Although current standards for airline transport pilots are exemplary, proposed changes to the ways in which pilots have been trained will create unwanted reductions of the high standards many have worked so hard to establish.  Technology to fly completely automatically has existed for over forty years and by integrating this with existing single pilot certification standards in business aircraft, it provides a safer, better option for all: ALB.

The airline industry has an incredible safety record, particularly given the circumstances of aviation; factors like operating in sometimes severe weather, older aircraft and human factors. The tremendously low accident and incident rate for commercial aviation has lead to a change in one of BAT’s ventures called ALB technology exploring completely fully automated flight systems.

One of the main reasons for BATs ALB technology was the proposed introduction of relaxed training standards for second officers via a policy called the multi-crew licence endorsement to address pilot shortages. This crew member often seen as a system programmer given the flight is conducted under auto-pilot through 97% of a flight. While certain pilots would manage well at the standard proposed, average pilots - especially those uninterested in flying and aeroplanes - would only deliver a percentage of the current standard of flight performance, particularly when necessary in emergency conditions, when a pilots experience is tantamount.

At the same time, airlines are in business to make money, enhancing systems onboard aircraft to reduce costs can save millions of dollars per aircraft per year, from aspects like recurrent training of crews (several each jet) and insurances that can be passed on to consumers. So to make more money, reducing pilots an airline needs is an advantage, especially when there are often times of pilot shortages, artificially inflating salaries.  The material is thus at present dissected to obtain the best balance of cost savings as well as save the incredible status quo.

The best balance is considered to be the introduction of enhanced single pilot operations. Currently, the fastest civil aircraft in the world can be operated by a single pilot – business jet types able to cruise at transonic speeds. Given the skills required to operate a business jet and small airliners are very similar, having a similar flight envelop except weights, these systems could be used in increasingly larger types up to certain sizes. ALB single pilots may be as controversial as ETOPS, yet the benefits to both airlines and consumers are very real. Cost savings on smaller jets under 100 seats for example means commuter airlines will be able to offer much cheaper services. Some of these savings can be passed onto passengers permitting more people to utilise and experience the convenience of flying, perhaps leading to larger, non-ALB aircraft being used.

This initial research has found certain guidelines for future enhancement, both in the initial and developed contexts;

Initial expected consideration guidelines for single pilot certification in larger types.

Mitigating factors:

-   Good weather only: pilot workload is significantly higher in bad weather

-  Day flights only: pilot disorientation and other human factors such as circadian rhythms are issues at night

-  Auto-land systems: these would phase in should the pilot become incapacitated

- BAT Panic button technology; based on auto-land systems which the flight attendant can trigger, making the aircraft land automatically if hijacked:

» Panic button technology

A Panic button system has been conceived as a means to reduce airliner hijackings. Pressing this button instructs the aircrafts auto-pilot to proceed to the destination or return to the original airport without crew override. The system also lets air traffic control know that an emergency exists via a transponder code squawk code so security teams can be on the ground to deal with the problem.

The system works with a simple push of a button, after which the flight crew and any other person on board the plane cannot change the destination of the airliner. It is a safe way of deterring hijackings and is cheap and easy to install on airliners with existing ability to land on automatic pilot. Weight can be saved as heavy cockpit security doors can be replaced with original types, the panic button system a few grams of computer chip and wiring.

» Panic button technology introduction estimate

Development 3-6 years

Entry 5-8 years (all aircraft above a certain category/class/size/age)

Mandatory on new airliners: 10-15 years

A certain class of airport and airspace only: debate would centre upon uncontrolled or fully controlled: there is usually less workload at smaller airports. The exception is when the weather is bad, when workload escalates due to fewer navigation beacons and support systems. There is also less technology at smaller airports to prevent mid-air collisions with a single pilot having more to look out for, coupled with a higher workload could mean distractions leading to accidents.

At larger airports the only increase in workload is with communications; there is usually complete radar guidance for complete safe navigation of the aircraft down to very low levels of visibility, and radar separation preventing collisions. It is thereby more probable that single pilot approvals could become standard at large airports first.

- Maximum flight distance 300nm: lessens the time of the flight an also makes the flight more manageable in terms of navigation and familiarity. This also keeps the crew alert.

- Maximum time for each flight one hour or less: prevents any but immediate incapacitation preventing a pilot’s ability to fly the plane. This limit can potentially move up to three hours with development.

- Experienced pilots only with minimum time on type, recency and total times.

- Pilot to be able to contact or even live feed to other pilots for advice or assistance via:

» Data base monitoring:

If an airline desires, these airliners can feed back to monitoring staff, allowing 2 pilots to “fly” ten or more aircraft, making decisions in all aspects in a controlled, supervised manner much in the manner of RPV's.

• In an emergency this crew could take over.

• In minor incidents such as light mechanical fault or marginal weather, go/no-go decisions can be made/overridden as or if desired.

- Minimum flight distance to be over 50nm; prevents workload factors being too high for the pilot, having to cope with the two most stressful areas of the flight within a short time period. This may be open with restrictions on the number of times in a day a pilot can do this, to prevent fatigue and other human factors affecting flight performance.

- Passenger numbers; initially under 50 people, moving within two years to 75 passengers, then up to 100 passenger types within another two years, potentially up to a maximum of up to 175 passengers. Optionally with full integration automation could be extended to full Pilotless standard. All technology requires a period of introduction to allow peoples thinking or finances or both to catch up with the concept and how it works, ALB commercial airliners particularly so. ALB technology will become available to airlines, and if the airlines buy or not will be the deciding value whether or not the concept becomes mainstream. Airlines will always have the option of crewed airliners at the purchase stage, some may utilise a fleet of part ALB and part crewed, all crewed, or all ALB – it is up to the airline.

» ALB phase in periods

Initial stage: ALBSPM + single pilot plus monitor pilot

Second stage: ALBSP + single pilot

Third stage: ALBM + monitor pilot

Fourth stage: ALB

With ALB moving into single pilot category, a monitor pilot would be carried during the first year or more of operation to ensure the system operates smoothly; until the aircraft systems and training standards are considered capable enough to avoid this protocol. Any faults will result in an Airworthiness Directive being issued as per a typical problem.

Full Phase Pilotless airliners

As is, current standards of safety are far beyond the merit of considering the introduction of full Pilotless systems. In fact if anything the difference between automated systems and piloted has swung in favour of the piloted crew over the last twenty years.

Full ALB systems will eventually have financial benefits to airlines and passengers. Not requiring a crew can save up to half a million dollars per year in wages and training costs, multiply this per the amount of pilots an airline must employ to meet requirements which includes any sick leave and it soon trims profit, an amount passed onto consumers. Added economic benefits come from not needing to provide hotel accommodation, weight of the crew member plus avionics savings, hiring and associated office costs and so on.

The reasons why we don’t fly using computers may be obvious to most computer users. Even with multiple redundancy factors there have been significant incidents where crews have overrode a faulty system.  The complexity required for the precision of flight is high, having to update information from navigation system, with various weather, weight and balance, temperature and other changes to compensate for. A sight abnormality can introduce an error which escalates rapidly, as seen in Chaos theory. Diversions from desired and actual position take milliseconds, introducing errors: exactly like those experienced by sailors before the chronographs invention: airliner speeds reintroduces the issue. Optical clocks may reduce the problem in the future.

When computers do work properly - or – as intended, the systems provide levels of precision only the best of pilots maintain. Yet however good a computer system is, sooner rather than later a human must be involved: whether programming it for basic navigation, air traffic control, maintenance or others in a long chain of staff getting an airliner into the air, all hinging on flight safety adding an element of risk which a computer alone can not deal with. We have a commercial aviation system to be grateful for with thanks to the special people who work in aviation.