quote:



"The Air Force has increased the sheer volume of pilots put through the training pipeline and shipped them off to war with the bare minimum training required"

quote:

ORIGINAL: BumRC

Predator pilots actually have full control over the aircraft for a good portion of the mission profile. The autonomous flight feature is mainly for preplanned searches and getting to and from a target area. Those Predator videos, which float around the internet, are normally from aircraft under pilot control.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Taurus Flyer

Hello Crankpin,

You remember my plane and post were gone, stealth?
See the video Teletube Test in member airplane video's, Remote control by video link with altimeter and variometer. Test flight for the Taurus in the future.
Tell me what do you think about it?


Cees
==================================================================================

Sent you a PM.
Crank

(in reply to Taurus Flyer)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ed Cregger

Why? All one would need is a stabilizing system and a simple joystick with left and right control. No "pilot" is necessary.

If commercial airliners can be landed successfully via computer with no human input, and they can, certainly the autonomous flight control system can be upgraded to the point that no real professional pilot is needed for any part of the UAV's mission. This is just so much "good old boy" crap to use as an excuse to keep training real pilots at a time when they are becoming obsolete.

Ed Cregger

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trisquire

quote:

ORIGINAL: Ed Cregger

Why? All one would need is a stabilizing system and a simple joystick with left and right control. No "pilot" is necessary.

If commercial airliners can be landed successfully via computer with no human input, and they can, certainly the autonomous flight control system can be upgraded to the point that no real professional pilot is needed for any part of the UAV's mission. This is just so much "good old boy" crap to use as an excuse to keep training real pilots at a time when they are becoming obsolete.

Ed Cregger

You might have to deviate from the flight plan every now and then. Maybe the General wants you to circle a jeep, so he can get a closer look at it.

Tom


**********


I grew up wanting to graduate from the USAF Academy and be trained to be a pilot afterwards. Never happened because of astigmatism and the need for eyeglasses. I was heart broken, but such is life.

So, what I'm saying is that I don't have it out for professional pilots. After all, I wanted to be one myself.

When the UAV is set up properly for autonomous flight, which I feel certain that they are, all a curious general would need to do is move the rudder stick, or equivalent, left or right to take a detour to the anticipated target area or area of interest. What would really happen, though, is that an enlisted man would find the coordinates for the site of interest and then plug them into the computer onboard the UAV via satellite link. The General might get to aim the observational array, but I doubt he would cheat the enlisted man out of doing his job. In fact, there would be no real reason to have the General at the UAV flight center. His observations could be made and then transmitted to him via the internet, perhaps even to his laptop or cellphone.

I am not against real people flying planes. I am against real human beings being captured and tortured for absolutely no benefit to our country, if you know what I mean. The vast majority of USAF flying will eventually be taken over by pilotless aircraft. Just as the infantry will eventually (long time from now) by combat robots, whose operators will be connected via telepresence and will actually experience the feeling of being there within their robot substitute body. Yes, I am a sci-fi writer too, so such unusual ideas are not new to me.


Ed Cregger