Will Industry 4.0 drive the pilots out of the cockpits?

Future control of commercial aircraft from the ground? / Image: Psibemetix.Inc.

With the fourth industrial revolution – the industry 4.0 – the interplay of man and machine changes dramatically. The symposium of the Research Network for Pilot Training (FHP), of the Technical University of Darmstadt, this year focussed on this topic.

Can, or will, the artificial intelligence drive the pilots out of the cockpits? How will Industry 4.0 affect the training of pilots and air traffic controllers and change their requirements profile? What about the security risks caused by digital automation, hardware and software failures, the effects of hacking and viruses, the automation scenarios and the cockpit constellations in the future? The following is an excerpt from the report about a two and a half day symposium in the Rheingau with scientists, pilots and training officers of airlines and the German air traffic control, who tried to find answers. Continue reading “Will Industry 4.0 drive the pilots out of the cockpits?”