Tag Archives for auto pilot.
Pilot unions will fight against this, and as far as replacing them today there’s probably no one willing to push that button. But the technology will arrive that will make travel safer replacing a human at least as co-pilot, even if full automation is farther off.
About six weeks ago Garmin introduced a new auto land feature for private aircraft. It senses when a pilot is non-responsive, and it can be easily activated by passengers. It finds the nearest appropriate airport, communicates with air traffic control and lands the plane on its own.
Most aviation accidents in the U.S. involve light aircraft. An average of three times a year a private pilot becomes incapacitated while flying. This looks like a game changer for worst case scenario events.
Details on the conditions under which the auto-pilot won’t promptly disengage aren’t yet available. However crucial seconds may matter in an emergency and this item is listed among critical issues Boeing must address. The FAA is looking to re-certify in conjunction with other major regulators, so EU insistence effectively means that Boeing has to solve this problem before the plane can fly again in the U.S. as well.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
