Single pilot commercial jets?

[PeterNSteinmetz]

It seems that passenger acceptance will be one of the bigger factors.

Airlines want you to get comfortable with flying without a co-pilot

Pilots—and fliers—are not convinced. “When things go awry, they go awry fairly quickly”.

fortune.com

 

[Jim Logajan]

I'd fly on a single pilot airline jet on condition I get the copilot seat.

 

[Bob Noel]

I wonder how many would only fly single pilot airline if they were in the pilot seat (and not the copilot seat)

 

[rotorwrench]

I wonder how many would only fly single pilot airline if they were in the pilot seat (and not the copilot seat)

You won't catch me in any single pilot airliner. Have fixed enough electrical glitches in my time to preclude any confidence in that scenario. Besides, there are instances today where a 2 or 3 pilot cockpit can't handle a technical or electrical issue without crashing. Then you have the German WIngs event...... so no way Jose.

 

[RandomDroneGuy]

The airlines will be wanting to make piloting self-service soon. They'll hand a random passenger a flight bag and a POH and call it a free upgrade.

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable with single-pilot large airliners. There are too many lives at stake all depending on one person not croaking on the job, losing their marbles, or even falling asleep.

Richard

 

[Bob Noel]

something to consider: with one pilot crew, if the pilot wants to committ suicide, then there is no hope of preventing her from doing so.

Of course, we haven't heard of many cases where an attempted suicide was thwarted by the other pilot.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Good points. And of course, the frequency of such suicides would seem to be on the increase since the introduction of the hardened cockpit doors. But both this type of suicide and terrorist attacks by non-crew members are extremely rare. So it may not be statistically a measurable change.

 

[RandomDroneGuy]

Good points. And of course, the frequency of such suicides would seem to be on the increase since the introduction of the hardened cockpit doors. But both this type of suicide and terrorist attacks by non-crew members are extremely rare. So it may not be statistically a measurable change.

On the other hand...

Maybe part of the reason it's rare is because being a crew member temporarily pulls some lonely, depressed pilots out of their isolation. It's safe to assume that as in most occupations, contact with colleagues may be the most significant human contact some pilots have during the trying times of their lives.

So what would be the effect of removing that contact, while simultaneously compounding the inherent boredom of a long flight during which a computer is doing most of the flying, by reducing the flight crew to one?

Richard

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

i would like to see the data on this. I remember Clarke’s story “Fountains of Paradise” in which the designer of a bridge over the Strait of Gibraltar had a dickens of a time convincing people that yes, they actually were safer with robotic drivers and no guard rails.

 

[rotorwrench]

i would like to see the data on this.

I think you'll find pilot incapacitation rates are much higher than suicides but could still potentially end with the same result like when he passes out he falls forward and hits the master switch.

 

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Speaking of which - https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/22/env...ted-incapacitated-during-flight-has-died.html

 

[rotorwrench]

Speaking of which

FYI: the FAA has commissioned reports on this topic for a number of years. I also seem to recall a recent effort to update statistics as well which is probably due to the single pilot discussion.