I’ve looked through some articles about the future for aviation, I’m hoping to start getting my pilot’s license very soon, but am troubled over ‘future technology changes’ that makes me re-consider the whole thing.
The military already is starting to use advanced technology like Drones that no longer require Pilots. This really concerns me for the airlines: Should my generation be concerned about getting laid off from work in Aviation in the near future due to technology advancements where Airlines will no longer need human Pilots to monitor the aircraft during flight?
I’ve talked to some pilots from my town, and they see a day when Airlines may start going with one Pilot instead of two. Airlines used to use three Pilots: Captain, Co-Pilot, Flight Engineer, now we’re down to two.
Hello Thomas.
I’m not a pilot (yet) but I’d like to ask you a question. As a passenger, would you get in a pilotless airplane and fly from point A to point B?
I know I wouldn’t. And I’m sure a lot of ppl are thinking the same. So doubt it if there won’t ever be a need for airline pilots
Although I haven’t researched the subject all that much, I do not believe the end is near…
UAVs are not advanced enough yet to meet safety standards that are required for passenger travel. There is a lot more to flying an airplane than just flying an airplane (which is what drones can do), if that makes sense. And that is why there is still a need for humans to be there in the flight deck.
I am sure that someday passengers will be flown automatically, but I do not see it coming anytime soon. At least not in my time.
This is certainly a good question. I think that the answer is a resounding no, you don’t need to worry about this. Flying a drone with no people on board over sparsely populated territory is very different than flying an airliner with hundreds of people on it. The public isn’t ready to accept a single pilot cockpit and the FAA doesn’t seem anywhere near it either. In fact, the FAA published new rest rules a few years ago that really emphasized the importance of pilots in the cockpit.
I really don’t see this as an issue moving forward. Incidents like the recent train crash in Hoboken, NJ show how important two member crews are.
Just to chime in will that eventually happen? Possibly but not anytime soon. While the technology is certainly advancing there’s simply too many possible scenarios that would preclude that happening (ie, the link to the drone goes out?). As a pilot I can tell you we have some REALLY intelligent technology and many redundant systems but NO system is failproof.
Fun fact, it took years after commercial aircraft to no longer require an FE (flight engineer) even after there was no longer a FE panel or job for him to do. Trust me many people still take a peek upfront to make sure we’re there. They even stay onboard after seeing MY scary face!
