Airbus' self-flying plane just completed successful taxi, take-off, and landing tests, opening the door for fully autonomous flight

I have no problem with automated flight systems, but the day they remove the pilots from the aircraft and go to fully automated, unsupervised flight is the day I stop flying.

will the computer be able to land on the Hudson? Will a computer be able to fly the plane as a glider to the Azores and land it? What about gliding to an abandoned airstrip in Gimli Manitoba? There are too many reasons to justify needing real, experienced Pilots instead of computers or remote operators.

Computers are a great aide to flying and I'm grateful for many of the advances. However, there are still too many incidents where the ingenuity of the human pilot saved the day when the computer was tasked with something outside its programming. Obviously can't speak for the far distant future but nothing I see or read for the immediate future even suggests to me that pilots are dispensable.

This technology has been around for years. It will never happen because we won’t ever accept it.

There will be lots of empty seats on that plane

What could possibly go wrong?

If you have a jet upset from wake turbulence or severe thunderstorms no computer in the world could save yer ass. I have flown the Airbus A320 for over 17 years and when you get a elevator flooding at high speed because the bushing are worn there is no way a computer could figure the correct immediate response before the plane breaks up. I had this happen to me twice. The vibration was so bad a passenger wet himself. Flaws in the elevator bushings are still ongoing.

At work I use x5 512 GB of ram, and even more is avaliable. We use this to plan your intra-op brain tumor surgery. And we also use this same technology in the OR. It works. Now a pilot understands the physics of fight and how to fly the plane. He is also aware of a tremendous amount ot data that is constantly updated for him if he wants to look. Much like in the OR where millions of pixels are utilized/changed in real time and can change every micro second so we do not suck out your speech center. But even working with extremely bright surgeons, who have incredibly instinctual insights, the computer is faster and more accurate. We have learned to trust it. Once worked out I would feel very comfortable to fly without a pilot. That computer system has access to more information at a micro second than any human ever understand, and can change its plans in a micro second if it needs to adapt. Can you process 4 different mathematical process at once? Getting information and utilizing it from maybe 20 different systems? Computers can, humans can not.

Fully autonomous flight, driverless cars, robots...sure, we can do it but what's the point? Killing more jobs just because we can? I'll take the train. Wait...they do still have engineers, right?

Nah, I'll pass.

Taxi, takeoff, fly course, approach, and landing are one thing. Introduce an emergency and you have something completely different. What about thunderstorms, icing, hail, turbulance, and other weather related phenomena?

Too many variables to account for that cannot be programmed to compensate for.

Just like autonomous vehicles, it's not going to happen in our lifetime. The AI is not good enough and processing power is not there yet.

As long as "Roger" is right seating.

Is the computer required to wear a MASK!

This is why I have my pilot license.

People will never go for it. Look at the MAX -- the computer took over and crashed the plane. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

I see this as a step towards an inevitable future. I see lots of comments regarding how this technology would fare in a real world setting. But with technology like CPDLC in more remote areas, what if ATC went more automated alongside this?
Automated aircraft 'talking' to automated ATC facilities in milliseconds.....RVSM could decrease further = higher airspace capacity. Also, if the aircraft encounters a problem, it could determine the fault and a course of action to take and then decide to do it in milliseconds with the chosen facility for an emergency landing.....as opposed to many minutes respectively.
As a backup during the infancy of this tech, airlines could have a dedicated team of rated pilots ready to remote control the aircraft in exceptional circumstances, saving on overall crew costs.
Yes, all of this exists in my imagination, but I don't think we'll wait too long before this automated technology is implemented further, as long as the supporting services are also working in the background. The goal would be optimal flight fuel economy, more efficient airspace usage, and better safety with reduced overall personnel by having a more central knowledge store making distribution of code/systems better controlled.

This would appear to be a cost saving measure. Now only one pilot is required on the aircraft. Maybe an inflatable copilot to assure the passengers.

Hey maybe each passenger could have a small joystick installed in there seat so they could take turns flying the plane.?

Years ago I was glad to see gray hair in the cockpit. Now I am comforted to see any hair at all. An enthusiastic passenger for 72 years. My first flight at age 8,Seattle to Spokane in a DC-3. It was magic until my older brother puked going over the Cascades. Looking forward to my next flight, doesn't matter the destination.

I don't expect no pilots to be there for a while but it will probably reduce the cockpit to only 1 pilot at first. Once these systems are perfected, no more pilots will be there but that will take a while. Everything will be automated. cars, planes. The military is working on many autonomous systems for planes, subs, ships, drones. Cheaper to build and costs less lives when shot down/sunk. It's coming, no way around it. Most accidents are due to pilot errors. This will take the weak link out. Sorry pilots, but geeks will rule the world :-)

I'd be more excited about autonomous flight attendants. Maybe a vending machine that rolled down the aisle or a Zoom screen at the forward entry door with a cheerful person saying "Ba-bye now"!

me, too... if I had my way...I'd only fly with 2 qualified pilots..not one...not none... and I'd prefer one of them with military experience

Will never be an issue in my lifetime or my career. Way too many issues could pop up that an autonomous computer couldn’t handle. Sure it can taxi down one or two taxiways at a small, Airbus owned, empty airport but try reading back and following ATC instructions at JFK or ATL? Follow the second Delta CRJ? How would it know who to follow? That’s the first thing that came to mind. Autopilot failure in flight? Then what? I would NEVER rise on a fully autonomous plane and I’m an Airbus pilot RIGHT NOW!

I know most people don’t like it and certainly aren’t comfortable, but this will be unfortunately the future.

Thankfully reason prevails.
We all know how automation worked out for Pakistan Airlines landing gear up on the engine pods.

NFW

-:DD

I would expect this to happen although probably not in my lifetime and would think initially it would be with a pilot monitoring. To say it'll never happen is like saying an autonomous spacecraft will never go to Mars or land on a asteroid!

"Welcome aboard our Pilotless flight 101. Everything is controlled by computer, nothing can go wrong...
go wrong...
go wrong...
go wrong...
go wrong.......

I don’t think self flying airplanes will be approved until manufacturers can demonstrate the aircraft can preform emergency and irregular procedures at least as good as a human without outside intervention. This means onboard artificial intelligence independently working without a ground based human operator dependent on satellite data link.

Perfect the system on cargo A/C for a number of years...Once confidence is secured by the flying public, there may be a chance someone's getting on board...hopefully a few of my ex's).

As a Pilot having to Interface with B767-300Er flight computer, FMS, Autopilot, I have to correct the systems or disconnect the thing every flight if a Pilot isn't there and Data link lost then what?

Predictably, a lot of naysayers. This will initially be deployed on cargo jets. No pax to worry about.

But my question is: how big of a cost savings are we really talking about? If a pilot costs an operator $150k/year, and they only make 1 trans-Pacific round trip a week (50 a year), the pilot "overhead" is $6k per round trip (assuming crew of 2). If they're more "productive" (2-3 trips a week?), the potential savings are even lower. Seems like small potatoes compared to fuel, maintenance, etc., i.e., barely worth the effort.

AF447

Fear Pilots have now and in future is big business, corp's, insurance, and governments are taking away the thing we love, Flying Aircrafts,Space craft, car's. Yes as Pilots we are "loosing control" we as Human Pilots since the done of time wished we could fly, that will never change, however were being replaced, by Droins, UAV, UAS, Autopilots, autonomous vehicles, Space vehicles, even Car's soon!. Question, id.. will we as Human Pilots allow ourselves to be Outlawed from the Cockpit and driver's seat by Insurance and corporate governments policy's.

Ladies and Gentlemen this is your "AI Captain" speaking please be advised that a security update to my Flight Management system regarding my truth index has just failed to install so I am still able to advise tell you the truth and safety of your Flight, The Ground and ATC AI Controllers have determined Financial AI Control will continue to update again, Human interference is trying to stop this reduced truth index update, no further announcements will be heard if this truth index update is installed, thank you.

A pilot wants to get home to ma and the kids. Computer don't give a rat's butt.

If autonomous flight ability is dependent upon cameras, it appears that it relies on visual performance. This would exclude flying in IFR conditions, which is "bread and butter" reality in aviation. Therefore, pilots will always be required in case that meteorological conditions will change during flight.

It’s not safe....big no for me! ....accident waiting to happen.

Just a matter of time and we can't stop it and maybe we shouldn't try.

Tests have shown that computers can fly and drive more safely.

A recents segment on "60 Minutes" was about driverless semi trucks that was very interesting.