A day ago, driverless cars. Are you up for no-pilot jetliners?

I wonder how they'll psychologically profile the robotic drone pilots?

I don't think commercial aviation is ready for pilotless planes.  Most of us like to know that there's a human in there who can take control if the robot malfunctions in some way.  Perhaps in a generation, that will change as travelers who are more used to machines become the #1 travel demographic.  

Let me first confess that I still don't understand how these huge contraptions full of me and my fellow passengers can get off the ground and back down again. Every flight a miracle!

But this discussion reminded me of an early 60s comedy routine in which the voice on the PA system says "Welcome to the world's first automated airplane. Nothing can go wrong go wrong go wrong..." I couldn't find it today, but I did find two hilarious routines featuring comments on airlines and air safety; I offer them below, one from Bob Newhart, and one from the unforgettable Shelley Berman.

Today's NY Times has an interesting Op Ed article on pilotless plane issues by Patrick Smith, who is both a writer on aviation and an active commercial pilot.

He takes issue with the idea that the pilot is redundant, and points out that the studies that suggest pilots only work 3 or 7 minutes at the controls only refer to "hands on wheel" time, and do not take into account the amount of time the pilot spends setting and monitoring the instruments and communicating with ground sites.

He also points out that the rate of crashes and incidents associated with the military's use of large drones is one that is acceptable only for an unmanned bomber, and not for a plane filled with passengers. Makes interesting reading, and it's HERE