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This is generally seen as the path to full automation - you can couple autonomous "easy" highway driving with a remote driver taking over for the final mile. Ho

This is generally seen as the path to full automation - you can couple autonomous "easy" highway driving with a remote driver taking over for the final mile. How long until we have aircraft doing the same thing ? ;)

0xfeba 8y ago
Well once airborne, aircraft already fly themselves and do everything except the last 100 feet of landing already.
- astronautjones 8y ago
  With constant, vigilant monitoring
  - kosievdmerwe 8y ago
    For some definition of constant, planes aren't seconds away from disaster like cars/trucks are pretty much constantly.
    - Piskvorrr 8y ago
      Since the context here is "autoland", yes, that means "do not stop monitoring the bird, be always ready to take control." Landings are one of the trickier parts: you are moving at hundreds of mph, on an almost-collision course with the runway, by definition: the plane is supposed to stop flying very few feet above the concrete, AND not drop too hard.
- brudgers 8y ago
  Aircraft have six degrees of freedom. But for the ground, birds, weather, and other aircraft there is nothing a plane can run into. At 20,000 feet that mostly reduces to other aircraft. And still humans on the ground orchestrate among the flights and provide specific direct oversight of each and every flight in real time. Watching for weather. Watching for birds. Don't get me wrong, I find aircraft automation impressive. But there is a massive human workforce that makes it possible for the cabin crew to run planes on autopilot. There's a mountain of rigid regulations, licensing and certifications that control every part of that workforce. Every part of each aircraft. Every piece of communication. That's not how the roads work.
  - Tomte 8y ago
    And for avoidance of aircraft: except for some last-second emergency reaction, this is the opposite of automated. We have specially trained, highly competent people on very short shifts under pretty much ideal working conditions ensuring that. We just don‘t place them inside the aircraft.
    - slavak 8y ago
      We place them _both_ inside the aircraft and on the ground. While ATC does provide separation, conflicts still can and do happen. Aircraft have onboard systems to warn of conflicts and even to suggest corrective action, but the pilots must be the ones to make the correction.
      - mrguyorama 8y ago
        Indeed, I believe TCAS is one of the only places where planes and pilots override ATC, in that if ATC tells you to go down, and TCAS tells you to go up, you go up
        Tomte 8y ago
        Unfortunately, the pilots at Lake Constance didn‘t really act this way.
  - foota 8y ago
    In fairness, cars can stop or divert in a couple of seconds. Planes, not so much.
  - geezerjay 8y ago
    > Aircraft have six degrees of freedom. But for the ground, birds, weather, and other aircraft there is nothing a plane can run into. I would also add that aircraft are monitored by ground control stations, while cars are controlled by the driver alone.
- greenyoda 8y ago
  > Well once airborne, aircraft already fly themselves and do everything except the last 100 feet of landing already. That's only if nothing goes wrong. On the other hand, if the airplane I'm in loses both its engines and has to land on the Hudson River[1], I'd much prefer to have an experienced pilot and copilot in the cockpit. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549
  - Piskvorrr 8y ago
    Black swan events are not very useful points of comparison - this event is not dubbed Miracle on the Hudson for nothing.
- IshKebab 8y ago
  Yeah he knows.
- the_duke 8y ago
  Actually, most modern passenger aircraft can land autonomously on properly equipped airports with CAT 3 autolandings. (Note that it's not fully autonomous, the pilots still need to do quite a few things like lower flaps, extend the landing gear, ....

0xfeba 8y ago

Well once airborne, aircraft already fly themselves and do everything except the last 100 feet of landing already.

astronautjones 8y ago
With constant, vigilant monitoring
- kosievdmerwe 8y ago
  For some definition of constant, planes aren't seconds away from disaster like cars/trucks are pretty much constantly.
  - Piskvorrr 8y ago
    Since the context here is "autoland", yes, that means "do not stop monitoring the bird, be always ready to take control." Landings are one of the trickier parts: you are moving at hundreds of mph, on an almost-collision course with the runway, by definition: the plane is supposed to stop flying very few feet above the concrete, AND not drop too hard.
brudgers 8y ago
Aircraft have six degrees of freedom. But for the ground, birds, weather, and other aircraft there is nothing a plane can run into. At 20,000 feet that mostly reduces to other aircraft. And still humans on the ground orchestrate among the flights and provide specific direct oversight of each and every flight in real time. Watching for weather. Watching for birds. Don't get me wrong, I find aircraft automation impressive. But there is a massive human workforce that makes it possible for the cabin crew to run planes on autopilot. There's a mountain of rigid regulations, licensing and certifications that control every part of that workforce. Every part of each aircraft. Every piece of communication. That's not how the roads work.
- Tomte 8y ago
  And for avoidance of aircraft: except for some last-second emergency reaction, this is the opposite of automated. We have specially trained, highly competent people on very short shifts under pretty much ideal working conditions ensuring that. We just don‘t place them inside the aircraft.
  - slavak 8y ago
    We place them _both_ inside the aircraft and on the ground. While ATC does provide separation, conflicts still can and do happen. Aircraft have onboard systems to warn of conflicts and even to suggest corrective action, but the pilots must be the ones to make the correction.
    - mrguyorama 8y ago
      Indeed, I believe TCAS is one of the only places where planes and pilots override ATC, in that if ATC tells you to go down, and TCAS tells you to go up, you go up
      - Tomte 8y ago
        Unfortunately, the pilots at Lake Constance didn‘t really act this way.
- foota 8y ago
  In fairness, cars can stop or divert in a couple of seconds. Planes, not so much.
- geezerjay 8y ago
  > Aircraft have six degrees of freedom. But for the ground, birds, weather, and other aircraft there is nothing a plane can run into. I would also add that aircraft are monitored by ground control stations, while cars are controlled by the driver alone.
greenyoda 8y ago
> Well once airborne, aircraft already fly themselves and do everything except the last 100 feet of landing already. That's only if nothing goes wrong. On the other hand, if the airplane I'm in loses both its engines and has to land on the Hudson River[1], I'd much prefer to have an experienced pilot and copilot in the cockpit. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549
- Piskvorrr 8y ago
  Black swan events are not very useful points of comparison - this event is not dubbed Miracle on the Hudson for nothing.
IshKebab 8y ago
Yeah he knows.
the_duke 8y ago
Actually, most modern passenger aircraft can land autonomously on properly equipped airports with CAT 3 autolandings. (Note that it's not fully autonomous, the pilots still need to do quite a few things like lower flaps, extend the landing gear, ....