Pilot: Why remotely-piloted airliners are not the solution to aircraft accidents

http://ift.tt/1aB70wk // Airplane

In the wake of the Germanwings crash, some pundits and other experts are suggesting remotely-piloted airliners as a viable remedy for incapacitated — or even rogue — pilots.

But as an airline captain, I can't picture an airliner completely reliant on ground-based guidance, data and analysis.

Any remote-control solution hinges on a futuristic technical perfection, and there's the rub: Today's remotely-piloted vehicle technology has so far chalked up an accident rate nearly 40% higher than that of airliners with pilots on board.

In the 212 drone crashes documented by the civilian watchdog group Drone Wars since 2001, a never-before-encountered fatal flaw — "data link failure" — was the root cause in many of the losses. Read more...

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from MashableJessica Plautz