[ExI] Xwing developing autonomous flight technology

[spike at rainier66.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of
BillK via extropy-chat


--------------------------------

<https://www.businessinsider.com/self-flying-cessna-completes-fully-automate
d-flight-xwing-2021-4?r=US&IR=T>


>...I've just seen an item about this plane flying by itself on BBC TV.
The reporter sat beside the monitoring pilot and seemed to be impressed by
the plane's capability. Even takeoff and landing were done by the plane's
systems.

BillK
_______________________________________________

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_L-1011_TriStar

https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/history/l-1011.html

Hi BillK,

Lockheed has traditionally been a good place to work if one wants to be a
controls engineer.

The company built a really advanced (in features (well OK, in price too))
jet airliner, the L-1011, back in the 1970s.  In 1972, a test flight
demonstrated a takeoff to landing completely automated flight.  OK, nearly
50 years ago we could do that.  Lockheed never licensed the auto-pilot for
end-to-end flight, so... there was no point in advancing the technology: the
airlines would still need to hire qualified pilots.  No savings, no
technology.

>From a controls perspective, flying a plane is a lot easier than driving a
car, which is why we had automated flight fifty years ago but the first
self-driving cars were about 40 years later.

Sure seems to me we could have no-carbon-aboard air freighters flying point
to point where they never fly over populated areas.  They could save money
on crews, save money on fuel (no need to pressurize the cabin (which uses
fuel (and not pressuring would make the aircraft lighter (which saves even
more fuel.))))  Weight could be saved on restrooms, food carts, oxygen
masks, all that stuff out, don't need it on an deserted flight hauling
cargo.

spike