10 SEP: Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer hopes to produce single-pilot passenger jets within 10 to 15 years, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports.
The company says improved air traffic control systems in America and Europe, plus new technology, will make one-person cockpits feasible.
But whether the flying public will accept such a development is another matter, it says.
The WSJ journal comes days after Michael O’Leary, boss of budget airline Ryanair told Bloomberg Business Week magazine that he’d like to see planes operating with only one pilot, with flight attendants trained to take over an emergency.
"Let’s take out the second pilot. Let the bloody computer fly it", he’s reported to have said, sparking outrage among pilot organisations.
