Sir - It is common knowledge that the technology for pilotless passenger-aircraft has been in existence since the mid-1940s, but has anyone asked the flying public whether they would fly on such a vehicle? Everyone I have asked has answered "No", including my 12-year-old son, who is heavily into electronic and computerised gismos. They all feel that they could not rely on the judgment of a "pilot" hundreds, or even thousands of miles away, if an emergency should occur.
I feel sure that many a disaster has been averted, by the quick thinking, adrenaline-charged reaction of a pilot who has acted on pure instinct when faced with a potential disaster. How would a Youth Training Scheme graduate, for example, earning $16,000 a year, operating ten aircraft from his sanitised, air-conditioned, office react when faced with a multi-engine flame out? I expect he or she would put it down to "computer error". Incidentally, I am a technician, not a pilot.
D F ROBERTS
Kempston, Bedfordshire, UK
Source: Flight International