Hello, I'm James Salisbury. I've been seriously considering becoming a pilot and it's my intention to go into commerical trucking as a means to save money for flight school. I recognize that I have a long and costly path ahead of me and it's my hope that some savings will mitigate the risk involved with that.
Prompted in part by a news article I read yesterday involving remotely controlled frigates and submarines which the U.S. Navy is purchasing, I'm curious what opinions are regarding automation of airline planes? I understand it's nearly impossible to predict but is this a possibility for the industry in the near future? (Thinking about a loan payment 15-20 years from now). Thanks for any insight.James,
This question gets asked from time to time. While I do believe eventually people might be flying in drones it’s nothing that’s going to happen anytime soon. The tech isn’t there yet and then they have to sell it to the public.
Adam
That’s a heck of a crystal-ball question. I’ve looked into this a bit and the general consensus that I think you’ll find is that we’re a long way from it. The passengers would have to first become comfortable with getting rid of First Officers (every plane currently has two pilots) and we aren’t likely to get there for many years. Look how many years it took to get Flight Engineers out of the cockpit (for most aircraft anyway). Let’s pretend that you can actually get past the technical challenges and actually safely pilot an airliner remotely in a fail-safe manner…you’d still have to get past airline companies’ risk averse nature. The carrier that has a plane or two go down with a remote control pilot in command is going to experience major pain, maybe financially fatal wounds. The liability that air carrier would have to assume would be astronomical. Bottom line, I think we’re a ways off IMHO.
Also, it may be premature to worry about the future of the industry. Have you flown a time or two to see if you like it? Also, there are a ton of discussions on here about how to finance the training in a manner that makes sense depending on your age, college/work background etc. Research on! Good luck!
James,
I don’t see that happening in our lifetime.
Tory
Thanks Adam
When Boeing can actually keep airplanes in the air with two pilots, I will start worrying about this. Obviously they have a long way to go.
Also, even trains have not been fully automated yet.
Chris
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Thanks for the insight. It really does seem like a hard sell to the public. I’ve done an intro flight through a local flight school and loved it. Ive since been considering the University of Maine at August’s Aviation Program since its local but ATP seems to offer much more financial support and accelerates the procress. I’m two classes short of the required 60 credits to get it. So I’ve got some choices to make! Thanks again
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These are sweet words to an aspiring pilot. Thanks
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Anytime. Let us know how else we can help you.
An article on the topic those interested. Automated Airliners?
Of course, then there’s this! Only One Pilot!