If you have a fear of flying, this probably isn’t going to do you any favors. Boeing has revealed plans to develop planes that fly with no pilots, and intends to test the new technology next year. “The basic building blocks of the technology clearly are available,” Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s vice president of product development, said at a briefing ahead of the Paris Airshow
which takes place later this month. The idea of air travel in an autonomous plane sounds scary, but, at the moment, jetliners can already take off, land and cruise using their computers. Planes are also fitted with flight management systems which determine the best flight path based on the flight plan inputted by the pilot. The number of pilots needed on flights has also dropped from three to two in recent years. Pilotless planes would help address the pilot shortage expected in the next few years. READ MORE
