The End of the Two-Pilot Cockpit?! Get Ready for Single-Pilot and No-Pilot Airliners!

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There has been a lot of talk in the media lately about Single Pilot aircraft. In this video I will explain what that concept would actually mean, what would be required and WHY anyone would actually be interested in it. I hope you will all find it interesting and I am expecting a lot of questions.
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Below you will find the links to videos and sources used in this episode. Enjoy checking them out!
• Crossing the Atlantic ...
• The next generation of...
• Boeing invests $450 mi...
• Video
• How do airplanes actua...
• Exhausted Pilots Own U...
• Video
• Former Tesla Engineer ...
• Boeing Delivers UPS Ai...
Articles
edition.cnn.com/travel/articl...
www.euractiv.com/section/avia...
fortune.com/2022/11/21/airlin...
www.reuters.com/business/aero...

[@MentourNow]

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[@patrickjordan2233]

Still hawking scuzzy kitchen cutlery? (Sure hope the $'s were worth it....)

[@MentourPilot]

@@patrickjordan2233 I had used those knives happily for 8 months before the integration and had no idea about their company affiliations. I have dropped them now.

[@miapulchritudinous9791]

What happens if the single pilot wants to go to the toilet? I think you know the answer.. the toilet will replace the cockpit seat. I presume the toilet roll will be positioned next to the thrust levers 😉

[@Battleneter]

@@miapulchritudinous9791 I single pilot massive aircraft in MSFS nearly every week, I just pause it for a toilet break, I am just not seeing a problem :P

[@Alialali-vw9il]

I had tried to get nordvpn app .. it's to hard to loge it it . And it's so expensive one .

[@TucsonDancer]

Just the isolation factor of a single pilot cockpit would have negative effects on the psychological well-being of flight crew (thus leading down a rabbit hole of potential poorer outcomes). The flight deck is already now locked away from the rest of the flight post 9/11. Isolating one pilot alone cannot be good for the majority of people.

[@Taladar2003]

More importantly, we also know that people are more likely to cut corners and not follow procedures when they are unobserved.

[@cat-le1hf]

@@Taladar2003 There's been egregious corner cutting even when they are observed! Imagine how bad it'll get when they're alone!

[@virkony]

It should be possible to have an assistant in the cockpit like it happens in long distance travels via car. This can help to keep mental state of driver/pilot in check while still requiring less investment than fully fledged pilot. It should also help with fragmenting pilot role into smaller more managable roles (e.g. handling radios like ATC clearances but on the board of airplane). Though I would expect that assistant will go through some training to handle semi-automated airplane in case of emergency.

[@Hans-gb4mv]

But who says the pilot needs to sit up there alone?

[@SwordQuake2]

He's not in prison, come on... That's such a strawman

[@esslar1]

Even as an FO, I can point with pride to a few times when my actions led to the safe conclusion of a flight. This is not bragging, it is often a matter of someone being able to do other things while the captain is flying. It means asking questions and getting information the captain might not have to time to even think about.

[@philipmackin1025]

Most Excellent

[@SomeGuyFromOK]

Exactly. I don’t think it’s cocky or bragging at all, I agree! I know emergencies are rare now, but they still happen. So do incapacitations and pilot suicide. I would never fly on a plane commercially with just 1 pilot.

[@Moopaa]

Not to mention the priceless transfer of knowledge that comes as a brand new FO flying with an experienced captian…

[@sendit5692]

Exactly. Only in case of an accident or incident the human performance is reviewed. But how many times human resilience has actually saved the flight, isn’t exactly known and therefore not part of the statistics. Computers, for now, aren’t, if at all, resilient enough.

[@jeremypearson6852]

I agree with what you’re saying, but some major accidents have been caused by poor crew management, when pilot and first officer weren’t on the same page.

[@mptw]

It's not just about redundancy, it's also about training and experience for the second pilot. Same reason an operating room is staffed by a group of surgeons at different levels of experience (ie. an attending surgeon, a resident, etc) Divide the workload and everyone gets some experience.

[@zaco-km3su]

Simple surgeries have no attending medics.

[@play005517]

@@zaco-km3su same reason simpler aircraft have only one pilot

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

Oh crap, I hadn’t thought of that 😮

[@pjaypender1009]

Surgeries do not have multiple surgeons at hospitals that are not teaching hospitals.

[@SamBrickell]

Excellent point and a good example from another industry.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

I worked in the instrument industry back in the day, and they used to say the crew of the future would be a pilot and a dog. The dog's function is to bite the pilot if he tries to touch the controls.

[@EvoraGT430]

Always said by non-pilots or senior managers.

[@stevenclarke5606]

There’s another version of this, the pilot and a monkey, the pilot’s function is to feed the monkey.

[@tonydavis1305]

Ha ha.. Nice one.

[@howebrad4601]

Well that's humorous but not practical, nor desirable in the real world

[@housemana]

@@howebrad4601 there's truth in every joke.

[@alex2143]

Another point that I think might be interesting to look at is that i imagine pilots would learn from each other. New pilots would learn a lot from flying with experienced captains, and I can imagine captains would benefit as well from having these new graduates in the cockpit with their up to date knowledge. It allows for a lot more "learning on the job". Even though I think the automation part is interesting, I'd be hesitant to get on board of a single pilot passenger aircraft.

[@MentourNow]

Absolutely correct. Good point

[@reubenmorris487]

Learning on the job is great as opposed to "Learning the job ON the job."

[@ferrariasparta]

@@MentourNow what percentage of flights are training flights?

[@alex2143]

@@reubenmorris487 agreed. Not sure why you think that was a relevant remark though.

[@sarowie]

@@ferrariasparta define "training". Flight crews ideally are adjusted to "junior first officer with senior captain" and "junior captain with senior first officer". Then you have strange cases like Mentour that is flight sim instructor that can fly in both seats, so he can allow a first officer in upgrade training to fly in the captain seat, while he (Mentor) is in the role of pilot in command in the first officer seat. Those cases are not specifically "training flights", but they certainly balance "freshness of training" with "experience on the job".

[@MrKen59]

Have to update the emergency brochure before takeoff to include - in the event your pilot becomes incapacitated, please enter the cockpit and follow the “No pilot checklist” to safely return the aircraft to earth.

[@sarowie]

Press the auto pilot button, if that does not help, press the "ATC controll button". Important: Press the ATC controll button before leaving ATC serviced areas. Areas with no ATC service may include: Active war zones, french air space during ATC union strikes, high seas, ...

[@normangoldstuck8107]

Automation should reach a stage where the passengers have a show of hands before the flight as to who will be flying that day-lot's of savings there.

[@luannnelson2825]

Without a doubt, the stupidest idea I have ever heard.

[@limamikeaviation6200]

Actually this is already a reality. If you fly on a plane equipped with a Garmin Autoland system you will get a brochure where it says how to use it in case of pilot incapacitation.

[@charlesc.9012]

That is the most dangerous thing. That means you can't keep the cockpit locked, and when you are flying at mach 0.78, there is no time to react if the best pilot in Iran gains entry before final approach and targets the nearest trade centre just 30 seconds away.

[@lambastepirate]

It was not more than 3 days here in the US when they said they where thinking about doing this that one of our airlines had to declare an emergency because captain had a heart attack and was unconscious and later died!!! I would say that was a big hint to the airlines.

[@kenoliver8913]

I think you will find that the idea is that the plane is so automated, and that automation so reliable, that the pilot is only there to add redundancy. Wheher we can ever get to that stage I'm doubtful but if we did then your scenario is not so terrible.

[@bazza945]

You reckon? Not when the $$$ bottom line is at stake. MCAS! REMEMBER. That was all about the $$$.

[@babyboomer9560]

How bout trying to land the plane while vomiting? That happened to me in my cessna140. Not good. While vomiting, the plane is not controlled. Luckily it was not while I was flaring.

[@gary795]

Vertigo? Glad you safely landed.

[@gracie3174]

From the jab probably. Private jet owners only want unvaxed pilots.

[@CraigGood]

There's also that other uncomfortable reason to not leave a single person in the cockpit. That rare, but horrifying case when a pilot doesn't want to live anymore and takes everybody with them.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

Or if he has some sort of medical problem.

[@nick066hu]

"That rare, but horrifying case when a pilot doesn't want to live anymore" if you lock them up alone for several hours every workday it will surely become a less rare phenomenon

[@CraigGood]

@@himoffthequakeroatbox4320 The medical contingency is covered in the video.

[@ramabranch]

sure, but to be fair that happened what, once? twice? in 100+ years of aviation

[@cordial]

@@ramabranch From a quick google, its happened (or been attempted) 47 times.

[@s2snider]

Here's a suggestion for the airlines: calculate how much you could save by eliminating your MBAs. Be sure to include the savings you would get from not implementing their short-sighted, anti-passenger ideas as well.

[@mediocreman2]

It's mostly accountants that run companies these days and generally speaking that's the last kind of person you want making huge decisions because they'll always choose the shortsighted path so they can say they saved a few bucks.

[@oadka]

haha we've seen MBA's almost run Boeing into the ground, hope they don't do that for the whole aviation industry

[@MrGrumblier]

It isn't just the MBAs. It is the shareholders who don't seem to realize that you cannot have a company keep increasing profits from one quarter to the next forever. It is not and has never been sustainable, but given how bankruptcy laws are now set up to ensure that investors get paid out first, I guess that doesn't matter - just squeeze it until it bleeds out.

[@michaeldelaney7271]

Well said. Remember when Ford had a problem with the Exploding Pinto's? They knew they had a problem but the genius MBA's decided it was cheaper to let people die, and pay a pittance in compensation, than to fix the part. So the airlines should calculate the cost of all the lawsuits when a single pilot is drunk, sleepy or sick and ends up killing 300 passengers vs. the cost of another pilot.

[@jamesocker5235]

Spot on

[@lateesjp]

During emergency situations it's safer to have at least 2 pilots to be able to reference each other in case one pilot happens to overlook something or needs a different perspective to help solve a problem. Single pilot crew would be a terrible idea.

[@leonel9683]

confirmation bias

[@feonor26]

@@leonel9683 How so?

[@leonel9683]

@@feonor26 a single pilot will suffer confirmation bias

[@feonor26]

@@leonel9683 Ehh well I'm not sure if confirmation bias would be the correct term in this situation, but I agree a single pilot is a terrible idea. Probably invented by some scumfuck CEO to maximize profit.

[@sharoncassell9358]

What if one pilot falls asleep or gets sick? I drove trucks all night & drifted off for 2 or 3 seconds. Miles go faster in planes.

[@moacyrjetpilot]

As a SPO-certified Phenom 300 Captain, I do operate it with two (type-rated) crew members! Why I’m doing so? Because we, humans, still have the dream to get a job in Aviation, as a pilot! Good vibes, good flights! Greetings, from Brazil! 👍🇧🇷

[@vqey2]

The idea of a single pilot on any aircraft carrying so many souls for such long hours would be enough for me to never take such a flight

[@eoinmorganj]

😂

[@balesjo]

After watching a lot of aircraft crash videos, I appreciate how often that 2nd pilot proves to be necessary (pilot incapacitation, loss of electronics or flight controls, heavy weather conditions, etc.) I don't know that I'd feel comfortable with only a single pilot.

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

No one here has actually talked about the single rogue pilot. The fellow who because of certain life pressures decides to commit suicide, taking all other people on the plane with him.

[@h8GW]

@@scottlewisparsons9551 If you ctrl+F'd Germanwings, you'll find a comment thread about exactly this.

[@squelchedotter]

Pilots don't just get paid for what they do when things go right, they get paid for what they do when things go wrong. There is no automation can replace a qualified pilot in an emergency.

[@MentourNow]

Correct

[@robertd7073]

@@MentourNow Epstein didnt kill himself... and the pilot storage is the US was planned to bring it automation......no other country has the 1500 hour rule, college flights schools are a joke without the military GI bill. Single pilot with automation is coming and was planeed 20 years ago. Poor american pilots getting poorer....lol...dont worry, immigrants pilots will get the green light at the US immigration to take your jobs aways after they build hours abraod.....god bless you delta and american airlines....not sure why taxes pay for college aviation departments, they dont deserve the hard earned money of the tax payer...

[@Curt_Sampson]

Actually, it's not just emergencies when you need a qualified pilot. It's _unexpected situations,_ where having a couple of pilots present may well prevent that emergency from happening in the first place.

[@flat6croc]

That's true right now. Might not be true forever. It is possible that eventually automated systems may become far more flexible and adept at trouble shooting problems than humans, at which point you wouldn't let a human near the controls. Long way to go, nowhere near that now. but may happen one day.

[@Curt_Sampson]

@@flat6croc Sure, but do keep in mind that we've been anticipating machines becoming merely _as_ flexible and adept as humans for _more than 50 years_ now. And even our much less ambitious ideas, such as self-driving cars, are still in the indefinite future after 35 years of work.

[@skippynj1979]

The mentorship is critical at my company. Plus when dealing with the problem in the back, having the captain handle the situation and an FO that is capable of handling the flying while the issue is worked out is critical. Having a person next to me is critical for red eyes. Overnights alone 🤢.

[@BritishBeachcomber]

I've only flown on a single pilot airliner once. A short hop from Exeter, England to Dublin. A small (16 seat?) twin turboprop. Sitting behind the absent copilot's seat, I could see that some of the instruments were missing. At cruising altitude, on autopilot, the captain pulled out a flask of coffee and asked if I would mind acting as cabin crew and serve refreshments. Best flight of my life, with a pilot's eye view ahead

[@djsmith2871]

Look at the Qantas A380 engine failure incident. Took the entire flight crew to sort the multiple failures through the automation and come up with a landing plan.

[@jeffbguarino]

@@orlandopockets6372 Not only that but AI can learn just like people do. All the accidents that ever happened can be loaded into the memory and the solutions to prevent or recover from all kinds of failures can be programmed in. I never believed a self driving car was possible (at least for another 50 years) until it happened. So the technology has advanced faster than I thought it could. Planes are different animals but AI also can do anything a human can do which includes an emergency landing on the Hudson. I like the idea of flying all planes like drones and keeping the pilots in a dedicated building somewhere so that one pilot can fly multiple planes remotely. If there is an emergency then you have a room full of pilots to figure it out. So instead of 2 pilots trying to recover from a failure you have 30 pilots. To me I will take the 30 pilots in a room somewhere to 2 guys trying to figure out what is going on in the cockpit. The pilots will not be tired because they can work shifts and go home. Pilot fatigue is a major problem today.

[@brucemaccallan4721]

Hey feel free to go ahead and get on a pilotless aircraft. When it fails, your first class ticket to a Darwin Award will be waiting. Also, your data is wrong. There is no database for how many times pilots have saved planes from crashing, because the NTSB doesn’t record it.

[@jeffbguarino]

@@brucemaccallan4721 They can easily have a pilot remotely fly a plane and it would be the same as if he were in the cockpit. They are flying drones all over the world now , so the technology will be there soon. Are you sure the NTSB does not record this stuff ? If they don't record it then the pilots union would. I work on the railway and the railway is a lot safer than flying but still all incidents are recorded and the union even gets reports directly from the Enginemen and Conductors. Even scenarios that are set ups for future accidents are reported. The engines now run by themselves with AI and the Engineman just sits there and monitors everything. He can pop it out of this mode whenever he wants but they encourage the AI mode because it saves fuel and it also prevents trains getting ripped apart by accelerating at the wrong time. There is a huge database that has been collected for every foot of track and every type of train. There are remote engines in the middle and at the tail end of trains and it is getting to complicated for the Hog Head to know the best moment to stop breaking and start pulling. I have seen many head ons and side swipes and rear enders and they are all because of human failure. Very seldom is there anything that goes wrong on a train that was caused by unusual conditions. The train brakes are set from the head end of the train. If an air hose is pinched or blocked , then the brakes can't be set from the head end. There is a feature to blow the air from the tail end with a remote signal. There are 3 black boxes on every engine that record everything that happens, so there is a record. If the pilots are doing things in the cockpit now and not reporting it then that should be addressed. Everything has to be out in the open about what is happening on planes. The NTSB should be on top of this. That accident in Russia with the sports team was human failure. The pilots messed with the altimeter so an alarm would not constantly go off. Then they flew too low and hit the tree tops. If it was AI flying the plane , it would not have happened.

[@comvnche]

@@orlandopockets6372 Yes! The AI will not pull up in reaction to a stall warning .... I think Mentour might be subject to confirmation bias here!

[@varmanrajasekaran7900]

@@jeffbguarino I like how you mentioned that a pilot can remotely fly an airplane and all’s cool.. Now would you like to fly in a plane that’s remotely controlled by the most qualified pilot in the whole world? Are you even into aviation? Do you even know what you’re talking about? The video wasn’t about whether or not it’s possible.. it was about how it would be done, if it were to be done, and if it was safe to do so..😂 Oh, and pilots messed with the altimeter to not let an alarm go off??😂😂😂 bro.. do you even know what you just blabbered out? Do your research.. altimeters work by measuring static pressure, and ISA conditions don’t occur similarly in every location. So the altimeter On approach and departure, is set to something called as a local QNH to give uniform readings for all planes in the vicinity 🤦🏻🤦🏻 Shut the f*ck up and enjoy your passenger ride at the back😅 Let the aviators take care of the real stuff!

[@timothy4664]

This just makes me think about how captains usually get all of the accolades when disaster is averted or limited. Sully landing on the Hudson with no loss of life is truly amazing but Jeff was up there too offering support and taking tasks that Sully didn't have to do. If he was alone would the same events would have occurred? I am sure even Sully couldn't know for sure and he landed the plane. There are numerous other examples.

[@s2snider]

I can also think of several situations described by Petter where a third pilot either helped or would have helped the cabin crew had they been available. I hope the notion of a single pilot is greeted with nothing but empty cabins...

[@se-kmg355]

Ironically to your statement, the automation help Sully. Data show he wanted to pitch the nose up but the flight computers did not let him.

[@mikoto7693]

It happens in every industry. For example in hospitals the doctors, nurses and to a lesser degree porters that get all the recognition and accolades. But they wouldn’t have a hospital or equivalent to do their work saving lives if there weren’t cleaners around to provide a very clean and sterile environment. The job is absolutely essential yet nobody seems to recognise this.

[@eddycarpenter8989]

It is unchecked capitalism pure and simple. Beating shareholder earning expectations quarter after quarter comes before everything and that includes pilot mental health and passenger safety.

[@wgreenjr81]

@@eddycarpenter8989 Hard disagree. This is, as Petter discussed in his video about flight time requirements, caused by governments trying to propose "feel good" legislation by way of the 1500 hour rule, that only goes to make situations worse. Capitalists want to make money. That happens, long term, by providing safe and reliable service and having a product that consumers believe they can trust in. You are pointing at the wrong devil.

[@jetporter]

Your final point is perhaps the best one: who would even WANT a job like that, sitting alone in a cockpit hour after hour, with nothing but the crushing weight of the consequences of every little mistake you might make for company? Not I!!

[@limamikeaviation6200]

There is a good number of pilots who already do that. They are not crushed by the weight of their actions, they usually enjoy the view. You see, it's not like every crew member is fantastic to work with. Some Cpt.s for example are mean and evil. Some are so bad that make you wonder when single pilot airplanes will be a reality. ;-)

[@markb.1259]

There's NOBODY better at telling/explaining these stories!!!

[@magicalq9036]

Aviation is all about redundancy, breaking this with single pilot flights could be the start of an extremely bad trend.

[@ZZZZZ23490]

Exactly

[@mattcero1]

The automation is the redundancy and that's the entire point. The live pilot is now just another layer of redundancy.

[@BigJohnson911]

@@mattcero1 We need to maintain another layer of redundancy for the live pilot, another human pilot. What if the single pilot goes kami kazi? I would never fly a single pilot passenger jet!

[@mattcero1]

@@BigJohnson911 I agree with you so much I actually made a video about it, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqfPhp2qictjrtU

[@Curt_Sampson]

Redundancy is helpful, but it's not the most important thing here. Listen again from 14:22: it's about _the interaction between two pilots._ It's well known in many fields in that merely explaining to someone else what you're doing catches a huge number of errors. In software development, when we don't have someone else to explain things to, we try to simulate this with a technique called "rubber duck debugging" (which even has its own Wikipedia page, with references), but though this is proven to be helpful, it's still not as good as having another person present, particularly during stressful, time-limited situations, which are not exactly infrequent when flying an aircraft. If you asked me what the worst things about having a single pilot are, the first would be the loss of preflight and in-flight briefings, the second the significant loss in ability to handle typical "stress point" workloads (such as the time before landing) where you need to fly the aircraft, plan an evolution and communicate with ATC all at the same time, and, coming a distant third, the loss of redundancy.

[@izzieb]

If single pilot operation is approved, it most certainly will lead to a race to the bottom, all in the pursuit of higher profits. While not a perfect analogy, we have seen this in the railway industry in the UK - removing guards (which is a safety critical role) from services and replacing them with Driver Only Operation (DOO) services. There have been a significant number of accidents (particularly people getting caught in the doors and dragged underneath trains) that potentially could have been avoided if the services had guards.

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

I would use a Boeing 373 MIN with only one wing, only one gear and only one engine flown by no pilot but a Tesla bot. And get my petrol from cheap russian tankers. Then i could sell ultra cheap tickets to the germans so they can fly to their beloved Ballermann every vickend.

[@thomasm1964]

Guards WERE a necessity in the days of unfitted rolling stock. The guard's role would have been better described as being that of brakeman. He also used to have duties with respect to protecting the train at rear in the event of failure. However, technology means that signalmen now know where trains are, that trains are also self-reporting and that the driver can communicate directly with signallers from the safety and comfort of his cab. Let's not pretend that guards were infallible. History relates that there were also plenty of accidents caused because guards FAILED to protect their trains.There is nothing a guard does with respect to DOO that a driver could not also do. Change the rules a bit: make the driver step outside his cab before he closes the doors or install monitors or do a host of other things which give the driver the same ability as a guard to check the train is clear of obstacles before sealing it. There have been a relatively small number of accidents of the sort you desccribe. As train technology develops, such instances become ever rarer. Simple examples: better sensors in the doors which can be linked to the motor. protective screens on platforms which align with doors (these have been implemented on many stations around the world). The guard just is not important enough these days to have a valid role in railway safety.

[@sadiporter2966]

removing guards is not a necessity for trains as you can have cameras on the inside and outside of the train where the doors are to see if anyone is trapped in the door. The only reason they still exist is train drivers going to strike. People went on strike with the industrial revolution too, they didn't want machines taking over their jobs.

[@justcommenting4981]

Aviation is most certainly going to follow a similar trajectory to rail if labor(workers) can't get it together and get power over these corporate boards.

[@justcommenting4981]

@@sadiporter2966 they didn't want to be poor and in the street, the job was not the issue. Make more, do more, get less, unless you're at the top. They may have sensors that could prevent something, but that doesn't mean they implement them, maybe sometimes but not everytime.

[@donaldmoser212]

After just watching your Air France 447 analysis video, I am thinking having four pilots while flying over the ocean might be better!

[@EvoraGT430]

There were no competent pilots at the controls of AF447, sadly.

[@officerahmo]

The thing about AF477 is that there was no communication. Having a 4th pilot there wouldn't have changed much.

[@BuzzMoves365]

King Air C90 Air Ambulance in Hawaii was just lost yesterday, Single pilot. I just did an emergency divert in a Boeing 747 with four pilots. The teamwork to handle the workload quickly and safely was priceless. Hear me, bean counters. Priceless!

[@ambienteterrazas]

I was under the idea (from a Pilot friend) that a new or inexperienced copilot learns and accumaltes flight hours from flying next to a Pilot (captain) and form the stories i have heard of pilot shenanigans i think its better to have 2 pilots like forever....

[@WilliamDavidKirbyUK]

Err, that will be a yes then

[@magpiefrogfrom2556]

I thought that after the Germanwings episode that pilots aren't allowed to be alone. I suppose that having a member of the cabin crew sit upfront for the duration of the flight is cheaper than an extra pilot. 🙃

[@NekiCat]

That rule was quietly dropped a few months after the incident, because it wasn't very feasible.

[@plrswax1]

Or have one lucky passenger sit in the cockpit (as an air marshal) during the entire duration of the flight🙂

[@ianchandley]

The US airlines I’ve flown since then have a process of a senior flight attendant stepping into the cockpit when a pilot steps out. The galley is then blocked by a meal cart with another attendant until the pilot returns to the cockpit. I stood up on a recent flight to stretch my legs during this activity and was told by the flight attendant to return to my seat…

[@bobroberts2371]

Thisr could be solved by including a deployable emergency Otto Pilot as used in the movie AIRPLANE !

[@ianchandley]

@@bobroberts2371 ahhhh….. another fan of the classics!!!

[@frank327]

Outstanding explanation, another great video from Mentour

[@DanielinLaTuna]

Redundancy is standard in the western electrical interconnection in the United States (except, sometimes at Pacific Gas and Electric- PG&E - and we’ve seen how well that works). We could operate everything with single components, but prudence dictates that we plan for the N-1 contingency, and that can only be done if there’s at least two…

[@keithhendrickson8522]

Emergencies actually happen ALL the time that never make the news. When they do, they require the full abilities of both pilots to correct. Because they are handled, you never hear about them.

[@WilliamDavidKirbyUK]

Yes, I am sure. But they are controlled because of the way that aircraft are crewed. Let's get this straight? Two to aviate?

[@keithhendrickson8522]

@@WilliamDavidKirbyUK Absolutely. Redundancy is the name of the game.

[@TheGerudan]

So...how would you even train pilots if you only have one pilot in the cockpit? How would new pilots gain enough experience to be left alone in a single pilot cockpit?

[@MentourNow]

Good question

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

That’s easy to answer….you would…..ummmm…ummmm…dunno! Someone else can answer that one. I have just put it into the too hard basket! Have a good day everyone from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺

[@Samm21213]

Well, it just goes to show the true objective of this initiative, which is completely pilot-less aircraft.

[@limamikeaviation6200]

As they are doing right now: by decreasing safety margins

[@PeterPan-iz1kk]

Very good presentation! I totally agree! Thanks! 🙂

[@NSEasternShoreChemist]

I agree -- advanced automation is a good tool for pilot assistance, but isn't ideal as a pilot replacement.

[@daveandrew589]

The joke is that the cockpit of the future will contain a pilot and a dog. The pilot will be there to keep the dog company, and the dog will be there to bite the pilot if he/she tries to touch the controls.

[@murraystewartj]

Was going to post this one. A classic.

[@ThatAviationGamer]

"oh shoot the plane is in a 90-degree dive, I would pull it up but the dog will bite me."

[@ayushgarg6069]

Soon ai will take all the jobs let alone pilots.

[@h8GW]

@@ayushgarg6069 Someone's been watching too much of the Matrix and not actually getting insight in the development of AI.

[@XIIchiron78]

This will always be a pretty hard sell. Having two pilots, even if the plane can basically fly itself, makes it a lot harder for one guy having a bad day to just fly into a building or something.

[@montgomerymcferryn1542]

Here comes the good bit, you can teach a modern aircraft in theory not to fly into buildings. Modern aircraft have fly by wire which gives the pilot a flight envelope in which he can fly, next step will be even more automatic

[@XIIchiron78]

@@montgomerymcferryn1542 yeah sure, once we have fully autonomous aircraft there's no problem, but at that point you're talking about preventing the pilot from overruling the system, so why have one at all? It's a much bigger leap than what's being discussed here.

[@charlesoxley7242]

@@XIIchiron78 "...preventing the pilot from overruling the system..." What could possibly go wrong?

[@WithmeVerissimusWhostoned]

Oh, yea ...like that Boeing 737 Max flight control system that brought down 2 planes. Systems we create should serve/assist us not rule over us. Remember that every system is programmed by (flawed) human beings thus the code and its logic reflects their own ignorance. Also, AI do not feel, AI will not fight till its last breath for your survival like humans would. Anyway, the humanity is doomed because the greed in people's hearts will lead them to expand and exploit AI technology to such proportions which will allow either the people or the AI itself to end it all.😢

[@XIIchiron78]

@@charlesoxley7242 yes that was my point lol

[@The_ZeroLine]

You need to be advising national and international aviation bodies. Common sense is, ironically, a scarce commodity. You pair that with intelligence, passion, a detailed oriented work ethic and a massive sense of accountability for passenger, crew, pilot, etc. safety. Finally, you take a very holistic approach to examining the industry, which gives you a better overall understanding and feel for what is/isn’t working and/or would/wouldn’t work well.

[@Michman2024]

Another great video, thanks.

[@andrewmountford3608]

At a time when lack of ‘hand flying’ is raised in sone crashes as a contributing factor this single pilot seems to be ridiculous

[@MentourNow]

Yep, I agree

[@timwildauer5063]

But computers don’t forget how to “hand fly.” With computers, every pilot is the best pilot. They don’t forget to look at where the horizon is, if they’re off profile for landing. They would fly directly down the center every single time.

[@HDJess]

@@timwildauer5063also a valid point. So there seems to be positive aspects to it too.

[@NicolaW72]

@@timwildauer5063 If the technology is working properly.

[@timwildauer5063]

@@NicolaW72 computers always do exactly what you tell them to do. If you program it correctly (and it wouldn’t get certified unless it is) it flies perfectly every single time. There’s no “oh shoot, the weather conditions changed from we talked about the approach so now we flew below the minimum decision height and clipped the radar on the runway because we couldn’t see where we were.” Computers can pay attention to every single instrument all at the same time. If something on the airplane stops working, it might not have to go through 10 different checklists because it can instantly see which of the 100 different sensors isn’t working properly. There’s no need to fall back on “aviate, navigate, communicate” because it can do all of those at the same time.

[@johnkelley9877]

As a passenger I want two humans in the cockpit making sure the flight is stable and safe. I agree this is a bad idea.Thanks for sharing this.

[@arielleblond6201]

You're completely right because your life is engaged.

[@_w_w_]

Speak for yourself. I am a frequent flyer, I rather have a highly AI-based system than a human pilot that can have bad days, get tired and make mistakes. The issue is people are so afraid of "AI" and they are ignorance of the fact that we have many AI systems in our lives already that people don't even know or think about... These systems are highly reliable... and knowing the innovations that are happening in the AI field. Getting rid of pilots are good for safety, reduce cost.

[@Mike25654]

@@_w_w_ Possibly you do not have a lot of insight into flying in general and about the amount of bugs and problems still present in modern airliners (many of which nobody ever considered until they show unexpectedly at some point). Pilots around the world stop thousands of planes from crashing from system anomalies and computer bugs every year. If you think about it for more than a second you will see that it doesn't make sense to state that AI is better suited than humans because of plane crashes beeing caused to only 40% by technical malfunctions but to 60% by human error. That calculation completely negates the multitude of the crashes that didn't even happen because they were prevented by the pilots, which is pretty much their job. It's like saying you want to get rid of doctors and replace them by only nurses and automation because doctors sometimes make mistakes that lead to patients dying. It doesn't make sense.

[@WilliamDavidKirbyUK]

We all agree/ Two to aviate (in an emergency)

[@64ND41-F]

I have to disagree on that one . . . Why do you think a human is better than a computer?

[@giancarlogarlaschi4388]

It was Fantastic to Fly with a Flight Engineer . He saved our butts more than once !

[@rickylowry3213]

Glad to hear some words of relief from you

[@kristerlundberg3073]

Having done both Single Pilot Ops and Multi Crew Ops in the same jet, I know what I prefer. I'll take the second pilot 100% of the time.

[@getyoursupervisor8519]

+1. Additionally: where and how gets a new pilot his experience ? How should this be sustainable from this view point alone ?

[@MuhammadIrfan-ye5zf]

@@getyoursupervisor8519 they are expecting pilot fresh out of school to ace the flight immediately.

[@criptonide]

Surprised he didn’t mention anything about pilot hijacking. That is what I worry about the most. Some airlines even require cabin crew to be in the cockpit if one of the pilots need to go out of the cockpit for a toilet break for this exact reason

[@frankkky7375]

the autonomy of the aircraft will likely override the pilot but if that were the happen it would only create more possibilities for a malfunction to occur. it would be an mcas 2.0+

[@criptonide]

@@frankkky7375 imo pilots should always have the ability to override controls in an even of a malfunction. This is why pilot hijacking is a major problem that should be thought through before allowing for single pilot operation

[@NicolaW72]

@@criptonide Indeed. Andreas Lubitz used in 2015 the Autopilot to fly the A 320 straight into a mountain.

[@listenerererz]

@@frankkky7375 737 MAX was grounded after 346 people died in 2 crashes, when plane incorrectly took a dive to avoid stall induced by faulty sensors.

[@LtNduati]

That was my second thought, but more concerning is intentional downing when a pilot leaves the cockpit, and it does happen (Germanwings 9525, Egypt Air 990, FedEx 707 to name a few)

[@frannyp46]

Notorious airline Ryanair said about 10 years ago they were looking into single pilots. It gave them the free publicity they were looking for and ultimately increased ticket sales.

[@petergilbert144]

I agree it sounds like a good idea as an aid for the 2 pilots to help with the workload and especially if there is an incapacitation with one of them so the remaining pilot still gets some help and a system to check them because more mistakes probably would happen then from the extra stress of suddenly being the sole person flying and no checking system. To have automation help with that regard would be great or if the pilots are fatigue toward the end of a hard shift. This technology should be an aid, not replacement.

[@roblancs]

As said several times here already, this breaks rule number one of aviation in that you have at least two of everything. If this rule gets broken, it will be reinstated, but not before people get killed. Tack så mycket, Petter.

[@NicolaW72]

Yes, indeed.

[@aamiddel8646]

Not everything in an aircraft is redundant. Take the rudder or the front wheel.

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

Does this mean that a pilot is not an important component? Seeing the bean counters think we only need one of them! I don’t think single pilot cockpits will happen anytime soon. I sense a certain reluctance from pilots and passengers!

[@arctictiger8690]

@@aamiddel8646 Differential thrust on the engines can be used. It has been, and it has saved lives when flight control surfaces have ceased function (United 232, OO-DLL)

[@butchslagergio5486]

@@arctictiger8690 In case the front wheel sticks in the belly??

[@mendel5106]

I would require the passengers be told ahead of boarding or better yet when purchasing the ticket if there will be only one pilot. Cleaver sensors are good to stem the issue with pilot fatigue and other distractions of unrelated pilot and co pilot chatter that is not conforming with the phases of "sterile cockpit" and other pilot shortcomings such as when being under the influence or on meds..

[@ysweetbox]

Such a great analysis :)

[@foreverpinkf.7603]

I´m pretty sure, that this idea was brought on by some business students in collaboration with office sitters, 5G-believers and corner cutting airlines e.g. Ryan-Air. Watching your videos for years, in my opinion it is vital to have two pilots in the cockpit. No if´s, no but´s.

[@alessandroceloria4573]

Imagine not believing 5G is real in 2022

[@who2u333]

And there was a recent incident where the Capt had a sudden heart attack just after takeoff and the FO brought the plane back. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen. I think the public is well aware of the hazards and won't stand for this.

[@TheWeatherbuff]

Thank you, Petter! My personal rule, which applies to everything from flashlights to computers: Three = two. Two = one. And one = none. 😉

[@Parthsean]

I love this analogy. I am gonna use it. Thank you internet friend.

[@TheWeatherbuff]

@@Parthsean My pleasure. It's kind of military thinking, but really just basic preparation. Of course, sometimes I take it too far: "Why do you need seven computers?" Answer: "In case six of them break." LOL

[@mediocreman2]

But it's inverse for women. 1=2, 2=3, etc.

[@marksmallman4572]

@@mediocreman2 careful...

[@robertbandusky9565]

My days on the B-727 were the best. Safety and conversation flowed and adverted possible mistakes. Todays two pilot aircraft are quite able to be flown single pilot, as long as no serious diversion occur👨‍✈️

[@gnicholson4231]

Petter, I have one thought that was not covered in that video, which is how will a newly recruited pilot build up experience to the point that he can be signed-off to handle flights on his own -- will he have to spend hundreds/thousands of hours in a one-pilot simulator?

[@limamikeaviation6200]

Single pilot high performance jet non commercial operations are already a realty. I guess the requirements they envision for commercial operations, will be the same. If I'm not mistaken it should be: 200h Total Time, 70h PIC, and then the Type Rating Course, depending on the airplane, around 40-50h.

[@toffonardi7037]

@@limamikeaviation6200 that's less than single "pilot" operation in modern train like high speed train in Europe. They have a sort of "line training" that lasts 3-4 months and then they're left alone. So basically, besides all the other problems that we said so far, you should get the "captain level" in 3 months. Which is something that is unachievable at the moment and for many decades.

[@limamikeaviation6200]

@@toffonardi7037 I actually can't understand what you are trying to say.

[@bikhills]

I agree that the single pilot idea would be a bad idea in most situations. A major issue would be that this would lessen the opportunity for lower time pilots to build time flying right seat. Building hours is the expensive phase for beginning pilots. This would tend to lessen the pool of experienced pilots even more.

[@TheScotsalan]

Excellent point👍. You cant take someone straight of of flight school and pop them into a single pilot plane.

[@tiladx]

@@TheScotsalan The Navy and the Air Force would beg to differ. 😁

[@BT-ex7ko]

With the pilot shortage and the suffering economy leading to even less people pursuing flight training and certification, this all feels like a self fulfilling cycle. Automation will lead to more pilots with less hours in return, likely lower pay which would turn off many aspiring ATP's from continuing education, which over time may usher in the scary possibility of full automation as corporate greed deepens and available ATP pilots dwindle.

[@TheScotsalan]

@@tiladx Ha ha.. spot on reply👍. They do have dual seat fast jet trainers however. They aint going from a cessna into an F35

[@Cheese21213]

Another thing to point out is that if this happens or is being seriously considered I am confident the pilot unions would full commit to a strike.

[@eoinmorganj]

Aircraft company like airbus & Boeing are dependent upon their customer which is airlines company, if airlines company don't want to purchase simply Aircraft company will not produce that, since aircraft are made on order ... There is nothing to strike... Simply whatever airlines company like qatar, Emirates, Etihad will order then airbus, Boeing will respond, because Airbus, Boeing will do that only what their customer want that's it,

[@MrHav1k]

I could see it being good on short haul routes. On long Haul routes too potentially down the line where You can have one pilot sleep while the other monitors the plane. You wouldn't need the third pilot like you do on similar routes today.

[@edbaker4260]

during the Vietnam war I was air crew on an A-26 Intruder which only has one pilot, however we each were required to wear a parachute and we had ways to get out of the plane.

[@joe33]

You illustrated the problem of accidental pilot incapacitation. I am terrified of an intentional scenario in the style of a Germanwings 9525 scenario where the remaining pilot is left alone with a spiral of depressive thoughts over the mid of the Atlantic.

[@jerseypup]

This is what's known as EgyptAir flight 990.

[@charlesoxley7242]

@@jerseypup See also Malaysian Airlines MH370 (in all likelihood.....the lack of the wreckage of the airplane means we might never really know).

[@TheScotsalan]

@@charlesoxley7242 And the recent crash near guangzhou, China. Though, thats still being investigated.

[@Delibro]

So, this is in favour of one pilot planes, cus no second pilot could be closed out, the plane handles to prevent such things happening.

[@90sRcool]

Fun fact, the example of the three-man flight deck you showed at the start was actually the four-man flight deck of the Vickers VC-10, the navigator's seat was out of view in that photo. Great video!

[@paradime100]

I was a bit nervous when I worked in the Channel Islands as flights between the islands on a Trilander were single pilot operated . Also in the old days of Intra Airways flying from Jersey to Dinard on their DC3 Dakota. I even came back from Exeter with a single pilot on a small Shorts 330 with a single pilot. I remember her saying before takeoff that the weather was very bad but that she would 'do her best' to get us down !! .

[@paddy1952]

Let me assure you, my friend, getting down is NEVER a problem;) I've flown as a single pilot in IFR in corporate turbo-props, and as a crewmember in larger machines. We used to joke: "I don't know what's worse, being a copilot or having one." That said, I can also tell you that in my opinion, you're safer with two pilots if the captain maintains the correct professional tone on the flight deck. My personal experience is approximately 8000 hrs air time.

[@Guesswhokk]

This came about because of "self-driving cars" , which is a lot harder to navigate and make it "autonomous" on the road than flying the plane in the air. Full Automation on the plane were meant as the default position (take off, landing, set waypoints & etc) , the pilot will only "take manual control" if it detect anomaly, like weather ahead or bird-strikes.

[@ElinaBenado]

Even if the technology allowing planes to be flown by a single pilot was approved, I think it would always be best to have a second pilot in the flight deck in case things go bad. There are just some things that technology can't replicate, such as human experience and reasoning. Having two pilots is good for accountability. It's safe for everyone.

[@NicolaW72]

Indeed, exactly.

[@WildB06]

AI relies on input from sensors. What happens when those inputs malfunction? AI can't look out the window and rely on its gut feeling and instincts... because it doesn't have any.

[@deice3]

@@WildB06 considering how often it is stressed that pilots should not rely on what they see out of the window, because their gut instinct is wrong, and that this has caused pilots to crash planes, you make a solid argument why we should replace pilots with AI.

[@WildB06]

@@deice3 there's no doubt that on some occasions pilots have crashed a plane by relying on their gut instincts... but equally there have been many crashes where the automation and avionic sensors have failed. In an emergency situation I'd rather have a crew of professional pilots, with real and natural feelings and a strong desire to live trying to sort the problem than a computer program reliant on sensor inputs.

[@NicolaW72]

@@WildB06 Indeed.

[@fayismuhammed4522]

As a frequent flyer and a avgeek i feel so confident enough to fly shorter or long haul flights , after understanding how things work work in aviation industry and how much safe it is … so this idea scares me getting to a single pilot aircraft 😐

[@TheOwenMajor]

What do you define as short-haul flights? I fly regularly for work on a 30min flight that only has a single pilot.

[@julioqueiroz9707]

Cool video! There's also A.I. and remote navigation

[@misha4422]

Glad to hear that even IF single pilot flying happens, I’ll be old enough to be past my flying travel days. Related: I want nothing to do with autonomous cars. I prefer driving standard transmission cars, even. So, you can see where I am coming from. I need to check out your 1500 hours presentation. Thank you for all of your valuable information and thoughts.

[@razvanlex]

There are no autonomous cars. Maybe some in US I think, legal for a couple of blocks or something and they are monitored by a human. Some automation can also help in a car, the same as in a plane. For some years now I prefer automatic gearboxes (in my country they used to be rare until 10-15 years ago), I'm using adaptive cruise control almost all the time. BUT I monitored the systems at the beginning tu understand what their limitations were, depending on the car manufacturer and/or model. This is really important, some people think it just works in ANY scenario, which is not the case.

[@jamesocker5235]

Autonomous systems are still garbage in garbage out sensitive So bad sensors lead to garbage in and to crashes, more complexity leads to greater potential failure. Two pilots is best

[@tonyshield5368]

Remember the Quantas A380 in Singapore - 3 senior captains, 2 First Officers - to get the plane safely on the ground.

[@AlbertAimerHTL]

Excellent video

[@gospelaccordingtojohn8959]

As a former flight attendant, I used to joke with the flight crew, that they would be replaced before flight attendants. Can you imagine the chaos in the cabin with no flight attendants?

[@thomasrudder9639]

That’ll never happen.

[@FlywithMikey96]

We have way too many protections, regulations, and unions in place for any of this automation crap to happen in the aviation industry.

[@eoinmorganj]

​@@thomasrudder9639why?

[@thomasrudder9639]

Obvious reasons@@eoinmorganj

[@randomaccount8374]

@@FlywithMikey96 Do you mind to name some of the unions and regulations? I am deeply interested to know. Highly appreciate your kind help sir

[@sanandaallsgood673]

Thank you for a very well thought out presentation of this topic. There are elements that I didn't consider, such as the reduction from three to two flight members with no evident lack of safety. However, a single pilot is not something I'm willing to accept. I think most people are of similar feelings. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[@bucc5062]

Keep in mind that the three to two was the removal of a flight engineer, not a flying pilot. Automation can handle engine performance, but flight is a constant variable environment. I agree with your few, but just wanted to enhance that removing a navigator, an engineer are much simpler than removing a backup pilot.

[@norcalray7182]

Can you imagine what would have happened to the Qantas flight when the A380 lost one engine and cut all the wiring if there's only one pilot up there scary

[@GLORY-TO-ENTROPY]

Germanwings

[@davidhugill4668]

Agreed, in general. It would be hard for automation to be coded for such a cascade and proliferation of failures as that QANTAS flight. However, the situation that Mentour suggests is on the cards would have two pilots during the takeoff and climb phase, which is when this failure happened. In fact, they had a check pilot in the cockpit, plus one other (for reasons that escape me and laziness prevents me looking up :-) so there was a lot more grey matter in operation than any automation software is likely to match.

[@PCJ52]

I haven't finished watching the video yet (and I will) but this recent issue came to mind: “I’ve got a serious situation here. My pilot has gone incoherent. I have no idea how to fly the airplane." I'm curious to see how this would potentially be handled.

[@greyjamiesod4989]

AIR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATORS WILL EXPLAIN...

[@benlichtman8033]

Definitely are some benefits, like in the case of germanwings, the AI pilot I’m sure would be able to override the suicidal pilots dive. BUT, I cannot see how in a complex emergency situation, that the programming might not foresee ocurring, I think two pilots is an indispensable resource

[@jlgood89]

Your videos are wonderful teaching tools. You explain the premise, lay out the factors, acknowledge and challenge the viewers' initial perceptions, and detail new lines of reasoning using additional information that sheds light on the bigger picture. Your passion for education is very evident from the way you continue producing content to the way you have improved your videos over the years. Great work from you and your team!

[@matthewmiller6068]

Saw this in the news, first 2 things came to my mind was "what happens if they die, would the flight attendants even notice until it's missed the prepare-for-landing by a considerable time or flies into a restricted space and shot down". Other issues could be what if you have someone gets pushed and goes off the deep end, nobody to stop them. Or heck even just humans are REALLY bad at staying alert monitoring things while the computer does the work. I also seem to recall a nontrivial number of air-accidents where they had control issues and needed multiple people to try and mitigate the failure and focus on specific things or have both pull on the controls to overpower a jammed control. I hadn't thought about them using the bathroom though...I can see it now, they go to re-enter "Open the cockpit doors, HAL...I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that..."

[@737smartin]

None of this happens until the automation/remote control from HQ is proven very, very capable and reliable. Who flys and lands the Predator drone without a pilot? Who “flys” space station resupply missions? In the near future, aircraft will be capable. We will still have redundancy in the system. It will be operator pilot backed up by operator automation/remote control. Change scares people, but people adapt pretty quickly…if they see it working. 😅

[@RellyOhBoy]

For reasons now well-known...There should never be a single individual behind a locked door of a flight deck aboard a commercial aircraft, period.

[@chriskoziarz3821]

"It's not gonna be me sitting alone in that cockpit" Well said Peter! Fundamentally, we are social species and pilots (especially long haul) who spend good chunk of their life in the cockpit, do need (or even must have) the company of their owns (not the automated system) at whatever capacity. We function as social species in whatever we do, pro work or entertainment, controlling an aircraft, included. Single pilot aircraft with autonomous support, go against this evolutionary principle.

[@coffeeshangarworkshop8051]

3rd and last comment regarding pilot training. You mentioned that Airlines need high quality Pilots but the cost to become a pilot is a barrier to many of those who would be brilliant at the job. In my opinion airlines, and all Industries that need specific Talent sets and aptitudes, should begin recruiting programs seeking those talents in high schools and community colleges. Send recruiters out to provide introductory flights to high schoolers to identify those who are Naturals, and provide scholarships to them to fast-track them past that Financial barrier into a airliner seat. We would all benefit from it, we would have better Pilots, we would have people from less affluent families given the opportunity to get high-paying jobs that would otherwise be completely out of their reach because of the cost of training.

[@chrisb.2028]

While obviously is a good idea to help poorer people with talent on the track to become pilots, airlines would never make such big investment on a person, what if that person resigns? what if that person goes to another airline? what if that person turns out to be a mediocre pilot because he thought he didn't need to perform well since he got the job basically secured? they can't risk to give scholarships to just enough people because some may not make it, and won't give it to more that necessary people because if they don't need them is just a waste of money for them and might help their competitors. unless all airlines make a fund for scholarship, with an international school, from where all airlines can recruit newer pilots at a regular basis (let's remember that, unlike other jobs, piloting is the only job you can take, you can't go higer and leave a vacant for newer pilots until you retire or move to another airline). Also, they won't see a return in their investment until a few years after giving sponsorship to students, which is something companies hate.

[@rempanda]

It would open up airlines to liabilities and create massive costs to them in an industry that is already struggling. The onus should be on the education sector of governments to be more available and equal in opportunities to all including allowing the evaluation to provide scholarship in to specialized training such as gaining a pilots license.

[@QUICKIRONS]

Most Airline pilots are former Navy or Air Force Pilots. They retire at a young age and then go fly for the Airlines who train them for FREE!

[@sarowie]

@@QUICKIRONS you are specifically talking about the US, while OP is talking about a model that is somewhat what happens in Europe. Take a look how Peter (Mentour) was trained. Now, he was not air line sponsored, but... if the airline is national and the flight training is goverment sponsored... same different?

[@julianegner5997]

What I do not understand is that in Europe you do not have to pay to go to university, but you have to pay to go to flight scool? Why does the country pays for the one thing but not the other? Of cause you can have tests before so that most of the peole who get there will be successful. And for the US, the Idea of having acompany "adopt" a flight trainee is great. There can be contracts so that the new pilot have to stay X years in that company or has to "buy out" of contract, to give the airline some safety.

[@earthsteward9]

On the Maximus KZbin channel, one comment pointed out that the stakeholders pushing for this all have private jets, usually with two pilots

[@edshelden7590]

This video was very well produced. I had a long talk with a SWA pilot several years go about this subject. He was NOT keen about the idea. He was convinced that UPS/FedEx would likely be the 1st to embrace the "No Pilot" idea just to save money on salaries. The bigger quesitons would be : Who is going to be the 1st paying passenger to board a 737-800 (OAK>SAN) with 1 or no pilot onboard??

[@nikobelic4251]

Funny you say this because the CEO of FedEx told Lehman News that he wasn’t for large completely pilotless airliners for freight either. I believe he said those were “a bridge too far” or something like that

[@t0mas0svk]

Man... We are a group of software engineers for industrial automation well above average in skill and talent - each of us. Remembering all our f@kups and seeing this ... Im starting to dig a hole to live in.

[@xcop4511]

Your videos are always well thought out and professionally presented. Thank you. xCop

[@HoltAircraft]

I do enjoy a nice glider flight on my own, but one of the things I like most about aviation is the other pilots... going on a trip with your mates is epic! Wouldn't want to lose that

[@6teezkid]

I cannot believe what I’m hearing. I saw the title and knew I’d get the facts from Mentour, as well as insightful information and opinion. The idea of one pilot carrying the entire responsibility of a flight is lunacy. I’m not even close to being comfortable with idea for freight/cargo only. I realize that profit margins are thin in the airline industry and that’s why I also get (quietly) angry when hearing people bitch about how much their air fares were. They just don’t understand the overheads and ultra costs to DEFY GRAVITY SAFELY.

[@bighammer3464]

I’m actually for more automation in flight but only as an additional backup. In several of the accidents that Mentour had highlighted in other videos, a pilot accidentally moves the controls but auto pilot doesn’t fully disengage or they forget to set the speed or flaps or something or when the pilot loses control because the cables have broken. In those cases having the plane itself say hey we are supposed to be flying to x why are we decreasing our speed or turning now? Maybe the pilot could even have a way of notifying the automation that hey I’ve lost rudder control or ailerons etc. as many have said though to have a single pilot flying ya no.

[@henrydenner5448]

When I read your caption, before even starting to watch, my arms immediately went up in the air and I shouted out a simple short sentence: "GERMANWINGS 9525???!!!". Of course, as you said, it is not gonna look at that kind of passenger operation.

[@petemulhearn7787]

After watching many KZbin videos about emergencies in the air it appears that "out of the box thinking" by the crew is the only thing that saved lives. Catastrophic engine failures sometimes cause damage to many othe systems, including electronics and navigation, and human thinking and inovation in these situations is a very long way from being surpassed by AI.

[@NicolaW72]

Yes. And today Aircrafts even from Airbus are far away from being AI-Aircrafts.

[@joso5554]

Excellent video. Your analysis shows that, actually, one may argue that solving the 1 pilot case is pretty much the same as solving the NO pilot case. The long haul case of single pilot cruise flight seems much more realistic, even though being alone in the cockpit for several hours in a row would be extremely boring, all the more if you have to deal with a watchdog computer that constantly questions your every action … or inaction (see train locomotives safety : the driver has to VERY regularly manually confirm that he is indeed doing fine, otherwise the train automatically stops). I doubt that any commercial airline pilot would accept that.

[@kingsleykronkk3925]

Brilliant idea, how about only one flight attendant, one toilet, one emergency exit, one air traffic controller, endless possibilities for corner cutting.

[@nikobelic4251]

Don’t forget one engine.

[@davetaylor812]

Last time I can recall a single pilot flying large pax aircraft it was flown into a mountain whilst the other pilot was locked out of cockpit

[@jasperoostdam4635]

Your channel was the first thing that came to mind when I read about this online, great to hear your point of view!

[@mbasir]

One factor was not mentioned in the cost part: Weight. More avionics has a weight penalty, meaning less payload. For a freigtliner that's critical. If they loose cargo for $1000 per leg, it doesn't take many legs to loose more money than an extra crew member cost.

[@MrTmm97]

It’s possible some kind of vitals monitoring could determine if a pilot is unconscious and incapacitated in that manner but other than General AI I don’t understand how a plane could determine a pilot is partially incapacitated. Partial incapacitation is almost worse because the pilot can make actual detrimental flying choices/inputs and override many autonomy related plane safety mechanisms it’s employing.

[@cassia1797]

Great video, Petter and team! You could explain the situations in many different scenarios. Thanks!

[@laratheplanespotter]

NO. I WILL NOT fly on a single pilot flight!!

[@tyrekegordon2492]

Neither would I that sounds extremely dangerous. If this were to be viable in any way shape or form, they need to simplify these airliners for pilots. But what does that mean for safety?

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

@@NeungView You can always go offline in Laos or Tibet.

[@wolfgangpreier9160]

Yes i would only fly again when they have solved the problem of removing stupid lazy and easily distractedly humans from the cockpit.

[@ZeRo8625]

YES. I WILL fly on a single pilot flight!!

[@Dansaviation]

Same

[@hassegreiner9675]

Considering the un-intuitively designed Man-Machine-Interface in a modern cockpit, the high number of embedded interlocks and dependencies and the resulting vast potential for errors, it might actually increase the reliability of a flight if automation took over completely. However, having a background in automation technology I'm painfully aware of the challenges associated with developing and maintaining the required failsafe software - and associated hardware in terms of sensors, switches and actuators.

[@OccidentalonPurpose]

Seems like a really risky way to save a (relatively, in this context) small amount of money. At an average of 100 passengers for domestic and much higher international per flight, the cost of one less pilot wouldn't make that much of a difference on a fare, and that's generously assuming they would pass savings to customers.

[@Boamonster1]

Thank you so much for uploading this video! I’m about to get my commercial pilot certificate and I’m hoping to get to the airlines soon. I get so much anxiety about the idea of automation cutting my future career short. This video brings me a lot more peace at mind.

[@frankkky7375]

yep same here except im a few years behind you 😅😅

[@stephen_101]

I want this tech to incorporate measures to stop malicious intent / murderous pilots. Egyptair 990, Germanwings 9525 and MH370 come to mind.

[@chrisbentleywalkingandrambling]

China Eastern Airlines intentional vertical dive/crash.

[@mikemck4796]

You probably don’t. Any measures that stop intentional pilot crashes by default overrule pilots. The list of faulty automation far exceeds suicidal pilots. Not a great idea allow it the last control.

[@stephenspackman5573]

@@mikemck4796 This is an empirical question, though. At some point automation _will_ become safer that terrorism, and we should be measuring that trend, not crying about it.

[@soffici1]

@@stephenspackman5573 we’ll eventually colonise the Moon and Mars Eventually being the key word, here. Far, far away in the future. I reckon aviation has more pressing problems at the moment to focus its limited resources than this nerdy pipedream It would be like someone in the 1970s focussing on making sure AI would not take over once it gained consciousness

[@stephenspackman5573]

@@soffici1 I can't really agree. As a species we get into a _lot_ of trouble by assuming that a few decades gap means we don't need to think about it. I know _I_ was advocating thinking hard about the social effects and the ethics of AI in the 70s, and I think the evidence now is that, yes, we should have.

[@Ruiluth]

As a truck driver, I get a lot of questions about whether I'm concerned about job security because of self driving cars. My answer is always a solid no, for all the reasons outlined in this video.

[@rinzler9775]

The two pilot system is essential for redundacy, on job training, sharing the work load. Flying goes from boring stretches to 10 minutes of a flat out juggling act, especially in IFR conditions.