Final Blog (Unmanned Aircraft)

Final Blog (Unmanned Aircraft)

            

            With the drone market exploding, unmanned aircraft seem to be a hot topic in the aviation world. Drones are being used for all types of work and pleasure. There are new regulations and law that makes the unmanned market a difficult market to comply with. Another interesting topic that comes along with unmanned aircraft is the process of taking the pilot out of the cockpit. It seems to be something that will happen but how soon? How will the general population react to it? Is the technology capable for being 100% safe? All questions that we have to look at for the future of commercial aviation.

            

            According to CNN, CEOs believe that unmanned passenger flights are about 5 years away. In a CNN article from 2015, there is a video of robot arm the controls a small aircraft. The technology seems to be there and reliable but currently the FAA only allows for large unmanned aircraft for the military. If this becomes reality, the FAA will have to come up with new regulations. (Patterson, 2015). Many people believe it will make the industry safer as it takes out the human factor that have caused many accidents in the past. Most accidents now look at human factor because they are getting tougher and tougher to solve (Robinson, 2016).

            

            Personally, it would feel very weird to be on a pilot-less airliner. I feel the pilot is the last line of defense which gives all passengers a good feeling if something goes wrong. We would be relying on technology that yes is proven but could always fail. If it does fail who fixes the problem? There will have to be a backup system that fixes the computers problems. Like every change in life however, people get used to them. Once this becomes the norm, people will still fly and people in the far future will think it was crazy that humans actually flew the aircraft.

            

            This technology can also solve the ongoing problem of the shortage of pilots. "As many of 30,00 pilots will reach the mandatory retirement age of 65 by 2026" (Schmidt, 2017). With all these pilots leaving and not many people interested in aviation, the pilot less aircraft can help solve this problem. It can also help save airlines money as veteran pilots make great money. More flights will be able to be booked as airlines don't have to worry about rest time and pilots schedules. There will be less time having to wait for the crew which will help keep every flight on time without human factor delays. Maintenance will be a problem I believe because there won't be a pilot to do the walk around of the aircraft and daily checks. Airport workers might be held responsible for duties such as these.     

           

             There are many opinions on this matter and all have good points. Pilots will hate it as it takes away jobs from thousands of pilots. Others believe that we are not even close to a pilotless airliner. May be 15 years away (Toronto Globe Mail, 2015). Regardless of how far away it is, we still have to start looking at an industry without pilots. We will be much more prepared if we accept it as reality because it is coming, eventually.

References:

Patterson, T. (2015, June 27). Company: Pilotless passenger planes 5 years away. Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/travel/remote-controlled-passenger-airplane/

BBC - Future - Would you fly in a pilotless airliner? (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160912-would-you-fly-in-a-pilotless-airliner

Ally Schmidt  | Jan 30, 2017 1:53 pm EDT. (n.d.). What Are Airlines Doing to Solve the Pilot Shortage? Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://marketrealist.com/2017/01/what-are-airlines-doing-to-solve-the-pilot-shortage/

Pilotless Planes? Not So Fast. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from http://www.askthepilot.com/pilotless-planes/