A drone and portable launcher made by Boeing subsidiary Insitu in Bingen, Washington. (Insitu)

A drone and portable launcher made by Boeing subsidiary Insitu in Bingen, Washington. (Insitu)

With pilot shortage, Boeing explores self-flying aircraft

EVERETT — With millions more people flying every year, Boeing is concerned there may not be enough pilots to get everyone where they want to go. The number of commercial pilots could hamper growth and innovation in the aviation industry in the coming decades. That could mean fewer airplane sales or, more worrisome, an increase in accidents.

Taking pilots out of airplanes could be the answer. But solving the technical, logistical and legal challenges will take years of hard work — and they might not be solved, said Mike Sinnett, a Boeing vice president tasked with developing technologies. Sinnett was the chief systems engineer on the 787 Dreamliner program.

Concerns about a shortage of pilots is driving Boeing’s work in self-flying airplanes, he said at a media briefing in June.

Since World War II, military services in the U.S. and other developed countries have been the major training pipeline for airline pilots. Post-Cold War defense cuts, increasingly sophisticated and expensive combat aircraft, and the rise of drones on the battlefield have led to significant declines in the number of military pilots.

Those pilots came to commercial aviation “with a lot of experience and capability for how airplanes handle, stick-and-rudder people, as we say,” Sinnett said. “That is not as true today as it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago, and it will become increasingly less true as time goes on. And this does present a concern for us.”

Boeing is taking seriously the possible pilot shortage and its potential to slow aircraft sales. The company already is exploring self-flying aircraft.

The technology may sound like science fiction, but development is far enough along that Boeing plans to try some elements on a test plane in the summer of 2018, Sinnett said. “The basic building blocks of the technology are clearly available.”

After a commercial jet takes off, autopilot programs do most of the flying, while the flight crew makes sure the system is functioning correctly. The landing often is handed over to the autopilot system, which responds to input from the pilots, the airport’s navigational equipment and other sources to ensure a safe landing, even in low-visibility conditions.

Automated systems have become so good at performing routine flying tasks that the eighth time a Boeing 787 landed, it was an automated landing using GPS, Sinnett said.

Automating navigation, engine thrust control and monitoring the health of an in-flight airplane has made flying the safest way to travel in North America. But it would not be as safe without humans in the cockpit, making sure everything is properly running and ready to take over when something goes wrong, he said.

That is one of the hardest questions to answer for his team, Sinnett said. “Where do we, as an industry, rely on the flight crews to fill the gaps?”

Boeing already has extensive experience with autonomous systems. It has developed underwater robots and military-grade drones. An autonomous aircraft could become reality if it can operate at the “same levels of safety, integrity and availability that we have today — and that is a huge if. That is not a small if,” he said.

Next year, Boeing plans to fly a test jet with an artificial intelligence program making many of the piloting decisions, he said.

Taking pilots out of airplanes would be an incremental process, not a sudden leap. Commercial jets once had three-person flight crews. Now, they have two. The smallest passenger aircraft, prop planes carrying a handful of travelers, rely on a single pilot. So, Sinnett said, why not have a lone pilot fly a jet freighter?

Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.

Talk to us

More in Herald Business Journal

Jonnathan Yepez Carino speaks with Auliilani De La Cruz’s class about financial literacy during a presentation at Mariner High on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Extra credit for financial literacy: Bankers teach kids the basics

From building credit to applying for a loan — these execs offer money management advice for students and adults.

The 214-foot tall cranes work to unload their first cargo shipments at South Terminal at the Port of Everett on Thursday, April 8, 2021 in Everett, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Business Briefly: Port of Everett named Job Creator of the Year

Zap Energy receives $5 million for fusion energy plant and Kenmore Air offering flight from Everett to Victoria.

Rachel Daniels makes a salami rose during a Charcuterie 101 Workshop at Machias Meadows in Snohomish, Washington on Sunday, May 7, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Snack queens share secrets to piecing together party platters that wow

Caterers Rachel Daniels and Mallori Rojas specialize in curating charcuterie boards. Here’s how they make their magic.

Michelle LeFevre and her Bernese mountain dog Kona sit in the shade in front of Kona’s Pond outside their home Wednesday, May 10, 2023, in Camano, Washington. LeFevre, a retired teacher, wrote the children’s book “On Kona’s Pond” which centers on her pup and the other creatures that call the pond home. LeFevre’s sister, Susan Cousineau McGough, illustrated the book with watercolor renditions of Kona and the pond. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Life ain’t so ruff ‘On Kona’s Pond’

A retired Camano Island teacher’s new children’s book, “On Kona’s Pond,” tells the story of her dog and his wild friends.

FILE - A Boeing 737 Max jet prepares to land at Boeing Field following a test flight in Seattle, Sept. 30, 2020. Boeing said Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, that it took more than 200 net orders for passenger airplanes in December and finished 2022 with its best year since 2018, which was before two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max jet and a pandemic that choked off demand for new planes. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
Boeing inks deal for up to 300 737 Max planes with Ryanair

At Boeing’s list prices, the deal would be worth more than $40 billion if Ryanair exercises all the options.

Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Four recognized for building a better community

Economic Alliance of Snohomish County hosts annual awards

Dr. David Kirtley at the new Helion headquarters in Everett, Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022  (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett nuclear fusion energy company nets first customer: Microsoft

The Everett company, on a quest to produce carbon-free electricity, agreed to provide power to the software giant by 2028.

Hunter Mattson, center, is guided by Blake Horton, right, on a virtual welding simulation during a trade fair at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington, on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. High school kids learned about various trades at the event. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Trade fair gives Snohomish County kids glimpse of college alternatives

Showcasing the trades, the Trade Up event in Monroe drew hundreds of high school students from east Snohomish County.

A Tesla Model Y Long Range is displayed on Feb. 24, 2021, at the Tesla Gallery in Troy, Mich.  Opinion polls show that most Americans would consider an EV if it cost less, if more charging stations existed and if a wider variety of models were available. The models are coming, but they may roll out ahead of consumer tastes. And that could spell problems for the U.S. auto industry, which is sinking billions into the new technology with dozens of new vehicles on the way.  (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Tesla leases space at Marysville business park

Elon Musk’s electric car company reportedly leased a massive new building at the Cascade Business Park.

Henry M. Jackson award winner Tom Lane. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tom Lane: An advocate for small and local businesses

The CEO of Dwayne Lane’s Auto Family is a recipient of this year’s Henry M. Jackson Award.

John M. Fluke Sr. award winner Dom Amor. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Dom Amor: Working behind the scenes to improve the region

Dom Amor is the recipient of this year’s John M. Fluke Sr. Award

Opportunity Lives Here award winner Workforce Snohomish and director, Joy Emory. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Workforce Snohomish receives Opportunity Lives Here Award

Workforce offers a suite of free services to job seekers and businesses in Snohomish County.