Plenty of commercial airliners are flown on autopilot for the majority of the journey.
The pilot is just kind of a failsafe. But it’s still a reassuring notion that there’s someone there in case things go wrong.
And recently, Airbus’ chief salesman has said that the jets could become completely autonomous. As soon as passengers feel comfortable getting on board a pilotless vehicle.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Christian Scherer from Airbus said the company is hoping to have electric jets available in the next fifteen years. He also said that Airbus has ‘the technology for autonomous flying’ as well as the option of flying with just one pilot.
Unfortunately, it’s a case of waiting for the public – and the regulations – to catch up and allow the planes to fly themselves.
‘This is not a matter of technology — it’s a matter of interaction with the regulators, the perception in the traveling public,’ he said.
‘When can we introduce it in large commercial aircraft? That is a matter we are discussing with regulators and customers, but technology-wise, we don’t see a hurdle.’
Plenty of aerospace manufacturers are working on autonomous planes, primarily for military usage. There are also talks of ‘air taxis’ that could revolutionise inner-city transportation.
But, following the incidents with the Boeing 737 Max jets, many people are still wary about the complex systems that run on these vehicles.
Scherer said the crashes ‘highlighted and underlined the need for absolute, uncompromising safety in this industry, whether from Airbus, Boeing or any other plane.’
Source: Read Full Article