Is there a pilot on the plane ? No so what. Over the years, aircraft manufacturers have made the planes we fly ever more autonomous. After the autopilot, and the landing by radio frequencies, will the robots definitively replace the pilots in the cockpits? We explain to you.
We won’t teach you anything by telling you thata plane already flies almost by itself. Once its cruising altitude has been reached, the on-board computer manages the maintenance and changes of course and speed on its own. For landing, the use of radio frequencies to ensure a landing calibrated to the nearest centimeter, has also become widespread. However, envisioning a future where our planes truly fly themselves remains hard to believe. But Airbus believes in it and in particular tested, yesterday, a new project making its planes even more autonomous.
His new program called dragon fly effectively marks a new stage in the autonomy of Airbus aircraft. The European manufacturer yesterday carried out a new test of a quasi-autonomous flight. A real third co-pilot on board, the DragonFly program would be so efficient that it could land an aircraft safely if the two pilots were to lose consciousness. In such a case, the program could re-route the flight by determining the safest route and land the aircraft. The sensors and cameras present on the device allow the on-board computer to hold all the information necessary to carry out such maneuvers.
To read : He hides a knife in his computer before taking the plane
Is a 100% autonomous plane safer than a traditional plane
If the automation of devices can prove beneficial for aircraft and their passengers (reinforced controls, automated relay in the event of a problem, etc.), it is clear thatan unmanned future is currently not possible. Not only because the recent news concerning Tesla autonomous vehicles is not very reassuring, but above all, because it would require changes deep in the regulations international. In addition, new issues concerning the security of devices in the event of bugs or hacks would appear. If you have seen the (very good) movie Black Box, you know what we are talking about. Humans should therefore probably remain at the heart of our movements for a few more years.
Source : airbus.com
