Avionics
Airlines Urged To Split Flight Crew Between Ground and Cockpit
Toulouse-based research lab studies solutions to alarm deafness in today's cockpits
A study by Toulouse-based Air and Space Academy pitches single-pilot operations in air transport by 2050. (Photo: Thierry Dubois)
A study by Toulouse-based Air and Space Academy pitches single-pilot operations in air transport by 2050. (Photo: Thierry Dubois)

Airliners will continue to be flown by two pilots for years to come, but opearators should start considering the case for one of these pilots to be based on the ground, according to experts at France's Air and Space Academy (AAE). At a conference last month in Toulouse, the experts reported on research suggesting that increased automation is driving greater safety, which would be further enhanced by splitting piloting responsibilities between cockpit- and ground-based flight crew. In their view, this goal is attainable for flights of any duration by 2050.