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The X-15 only has one seat. No one is saying Southwest passengers are “pilots” because of auto-pilot, though.
by austinheap 5y ago
The X-15 only has one seat. No one is saying Southwest passengers are “pilots” because of auto-pilot, though.
- zamadatix 5y ago1 seat or not there is still criteria you're using to decide if the person in that seat is a pilot or not. I have a feeling you wouldn't call the rider of a fully automated single seater Southwest plane a pilot just based on it having 1 seat - it'd be more muddy than that as the true reasons you call the X-15 piloted are more than simple seat count. X-15 case is easier to quickly judge as the pilot still has a ton of flight control but understand there is still deeper criteria you're basing "pilot" or "passenger" on it's just more obvious. Now bringing this back around to the reason planes come up in the first place - who decides if the 3 listed as crew by BO are "crew enough" and would that criteria also block most we called "astronaut" prior to the BO flight. Rocket flights are extremely hands off and automated even compared to other heavily automated vessels these days yet that's not what has triggered the reaction that these folks aren't "true" crew.