Single Pilot Operations: The Risks and Challenges
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- čas přidán 11. 01. 2023
- You may remember this - or it was well before you were born… but in the early days of aviation, there were five flight crew members in the cockpit assisting in flying the aircraft. These crew members consisted of the captain, the first officer, the flight engineer, the navigator, and a radio operator. With advancements in technology, the crew complement has been now reduced to just two on-duty personnel - the captain and the first officer.
Near the end of 2022, we heard the news of some regulators coming together to discuss the possibility of removing one of the pilots in the cockpit and heading toward what is called Single Pilot Operations (SPO). This news was not well taken by most in the industry.
So, is SPO a possibility? In this video, we will discuss the main concerns and challenges in implementing SPO in commercial air transport.
Article: simpleflying.com/single-pilot... - Zábava
And let’s be honest, being alone for a few hours can be relaxing but someone to talk to is also much appreciated.
Extremely detailed video full of deep in-sight. I will add one more. We have had cases where one pilot for some reason decides to commit suicide on flight. These kind of incidents are like to going to occur more often when we have only one pilot in the cockpit.
And there was the 2015 Germanwings incident when the pilot locked his co-pilot out of the cockpit then deliberately crashed the plane into mountains
I think for an aircraft the more redundancy the better. Especially in an environment where you can have hundreds of lives on the line while in the air. A little mistake can cost you because we've seen it in the past.
Redundancy is good!
Redundancy is our friend
I'd wonder about pilot progression, at what point and how do you become a captain if you haven't had time as a first officer?
True- it would make the barrier to entry A LOT higher
I'm a Project Engineer for an aircraft OEM and I can also add that those complex automated systems that you need for Single Pilot Ops have to be developed and fully understood by engineers who are also error prone.
In your opion, will those be implemented successfully by OEM manufactures? Do you think we'll see SPO in the future?
@andyrodriguez2893 Airlines will try to pressure OEM's, but I don't see it happening, at least not in the short-term.
One aspect that was not completely discussed in the video is pilot psychology. Everytime there is a controlled flight into terrain, air crash investigations would focus (too) on the PF’s state of mind. Was the CFIT intentionally done by the pilot? Did the PF have his/her complete faculties to correctly and safely fly the airplane? Having only one pilot increases risks in this area. This is why, everytime a PM requests for time out of the cockpit (toilet break, what have you), usually in narrow body aircrafts, a flight attendant is requested to stay in the cockpit, and avoid being in a situation where there is only one person in the cockpit. Case in point, German Wings 9525.
Cross checking essential. Simple. We need two pilots for the same reason we need two engines. Even the Red Arrows need two pilots.
Red Arrows - two pilots?
7:06 Sensors are not that reliable atm, even if they're coded to detect rainfall, those exterior sensor could be running out of order, e.g. frozen tubes and sensors. An extra cognitively functioning brain in the cockpit is the only option.
Read about Germanwings Flight 9525 and you will understand why Single Pilot Operations will NEVER be a good idea
Eliminate cross checks and increase workloads... What could possibly go wrong?
Excellent summarization.
I'm not surprised if one day there will be a complete autonomous flight without any pilots or being monitored remotely
This will never happen. Redundancy is required ALSO to prevent pilot murder suicide. When one pilot leaves the cockpit a flight attendant has to be in there JUST to make sure there are 2 people in there. Won’t happen ever sorry.
That's not true a FA has to be in there if on of the pilots leaves the cockpit in most cases.
Says who?
@@johniii8147it is true another member of crew must be in the flight deck
@@jovontenicoles1128 That's a US FAA regulation but not a regulation in most countries.
I think this would make sense on short regional flights. Private jets have been flying with single pilots for a while now, and there's no evidence such operation is unsafe.
Never on a large airliner, but a small one with less than 30 seats, just maybe, that’s about the biggest aircraft i’d be comfortable seeing single pilot ops be implemented. As aircraft gets larger, they need more automated systems so it flies safely.
I hate SPO I hope both airlines and manufacturers never loose sight of the benefit of two pilots. I won’t fly if there’s only one pilot!
As someone that has flown study level aircraft in a home simulator, there is no way for this kind of operation to take place. Let the general public know about this and you'll see how it goes.
How about for chief flight attendant to be a pilot as well, so that he'd still be on board in case of an emergency? He'll most probably be an ex-pilot or prepared to be a future one, but will primarily work with passengers when not engaged.
Looks like someone learned about fighter planes with 1 pilot, and said "How can we use this to save money?"
nice mister
The day that this happens is the day flying becomes dangerous
Well SPO will only reduce safety. Also, personally I didn't enjoy the background music after 9:13. But enjoyed the deep analysis of the SPO.
I think that 1 pilot would be harder than having no pilot
As most pilots know, it is 99% boredom and 1% of terror. The other major factor, an aircraft is a complex beast and there is no guarantee of 100% reliability of any component on the aircraft.
No matter the level of automation, human error will always find a way to creep into the process. Having another pair of eyes to call attention to any oversight or blatant error is absolutely essential. And no, fully automated (no human intervention) flight decks are not a feasible solution, not unless potential failure can be brought to absolute zero.
Study any accident/incident investigation and it becomes clear that a two-person cockpit is the bare minimum for safe commercial operation. At least with current technological restrictions.
Yeah, my first reaction to SPO is Andread Lubitz.
I’m sure a few here remember Dave Bowman - recall his eventful single “pilot” experience??? Commercial aviation, i.e, with hundreds of paying passengers aboard... and a single pilot cockpit (... as the norm) simply will not be reached in the lifetime of anyone who is alive today. Technology advances have come far in a relative short timeframe. Without doubt, we are not quite there yet with this application alignment.
Can you do a video about the Tui fleet in 2023
An automated system requires power to function. In case of complete power failure it could be disastrous
TBH if the technology exists for the aircraft A.I to take over from 1 pilot, I would rather have no pilots at all. This would remove the risk of human error. This might get the low cost carriers salivating over this prospect, but I don't think they will have any passengers if they decide to implement this.
The ONLY way I can see this happening is if you have "drop in pilots", let me explain.
You have a single full time pilot and two relief pilots who also act as cabin crew. These cabin crew pilots would be present during take off and landing to eliminate any redundancy such as pilot Illness (heart attack as an example)
During flight, they would act as cabin crew and drop in when needs be if the pilot needs the toilet or a break.
I still think 1 pilot is STUPID but I can see something like this working at some point if they absolutely insisted on it.
To be clear, I don't agree with 1 pilot
What are the benefits for flight safety of SPO? Any .......at all? If none, or few, then the motive for the move must be money which is not reassuring.
Unless and until autopiloting becomes sophisticated enough that planes can fly themselves entirely, literally from takeoff through landing, even through fault conditions like engine failures and malfunctioning control surfaces or landing gear, I just cannot imagine it being considered safe enough to eliminate the human redundancy. The computer would need to be almost as good as a pilot and that's not going to happen anytime soon.
it will be a huge mistake. in case of incapacitation of this one pilot who would land the plane?I am against.
Will probably be tested in Cargo aircraft fist.
Atlas Air 3591 and UPS flight six come to mind as to why single pilot operations are just bad.
@@michaelmoses8745 Not really both had two pilots and still managed to crash. It actually moots your point that 2 pilots are better.
It can be started at freighter aircraft, e.g. A350F. After years of usage _maybe_ considered in passenger aircraft too.
Single pilot cockpits are inevitable. I just hope the systems are well mature before they're introduced to commercial aviation.
And when that pilot has a heart attack and dies?
@@AnotherPointOfView944 Then you better master your Microsoft Flight Simulator. 😂😂
Seriously though, they will have redundancies built in, including being able to control the aircraft from the ground. That creates another potential issue, but before we start seeing single pilots in cockpits, those issues will be addressed. I just think that, in our greedy capitalist society, a single pilot cockpit is inevitable. Eventually there won't be any pilots in there at all.
Yeah sure. Just ask yourself when we'll see a single engined airliners? Answer: Never. Same as single pilot ops
@@davidkavanagh189 I’m 100% sure the job of a engine which provides propulsion and a pilot, who controls said propulsion is completely different lol. Computers are taking over taking more human jobs whether you want to see it or not. A lot of vehicles are becoming automated and if safe to say aircraft will not be the exception.
@@banksrail They aren't the same. That wasn't my point. Find me one critical system in a modern airliner that isn't duplicated at least once if not more than that. There are a million reasons why this isn't inevitable and only a few why you might think it's inevitable. Back in the 80s, pilotless planes were only a decade away. Over 30 years later, here we are with not even one commercial airliner scheduled to be developed with one pilot, let alone none. The only people who think this is inevitable are greedy airline owners and people who know little about airliner flying.
Yes i think It's impossible and maybe a bad decision as well.
Regional aircraft added single pilot
Germanwings… good luck on selling tickets
I would not be happy to fly on a single pilot commercial aircraft.
Obviously zero pilot operation with multiple redundant computers should be far superior to single pilot. No misunderstanding. Sounds as if coding flying aka scaling drones is by far easier as programming interaction between human and ai.
No! This should not happen! It’s dangerous for us.
I think you just missed this announcement on the airbus dragonfly program: czcams.com/video/nubL1I7sxEE/video.html
"Rumack: The life of everyone on board depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner." This quote was in my head the entire video 🙂
Automation would not suffice, a very sophisticated artificial intelligence system would be required
Who is going to take control if the 1 & only pilot in the Cockpit is incapacitated behind a locked Cockpit Door?
The only motivation for this is for airlines to save money by employing fewer pilots, full stop. These savings will not be passed on to the passengers. This will be the erosion of not only safety, but a great profession. Disgusting.
I wasn't around for 5 in the cockpit but I was for 4 then 3 then only 2, now they want to reduce it to only 1 !!! Supposing it's the pilots turn to go meet his maker....👻 or maybe... " good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, just to let you know I will be working from home today.........😱 nope... I'm on the bus,🚃 boat⛴ or train🚅 thank you very much.👋
SPO is a terrible idea. I get you want to reduce human error. But there will ALWAYS be some human interaction that will cause human error.
First
Yes they can’t introduce single pilot planes. I will not be a passenger on any single pilot commercial flight. End of story!
A fully automatic flying aircraft, with a single non flying pilot monitoring and trouble shooting. .
Elon could build a zero pilot airliner.
He can't run a social media company let alone build a zero pilot airliner!
There is no way passengers are gonna trust a robot to fly their plane....