Cargo Facts
SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWS
  • DATA
  • MULTIMEDIA
  • MAGAZINE
    • Issue Archive
    • Weekly Update
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Aircraft Leasing
  • Capacity & Demand
  • Carriers
  • E-Commerce
  • Engines
  • Express
  • Freighter Aircraft
  • Freighter Conversions
Cargo Facts
  • NEWS
  • DATA
  • MULTIMEDIA
  • MAGAZINE
    • Issue Archive
    • Weekly Update
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
Log In
No Result
View All Result
Cargo Facts
No Result
View All Result

Who is flying this airplane?

David Harris by David Harris
December 13, 2017
in Freighter Aircraft, News Archives, Strategy
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn
Ten years ago, this cockpit looked futuristic. Will it soon be retro? Photo: Naddsy/Wikimedia

Today, If you ask “Who is flying this plane?” the answer will be “Captain Smith and First Officer Jones.” And that will be true whether the airplane in question is carrying passengers or freight or both.

Tomorrow? Probably the same.

But the day after?

Think about your last visit to a big airport. To get from the main concourse to your chosen airline’s terminal you probably boarded some kind of small train. The trip took only a couple of minutes, and you arrived without incident, as do a million people all over the world every day. Did your little train have a driver? A human driver? If it didn’t, were you surprised?

Today, you would be surprised to hear that the airplane you were flying on was crewed by Captain Robbie Robot and First Officer A. I. Interface. Probably terrified, too. But how long will it be before that is the norm?

Warehouses now operate without humans. Self-driving cars and self-driving trucks are well past the “is it possible” stage. Unmanned military aircraft are old news. Small drones are already making commercial deliveries in China, and now large drones are being developed for warehouse-to-warehouse and regional transport of cargo. JD.com recently unveiled the design characteristics of a heavy-load, fixed-wing drone it is developing. These gas-powered fixed-wing drones will be deployed on routes between cities and provinces, said Dapeng Li, Principal Scientist at JD-X, the in-house research lab which oversees drone development for JD. The e-commerce giant has been working with Northwestern Polytechnical University and local authorities in Shaanxi Province to develop, and eventually manufacture and test industrial drones with max payloads that surpass one tonne.

Given all that, how long will it be before self-flying freighters are carrying the goodies you ordered on Amazon or T-Mall? What about the aircraft? Will purpose-built large cargo drones dominate the market in the future, or will the freighter conversion industry one day be installing upgraded autopilots or RPV hardware along with cargo doors?

How do you feel about this? Would you board an airplane knowing the cockpit was staffed only by a computer?

Tags: artificial intelligenceDronesStrategyUAVunmanned aerial vehicles
Previous Post

Is HNA becoming a new kind of air freight conglomerate?

Next Post

Details emerge about SF Express’ massive $756 million airport

Related Posts

BBAM further expands 737-800BCF portfolio
Freighter Conversions

BBAM further expands 737-800BCF portfolio

January 19, 2021
AEI inductions highlight surging conversion demand
Freighter Conversions

AEI inductions highlight surging conversion demand

January 15, 2021
Freighter Aircraft

Weekly Wrap: Flurry of freighter orders in first weeks of 2021

January 15, 2021
Next Post

Details emerge about SF Express' massive $756 million airport

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Get Latest Issue

CARGO FACTS CONSULTING

DHL vaccines

COVID-19 vaccine traffic to be ‘blip on the radar’

December 18, 2020
China-Europe rail freight surges

China-Europe rail freight surges

October 9, 2020
  • About Us
  • Help Center
  • Privacy Terms
  • ADA Compliance
  • Advertise

Follow Us

twitter twitter linkedin podcast

© 2021 Royal Media & Cargo Facts

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • All News
    • Aircraft Leasing
    • Capacity & Demand
    • Carriers
    • E-Commerce
    • Engines
    • Express
    • Freighter Aircraft
    • Freighter Conversions
  • Data
  • Multimedia
  • Magazine
    • Issues Archive
    • Weekly Update
  • Events
  • Consulting
  • Subscribe
  • Log In / Account

© 2021 Royal Media & Cargo Facts

Go to mobile version