CENTRE FOR AIR POWER STUDIES

However, the aero safety concerns of the passengers, which would ultimately determine the acceptance of the proposal, along with the technological limitations, remain the main hurdles. [...] We used to have five pilots in the cockpit who took on the task of manually handling the controls, monitoring the engines as well as navigating the airplane. [...] The reduction in the crew has always been a difficult task, but the aircraft manufacturers have ensured that the enhanced technologies can handle the workload of the removed aircrew. [...] The main factors that impact their decision to fly on a single-pilot aircraft would be the fitness/health of the pilot, the pilot’s ability to single-handedly accomplish all tasks, the passenger’s trust in the technology, difference/reduction in the ticket price and safety record of the airline. [...] The air conditioning and pressurisation system and the management of the undercarriages are done by the co-pilot, and it is not accessible to the captain of the aircraft sitting in the left seat.