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New Aircraft Is Pilot Optional

Posted by samzenpus on from the designated-pilot-program dept.

Zothecula writes "Although the use of unmanned aerial vehicles such as Global Hawk and Raven for military information gathering has increased sharply in the last decade due to the maturation and miniaturization of enabling technologies, conventional piloted aircraft can still be a better option depending on the mission at hand. Northrop Grumman has unveiled a new intelligence gathering aircraft called the Firebird that falls into the category of an Optionally Piloted Vehicle with its ability to be flown robotically or with a human pilot on board."

17 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. Who can fly it? by gone_bush · · Score: 2

    If the computer systems are built on Windows, anyone will be able to hack in and fly it!

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    Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less travelled by. (Robert Frost, 1916)
    1. Re:Who can fly it? by RightwingNutjob · · Score: 2

      Didn't they catch the Air Force uplinking Predator/Global Hawk video in the clear a few years back?

  2. How about cargo UAVs? by jcr · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Seems to me that there must be a market in Canada and Alaska for aerial supply where you can fly in weather that's too dangerous to risk a pilot.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    1. Re:How about cargo UAVs? by wagnerrp · · Score: 2

      Unmanned drones can be made cheaply because they're small, and do not need the volume and life support systems needed to house a pilot. Something intended for cargo is going to be large and expensive. Satellite links don't have the latency for reliable remote operations, and autonomous flight control systems are not yet particularly good at adverse conditions. You're not going to risk the supplies and aircraft unless they are vital to survival of the outpost/mission, and then you're going to want a veteran pilot in the cockpit who can adapt to whatever situation that arises.

    2. Re:How about cargo UAVs? by man_of_mr_e · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Interesting, about 15 years ago I wrote a short story in which commercial airline pilots were "figureheads". Most had lost what pilot training they had from years of atrophy. The pilot was only there to reassure the passengers that someone could fly the thing if the computers failed, but because the systems were designed for computer control and reflexes, it was pretty much impossible for a human to pilot them anyways.

      The aircraft companies were able to take lots of shortcuts in the design of the planes because they could count on computer control to compensate before stress became too great for the airframe to handle, using minute adjustments billions of times a second to keep the planes infrastructure as free of stress as possible.

      Ahh.. mid-90's.. when Popular Mechanics was a great source of fiction inspiration.

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    3. Re:How about cargo UAVs? by dargaud · · Score: 3, Funny

      "In the future, airplanes will be flown by a dog and a pilot. And the dog's job will be to make sure that if the pilot tries to touch any of the buttons, the dog bites him." — Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame).

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      Non-Linux Penguins ?
  3. Re:looks good by camperdave · · Score: 2

    I effin' love twin-tail planes.

    They're especially handy if you crash in the desert.

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    When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  4. You can track it real time by Required+Snark · · Score: 2
    The prototype shown in the pictures is a civilian aircraft with a tail number so it can be tracked. If you go to http://flightaware.com/live/ and type in the tail number N355SX you can find out where it is. I just looked and it seems to be on route as I am writing this. This must be the manned version, because UAV aircraft would not have a tail number as a civilian aircraft.

    I wonder if the tracking site can stand up to Slashdot? We'll see...

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    Why is Snark Required?
    1. Re:You can track it real time by wagnerrp · · Score: 2

      Actually, the flight was on May 2. Cool site though.

    2. Re:You can track it real time by man_of_mr_e · · Score: 2

      Actually, if you look at the photos. There is a plane in flight with N355SX and it has windows, then another picture of another plane also labeled N355SX does not have windows.

      Looks like more than one plane carries the tail number.

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  5. Shit! What are going to call it? by amanicdroid · · Score: 2

    I know, Autopilot!

  6. This kind of system would be great... by SilasMortimer · · Score: 2

    ...for one way transport, don't you think? You transport troops or what have you with a human pilot, then send the plane back like a carrier pigeon.

    Attach a system like this to a canoe and you'll never have to worry about crossing rivers with cannibals again. (I couldn't help it.)

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  7. ok... by hitmark · · Score: 2

    1. it looks like the love child between a predator drone and the OV-10 bronco: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/North_American_Rockwell_OV-10_Bronco

    2. any chance there will be a civilian version?

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  8. People are just clueless about UAVs by lsdi · · Score: 4, Informative

    I've been piloting for more than 10 years and I'm a UAV enthusiast but, I'm sorry: Globalhawk is piloted by humans, it has the same autopilot that any good airplane has, including a (similar) ILS-CAT-III and inertial system. (in fact, they use EXACTLY the same honeywell/rockwell autopilot than most modern planes) Yes, it can land and take-off on it's own (in specific circumstances), just like ANY Airbus and Boeing NG does. Autopilots do not fly airplanes, they just move control surfaces based on angles and speeds, it's just a script/formula. It does not learn how to react to unexpected situations, and it does not accumulates experience: required to "override" information read by instruments. Making a car that follows marks on ground is not driving. It took decades to make cars actually drive them by themselves, yet, they cheat by using radars.

  9. Re:With all of those 'legs' on it... by hedwards · · Score: 2, Informative

    That was a good movie, it's a shame that they never made any sequels.

  10. Re:Pilots are optional on commercial airliners ... by pushing-robot · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, someone has to operate the Manual Inflation Nozzle from time to time.

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    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  11. It has finally happened by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 2

    When I was learning to fly my instructors used to say that the commercial airliner crew of the future would consist of a pilot and a dog. The pilot's job is to feed the dog. The dog's job is to keep the pilot from touching anything.

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