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Not at all sarge, I enjoy challenging flawed/faulty assertions. I acknowledge that drones are here to stay, but am not giddy about a rapid expansion beyond present realm of drone operations.
Your post is rife with flawed allegations/assertions. To wit:
1) You've somehow got it in your head that airline pilots are a bunch of drunks/druggies. When challenged, you didn't offer any empirical proof of this assertion other than to say it happens. Yes, and people hit the lotto jackpot, are you next ?
2) Somehow, the human equation will be removed by having drones vs onboard piloted aircraft.
3) Somehow having ground based pilots is better than on board pilot because of some supposed supervisory/monitoring factors.
4) Misc. laundry list culminating in your stated ignorance, and avoidance of some of my pointed questions about remote drone vs onboard crewed aircraft in normal and emergency operations. Also, ignorance about Air Traffic Control System, and Federal Air Regulations that must be considered for expanding beyond present scope of drone operations.
I'll address the first 2 points in this thread, the other factors in a followup post.
Point #1- In the second year of mandatory drug testing for transportation workers- 279,881 drug tests were administered to covered air transportation workers. The total number of positive results were 2605. Of those, Cockpit Flight Crews accounted for 32. (Estimating 25,000 - 30,000 flight crewmembers tested). By contrast, aircraft mechanics accounted for 1598 positive results.
Historically, positive rates for flight crews have been LESS than 0.15%. Positive rates on truck drivers have been in the 2.5-3.5% range, a rate over 16-23 times the rate for flight crewmembers.
You harp on flight crews, yet express no concern whatsoever about the mechanics who would be maintaining the drone aircraft, or sharing the road with impaired truck drivers.
Point #2- Although drones might require 1 fewer pilot to remotely fly/monitor the drone, humans are still not completely removed from equation. Impaired flight crew must pass through security, plus interact with several people before flight, not to mention additional crewmember(s). The remote drone operator would operate in a sterile room, much like the air traffic controllers do. An airline interested in the potential labor savings of the drone isn't likely to staff control center with a slew of people, especially at the hours that the cargo drones are likely to operate. Yet, there of been cases of air traffic controllers falling asleep. What makes you think that the same thing won't happen with remote drone pilot in a similar control room environment.
I'll continue the further point rebuttals in a future post.
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