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IATA Director Debunks Hopes for Single-Pilot Flights: "Not Likely to Happen Soon"
MONTREAL, CANADA — Willie Walsh, the Director General of the current International Air Transport Association (IATA) and former head of International Airlines Group (IAG), said the discussion surrounding single-pilot operations in commercial aviation would continue for several years, with no guarantee that it will be embraced by airlines. (www.airlinerwatch.com) 기타...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Single pilot airline operations are insane unless the cockpit is specifically designed for it, and even then, the possibility of pilot incapacitation (from any number of factors) is to too much of a risk.
They said the same thing about ETOPS..
Airbus is developing an autonomous automatic deviation capability that while currently described as for emergency use only could be a precursor to single pilot ops as iot blunts the argument of incapacitated pilots. Single pilot is coming-it just may be a way off in the future right now.
Only until Air Force One is piloted by a single crew member would I ever think this would be a good idea.
I'm going to play devil's advocate here. We went from four people in the cockpit (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and navigator) to three and now two. Flying now is safer than it has ever been. Granted, the cockpit of a 787 today is different than that of a Lockheed Constellation in 1945.
The Germanwings tragedy would have been 50% less likely to happen if we only had one pilot on the flight deck.
With only one pilot, the pilots can get twice as much hand-flying experience.
Almost all of part 91 is flown by single-pilot crews- including turboprops like TBMs and Pilatuses. These planes are not routinely falling out of the sky. Add I would argue that the flying done by high-performance GA planes is more challenging than part 121, and it's done without dispatchers and ground support.
A few things have to happen before single-pilot part 121 operations are a reality. The plane needs to be able to perform the entire flight without human intervention. The pilot needs to be able to perform the entire flight without a co-pilot. This might mean heads-up displays for IFR approaches. Automatic uploading of communication frequencies and routing changes.
When the day comes that single-pilot part 121 is a reality, none of us will care. Just like the day that navigators and flight engineers disappeared.
The Germanwings tragedy would have been 50% less likely to happen if we only had one pilot on the flight deck.
With only one pilot, the pilots can get twice as much hand-flying experience.
Almost all of part 91 is flown by single-pilot crews- including turboprops like TBMs and Pilatuses. These planes are not routinely falling out of the sky. Add I would argue that the flying done by high-performance GA planes is more challenging than part 121, and it's done without dispatchers and ground support.
A few things have to happen before single-pilot part 121 operations are a reality. The plane needs to be able to perform the entire flight without human intervention. The pilot needs to be able to perform the entire flight without a co-pilot. This might mean heads-up displays for IFR approaches. Automatic uploading of communication frequencies and routing changes.
When the day comes that single-pilot part 121 is a reality, none of us will care. Just like the day that navigators and flight engineers disappeared.
"I don't expect to see a move to single-pilot operation, if ever, but certainly I don't see it in the next 15-20, even 25 years," Walsh said during IATA's Global Media Day last month.
Ok, guess I don't have to be concerned in my lifetime. But I do believe a single pilot is a bad idea. So while crossing the Atlantic, or Pacific, etc.....
Ok, guess I don't have to be concerned in my lifetime. But I do believe a single pilot is a bad idea. So while crossing the Atlantic, or Pacific, etc.....