

The myth of the pilotless commercial plane - JumpCrisscross
http://www.salon.com/2011/08/04/can_jetliners_fly_themselves/

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kunai
Speaking as an armchair pilot, I can't believe someone who flew F/A-18s in the
Air Force would perpetuate such lies about commercial aviation.

First off, ILS is rarely, and I repeat -- _rarely_ used on most major
commercial aircraft. The only true "autoland" is CAT III ILS, and you ONLY use
CAT III in weather where visibility is so poor you can barely make out the
runway lights. Most landings are performed manually if weather permits (and it
usually does.)

Second, like the author of the article says, it is true that there are ZERO, I
repeat, ZERO takeoffs that take place autonomously. For sake of safety, all
takeoffs must be handled with a live crew, because computers still cannot
process all of the variables required to perform a takeoff.

This article offers quite a bit of good insight into commercial aviation and I
agree with it completely.

