Boeing working on single pilot aircraft
Boeing working on single pilot aircraft
.........Technology will save global carriers billion of dollars
`
Plane maker Boeing is working on technology that would remove the need
for two pilots in the cockpits of its passenger jets.
Boeing said the aircraft could be operational by the late 2030s.
The new technology will save airlines billions of dollars paid to
second pilots that are currently in the cockpit of global airlines.
Besides, saving global carriers huge sums, the technology will address
the global shortage of pilots affecting some parts of the world,
including Middle East counties and China.
The world’s largest airline manufacturer revealed how the doubling of
the global commercial airplane fleet, record-high air travel demand,
and a tight labor market are all contributing to a massive shortage of
pilots in the near-term.
The biggest demand will come from the Asia-Pacific region — which is
looking to add 261,000 more pilots — followed by North America, which
is looking for 206,000 pilots over the next the next 20 years.
The number of airline passengers is expected to triple over the next
20 years, according to a study by the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) last year.
China is the fastest growing market; the U.S. is the second. IATA
forecasts that the North American region will grow by 2.3 per cent
annually and in 2036 will carry a total of 1.2 billion passengers, an
additional 452 million passengers per year.
Investigations reveal that there are more than 10,000 Boeing
commercial jetliners in service, flying passengers and freight more
efficiently than competing models in the market. More than 5,700
Boeing airplanes are currently on order.
Existing European aviation rules state that passenger planes with more
than 19 seats must have a minimum of two pilots in the cockpit.
But Steve Nordlund, a vice president at Boeing, said autonomous
technology that would allow for a reduction in on-board crew was being
developed at a “good speed”.
He said Boeing “believes in autonomous flight and self-piloted
aircraft” and the firm's commercial aircraft division was “working on
those technologies today”.
“I don't think you'll see a pilotless aircraft of a 737 in the near
future,” he told The Independent.
“But what you may see is more automation and aiding in the cockpit,
maybe a change in the crew number up in the cockpit.”
He suggested cargo jets could be the first to trial the technology but
that it made “business sense” to pursue a reduction in the number of
on-board crew on passenger planes, too.
“A combination of safety, economics and technology all have to
converge, and I think we are starting to see that.”
It would also address a chronic shortage of pilots which analysts have
said could reach more than 200,000 over the next decade.
But while planes have become increasingly automated in recent decades,
with autopilot routinely used throughout all phases of a flight, the
prospect of fewer crew members may still prove to be a hard sell –
both to passengers and regulators.
After a Germanwings pilot flew an A320 plane into the French Alps in
March 2015, killing all 150 people on board, Europe’s aviation safety
authority, EASA, imposed a rule that two crew members should be in the
cockpit at all times. It meant that if a pilot needed to step out of
the cockpit, to use the toilet for example, a member of the cabin crew
had to step in.
EASA relaxed the requirement last year, saying it was up to airlines
to ensure their aircraft were safe.
Sully Sullenberger, the retired US Airways pilot who saved the lives
of 155 people when he landed an A320 on New York's Hudson River after
both engines suffered a bird strike, has previously spoken out against
moves towards single-pilot aircraft.
After the US Federal Aviation Administration asked Congress for money
to research single-pilot commercial airliners, he said: "Having only
one pilot in any commercial aircraft flies in the face of evidence and
logic.
"Every safety protocol we have is predicated on having two pilots work
seamlessly together as an expert team cross-checking and backing each
other up."
Mr Nordlund, who heads the firm’s innovation arm, Boeing NeXt,
insisted single-pilot crews would only be deployed if there was
appetite for it from airlines.
He said developments would be driven by the “comfort levels of the
consumer”, suggesting passenger concerns about safety – whether
well-founded or not – could delay the roll-out of autonomous
technology.
But he added: “When it is cargo, that aspect is taken out of the equation.”
Dr Rob Hunter, head of flight safety at the pilot’s union Balpa, said
there had been a “steady reduction in the number of crew on the flight
deck of commercial aircraft” but voiced concerns that a reduction in
flight deck crew, would lead to a “greater number of occasions when
the both the machine and the pilot becomes overwhelmed”.
Norwegian Air's formidable growth could be hit by engine trouble
He said: “In the airliners of the post-war period there were up to six
crew acting as pilots, flight engineers, navigators and radio
operators.
“All of these roles are now undertaken typically by just two pilots
that are, more-or-less, supported by automatic systems.
"Sully is absolutely right, to believe otherwise is to ignore the
vital role the human plays in keeping things safe."
Airbus, Boeing’s European rival, is developing its own technology to
allow a single pilot to operate its commercial jetliners, but is first
working on cutting the number of crew needed on long-haul flights to
two.
EASA said it was “aware of discussions with aircraft manufacturers
about possibilities to reduce the number of pilots in the cockpit of
certain aircraft operations, including for cargo” but would not be
drawn on how regulations could be altered to accommodate the new
technology.
In June, Boeing unveiled its first vehicle concept for a
passenger-carrying hypersonic jet. If realised, it could transport
passengers at 3,900mph at an altitude of 90,000ft (around three times
higher than existing subsonic jets) from London to New York in two
hours.
“Engineers are working company-wide to develop enabling technology
that will position the company for the time when customers and markets
are ready to reap the benefits of hypersonic flight,” a statement said
at the time.
Mr Nordlund said hypersonic travel – at Mach 5, or five times the
speed of sound – could become a reality within the next two decades.
He said it had the potential to take someone from New York to Tokyo
for a lunch meeting before returning them home on the same day.
“Hypersonic travel is probably 10 to 20 years [away],” he said, but
added: “There are so many technologies that need to be overcome.
“The technologies are maturing. Outside of having the propulsion to
move at that speed, [Boeing is focused on] making sure that the cabin
experience is one that is acceptable to passengers. I mean, can you
imagine moving at that speed.
Supersonic jets to link 'hundreds of cities' with ultra-fast flights
“And the materials that are needed for the aircraft to absorb the
altitude that it will be flying at, they are all still in work.”
He added: “There needs to be some modelling and simulation around the
change of time zones, how would it work, and what time do you leave
New York for that lunch in Tokyo?
“There is a lot of work still to be done on it [but] from an aircraft
standpoint it is absolutely possible.”
To
.........Technology will save global carriers billion of dollars
`
Plane maker Boeing is working on technology that would remove the need
for two pilots in the cockpits of its passenger jets.
Boeing said the aircraft could be operational by the late 2030s.
The new technology will save airlines billions of dollars paid to
second pilots that are currently in the cockpit of global airlines.
Besides, saving global carriers huge sums, the technology will address
the global shortage of pilots affecting some parts of the world,
including Middle East counties and China.
The world’s largest airline manufacturer revealed how the doubling of
the global commercial airplane fleet, record-high air travel demand,
and a tight labor market are all contributing to a massive shortage of
pilots in the near-term.
The biggest demand will come from the Asia-Pacific region — which is
looking to add 261,000 more pilots — followed by North America, which
is looking for 206,000 pilots over the next the next 20 years.
The number of airline passengers is expected to triple over the next
20 years, according to a study by the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) last year.
China is the fastest growing market; the U.S. is the second. IATA
forecasts that the North American region will grow by 2.3 per cent
annually and in 2036 will carry a total of 1.2 billion passengers, an
additional 452 million passengers per year.
Investigations reveal that there are more than 10,000 Boeing
commercial jetliners in service, flying passengers and freight more
efficiently than competing models in the market. More than 5,700
Boeing airplanes are currently on order.
Existing European aviation rules state that passenger planes with more
than 19 seats must have a minimum of two pilots in the cockpit.
But Steve Nordlund, a vice president at Boeing, said autonomous
technology that would allow for a reduction in on-board crew was being
developed at a “good speed”.
He said Boeing “believes in autonomous flight and self-piloted
aircraft” and the firm's commercial aircraft division was “working on
those technologies today”.
“I don't think you'll see a pilotless aircraft of a 737 in the near
future,” he told The Independent.
“But what you may see is more automation and aiding in the cockpit,
maybe a change in the crew number up in the cockpit.”
He suggested cargo jets could be the first to trial the technology but
that it made “business sense” to pursue a reduction in the number of
on-board crew on passenger planes, too.
“A combination of safety, economics and technology all have to
converge, and I think we are starting to see that.”
It would also address a chronic shortage of pilots which analysts have
said could reach more than 200,000 over the next decade.
But while planes have become increasingly automated in recent decades,
with autopilot routinely used throughout all phases of a flight, the
prospect of fewer crew members may still prove to be a hard sell –
both to passengers and regulators.
After a Germanwings pilot flew an A320 plane into the French Alps in
March 2015, killing all 150 people on board, Europe’s aviation safety
authority, EASA, imposed a rule that two crew members should be in the
cockpit at all times. It meant that if a pilot needed to step out of
the cockpit, to use the toilet for example, a member of the cabin crew
had to step in.
EASA relaxed the requirement last year, saying it was up to airlines
to ensure their aircraft were safe.
Sully Sullenberger, the retired US Airways pilot who saved the lives
of 155 people when he landed an A320 on New York's Hudson River after
both engines suffered a bird strike, has previously spoken out against
moves towards single-pilot aircraft.
After the US Federal Aviation Administration asked Congress for money
to research single-pilot commercial airliners, he said: "Having only
one pilot in any commercial aircraft flies in the face of evidence and
logic.
"Every safety protocol we have is predicated on having two pilots work
seamlessly together as an expert team cross-checking and backing each
other up."
Mr Nordlund, who heads the firm’s innovation arm, Boeing NeXt,
insisted single-pilot crews would only be deployed if there was
appetite for it from airlines.
He said developments would be driven by the “comfort levels of the
consumer”, suggesting passenger concerns about safety – whether
well-founded or not – could delay the roll-out of autonomous
technology.
But he added: “When it is cargo, that aspect is taken out of the equation.”
Dr Rob Hunter, head of flight safety at the pilot’s union Balpa, said
there had been a “steady reduction in the number of crew on the flight
deck of commercial aircraft” but voiced concerns that a reduction in
flight deck crew, would lead to a “greater number of occasions when
the both the machine and the pilot becomes overwhelmed”.
Norwegian Air's formidable growth could be hit by engine trouble
He said: “In the airliners of the post-war period there were up to six
crew acting as pilots, flight engineers, navigators and radio
operators.
“All of these roles are now undertaken typically by just two pilots
that are, more-or-less, supported by automatic systems.
"Sully is absolutely right, to believe otherwise is to ignore the
vital role the human plays in keeping things safe."
Airbus, Boeing’s European rival, is developing its own technology to
allow a single pilot to operate its commercial jetliners, but is first
working on cutting the number of crew needed on long-haul flights to
two.
EASA said it was “aware of discussions with aircraft manufacturers
about possibilities to reduce the number of pilots in the cockpit of
certain aircraft operations, including for cargo” but would not be
drawn on how regulations could be altered to accommodate the new
technology.
In June, Boeing unveiled its first vehicle concept for a
passenger-carrying hypersonic jet. If realised, it could transport
passengers at 3,900mph at an altitude of 90,000ft (around three times
higher than existing subsonic jets) from London to New York in two
hours.
“Engineers are working company-wide to develop enabling technology
that will position the company for the time when customers and markets
are ready to reap the benefits of hypersonic flight,” a statement said
at the time.
Mr Nordlund said hypersonic travel – at Mach 5, or five times the
speed of sound – could become a reality within the next two decades.
He said it had the potential to take someone from New York to Tokyo
for a lunch meeting before returning them home on the same day.
“Hypersonic travel is probably 10 to 20 years [away],” he said, but
added: “There are so many technologies that need to be overcome.
“The technologies are maturing. Outside of having the propulsion to
move at that speed, [Boeing is focused on] making sure that the cabin
experience is one that is acceptable to passengers. I mean, can you
imagine moving at that speed.
Supersonic jets to link 'hundreds of cities' with ultra-fast flights
“And the materials that are needed for the aircraft to absorb the
altitude that it will be flying at, they are all still in work.”
He added: “There needs to be some modelling and simulation around the
change of time zones, how would it work, and what time do you leave
New York for that lunch in Tokyo?
“There is a lot of work still to be done on it [but] from an aircraft
standpoint it is absolutely possible.”
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