of personal martyrdom.
After WWII America owned the private plane industry. That industry is practically gone today. Why? Lawyers. Every plane sold today has built into its price a major lawsuit with payout. Frankly, I’m astonished Tesla still exists. Even if the technology is perfect and works every time, it will still be blamed for deaths and, as the lawyer will say while pounding the desk, “Someone’s got to pay!”
Planes without pilots have been flying for decades already for the US military. What’s new about that?
Haven’t flown in decades. Yeah this will make me want to take to the skies now. /sarc
Make trains run without crews first then we’ll talk.
Make trains run without crews first then we’ll talk.
Eastern is already achieving this with hardly a pilot on board employment idiocracy.
Make trains run without crews first then we’ll talk.
——————-
Much of the Singapore MRT is automatic (Circle Line and others), no drivers.
I’m sure that’s true with other light rail systems.
Yes, there are lots of considerations to be worked out before it ever happens. Security is a major concern for sure.
I’m talking Amtrack and heavy freight. If they can’t make that happen reliably in this country it’s stupid to make cars, trucks and planes run autonomously first. There’s a reason we insist on humans in the cockpit. See: Sioux City Iowa, and Captain Sullenburger.
Or a hacker can take over and fly the plane into a building without need of personal martyrdom.
—
Where’s the fun in that?
HELL TO THE NO!!
An OLD joke from the 1970s: Welcome to the first fully automated trans-Atlantic passenger flight. Everything has been thoroughly tested. Be assured nothing can go wrong...go wrong...go wrong...
“Or a hacker can take over and fly the plane into a building without need of personal martyrdom.”
Naaaa...after he hit the building these idiots would come outside and shoot themselves. The entire intent was to go to allah and the promised virgins no matter what the gender. They aren’t that stupid...are they? (sarc)
wy69
Old news. I remember reading of this going to happen about 35 years or more ago.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.