by Dwayne Phillips<\/p>\n
Self-flying airplanes are coming. They will be very good, but not perfect. Younger generations may accept that less than perfect.<\/strong><\/p>\n Aviation is repeating its history from about a hundred years ago. Instead of the Wright brothers, we now have “drones” or “UAVs.” I put these terms in quotes as they are misused terribly and often. Regardless of the ignorance of the press, we are seeing a repeat.<\/p>\n Self-flying air vehicles have been used in military reconnaissance for more than a decade. Next, these reconnaissance planes started dropping ordnance on people. Coming, they will be used in air-to-air combat<\/a>. We saw the same sequence in aviation in WW I.<\/p>\n After WW I, we saw the advent of commercial aviation. Hence, the next step for self-flying planes is commercial aviation. The question is,<\/p>\n Will any passenger fly in a plane without a pilot?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Most people of my age (50+) will answer, “No.” That is why we make the pilots sit in the front of the plane. If there is an accident, they hit first. That gives them a really big motivation to approach the ground carefully.<\/p>\n