FROM
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/co ... 21,00.html
Virtual pilot lands Qantas jet
By Geoff Easdown
14apr04
THE Qantas jumbo was at cruise altitude heading to Melbourne when
aviation's latest gee-whiz tool took charge in the cockpit last week.
For 45 minutes last Wednesday the flight from Singapore responded to
commands despatched from the tower at Tullamarine.
Flight QF10, carrying 400 passengers, went from 39,000ft to a standing
stop on the tarmac without the pilots or tower talking.
A revolutionary landing process driven entirely by digitised commands
was transmitted to the aircraft via the tower computer.
Qantas head of flight operations, Chris Manning said yesterday that the
new "tailored arrival system" would be tested over the next six months
and hopefully adopted afterwards by safety regulator Airservices
Australia.
Except for a couple of relatively minor issues, the first trial went
exceptionally well, he said yesterday.
Qantas is using Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A330 jets for the trials on
selected in-bound international and domestic flights to Melbourne and
Sydney airports. Capt Manning said the trial would involve about 100
flights until October.
Conducted in association with Boeing, Air Services Australia and
Europe's Air Traffic Alliance, the aim is to find solutions to the
go-around landing problem for pilots and passengers at busy airports.
Capt Manning said that, unlike present landing strategies, the new
system gave controllers more time to plot procedures and give incoming
aircraft direct glide paths.
"It will reduce noise, cut fuel burn and noise and generate substantial
savings," he said.
It's estimated that a jumbo using the system operating between Melbourne
and Sydney could save 300kg of jet fuel and about 200kg on an A330jet.
Details about the trial and last Wednesday's landing emerged yesterday
when the national flag carrier demonstrated the technology at its new
flight simulators at Essendon.
An Airbus A330 simulator, operated by Capt Duncan Pudney, was used to
demonstrate a tailored landing from 41,000ft.
Tower commands received via a data uplink were loaded by Capt Pudney
into the simulator's flight management system.
From that point on, Capt Pudney simply followed a voice command from the
onboard computer. "It is just a matter of monitoring the auto flight
system through to the auto-land arrangement," he said.
The only instruction was an order to adjust the thrust levers to idle.
After touchdown, Capt Pudney manually activated reverse thrust to assist
braking.
"Using reverse thrust and the automated breaking system the plane
decelerates taxi speed," Capt Pudney said.
With the aircraft near to standstill, he deactivated the auto braking
system and the automatic pilot. He was then able to manually move the
plane off the centreline of the runway.
Capt Manning said the new system allowed pilots a "limitless range of
flight path options".
"This ensures the most efficient arrival path possible," he said.
He said Qantas crew and air traffic controllers would constantly
evaluate each flight during the landing and arrival phases. Qantas is
also testing an initiative where computers coupled to glass displays are
being tested on 737-800 aircraft to further improve precision landings.
The new system does away with the conventional way pilots scan flight
instruments. Pilots need only glance at a see-through glass panel for a
readout of instruments in front of the windscreen.
Virtual pilot lands Qantas jet
Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog
From PPRUNE:
Sometime in the future ( maybe ) -
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard this fully automated aircraft. Utilising millions of line of software, the flight control computers manage every aspect of the flight; Nothing can go wrong.... Nothing can go wrong.... Nothing can go wrong...."
Sometime in the future ( maybe ) -
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard this fully automated aircraft. Utilising millions of line of software, the flight control computers manage every aspect of the flight; Nothing can go wrong.... Nothing can go wrong.... Nothing can go wrong...."
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Bcn-In-Bnd
- Rank 3
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2004 7:29 pm
- Location: NWO
Correct. It's always the PIC's fault..
Cruiseships and trains can all be automated too but they're not.. We're obsolete but people want a person in control and held accountable not a machine..
The human race is obsolete. What will you have us do Jackass, kill ourselves so our computer counter parts can run the world efficiently and without nagging humans?
Right, lets see how many charter companies can afford to stick Blue 2 into their cockpit.."We will be obsolete. If you don't beieve it then your an idiot. "
Cruiseships and trains can all be automated too but they're not.. We're obsolete but people want a person in control and held accountable not a machine..
The human race is obsolete. What will you have us do Jackass, kill ourselves so our computer counter parts can run the world efficiently and without nagging humans?
-
Bcn-In-Bnd
- Rank 3
- Posts: 125
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2004 7:29 pm
- Location: NWO
Airplanes are already well on their way to being fully automated. Look at all the fly be wire aircraft in service. If the flight control computers fail there is nothing Ace McCool can do except say buckle your seat belts. Those airplanes are not falling from the skies because of system problems.
I think this is a great system. I hope that we start to see more of this tech in the future. If it makes our jobs more easier, great! If it makes the industry more cost effective, great!
As for pilots becoming obsolete, I don't think we will see that in our lifetimes or even our children's life times. How many space shuttle launches have you seen without astronauts? My guess is none. I could be wrong, but as long as the task is not critically dangerous and does not risks the lives of the people at the controls, you will see pilots there.
I think we are along way from becoming used as batteries.
Adanac
As for pilots becoming obsolete, I don't think we will see that in our lifetimes or even our children's life times. How many space shuttle launches have you seen without astronauts? My guess is none. I could be wrong, but as long as the task is not critically dangerous and does not risks the lives of the people at the controls, you will see pilots there.
I think we are along way from becoming used as batteries.
Adanac
Good day, eh!
Gentlemen please!
The flight in the article above was a test of CPDLC (Controller Pilot Data Link Communications) and the Free Flight concept. When a reporter writes an article, it gets sent to the newspaper and someone skims the article and writes the most interest catching headline he can think of. The virtual pilot they are talking about is nothing more than your standard FMS auto pilot with a CPDLC link added.
Instead of giving clearances and vectors over the radio the tower does it through the data connection. In addition to altitude and heading instructions, they are testing giving specific vertical and horizontal decent paths which can be transferred to the FMS from the CPDLC at the touch of a button. This greatly reduces step down altitudes and saves fuel.
The virtual pilot in the headline has been around for decades. CPDLC is being implemented in several countries right now and some sites have been fully operational for over a year.
So do not worry, as long as you can run a computer, your window seat is safe.
The flight in the article above was a test of CPDLC (Controller Pilot Data Link Communications) and the Free Flight concept. When a reporter writes an article, it gets sent to the newspaper and someone skims the article and writes the most interest catching headline he can think of. The virtual pilot they are talking about is nothing more than your standard FMS auto pilot with a CPDLC link added.
Instead of giving clearances and vectors over the radio the tower does it through the data connection. In addition to altitude and heading instructions, they are testing giving specific vertical and horizontal decent paths which can be transferred to the FMS from the CPDLC at the touch of a button. This greatly reduces step down altitudes and saves fuel.
The virtual pilot in the headline has been around for decades. CPDLC is being implemented in several countries right now and some sites have been fully operational for over a year.
So do not worry, as long as you can run a computer, your window seat is safe.
