Touch Screens Are Tested for Piloting Passenger Jets

[Gunner 69]

What do you think about this?

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/06/technology/passenger-jets-testing-touch-screen-technology.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 

 

 

 

[allardjd 1,853]

It's inevitable. There will be teething problems and naysayers but neither will prevent the ultimate use of these or something similar in the cockpit one day.

John

[ddavid 149]

Why do I feel safer when they're using steam guages?!?

Seriously, wasn't there a link to a video on reverting to actually flying (by the seat, as it were) rather than getting into ever decreasing circles trying to make the FMC/autopilot take care of a difficult situation? I remember the guy, a senior instructor, recommending pilots turn the automation Off and actually 'fly the 'plane...'

But then, I'm a Luddite, eh?

Cheers - Dai.

[Mistwalker 3]

I'm with you, Dai. I'll join your Luddite gang. The pilot will soon be gone all together and they'll be "piloted" by ppl like you and me sat in our basement staring at a monitor with a gamepad in one hand and a beer in the other.

[SEATAC 400]

There is nothing wrong with new tech in the cockpit as long as you do not get rid of what works well. Carmakers (Ford being a big violator here) have learned this lesson the hardway, like when they got rid rid of knobs for the radio volume and tuning and the A/C fan speed and replaced them with buttons. Buyers complained and the knobs have returned. Knobs ate so much more intuitive in many cases and once you learn where they are, you do not even need to look to use them as you can feel by touch.

Anyone who is in accounting can you tell how easily and quickly they can add up numbers on one of those desktop calculators without ever looking at it. Replace those buttons with a touchpad and the ease of use and simplicity is gone.

That being said, technology is great and I would never want things like the PFD or MFD taken away.

[allardjd 1,853]

 I would never want things like the PFD or MFD taken away.      

 

    

Pretty sure the introduction of those caused the same kind of comments about taking the steam gauges away.  We were all going to die in crashes when the Flight Engineer seat was eliminated, and when twin-engine airliners were made capable of trans-oceanic flights and when GPS replaced INS and LORAN and a dozen more similar things.

 

The new stuff will be better, if not right away then in a few revisions (some of which may be lessons learned from undesirable events).  The aviation industry and the government bodies that regulate it have fully embraced the concept of extracting lessons learned from operating experience and incorporating them into current and new AC, though sometimes WAY too slowly.  Also, first law of wing-walking always applies (Don't let go of what you're holding onto until you're holding onto something else!) - i.e, keep the old stuff as standby/auxiliary measures until the new stuff is completely redundant/reliable.  I think the aircraft designers pretty much do that.

 

John

 

[britfrog 180]

it is precisely this argument that made Boeings seem less advanced when compared with an airbus they dont fly any the worse for it but pilots didnt want to give up their perceived control of systems which boeing listened to.

Moving on 20 years and We are now presented with the dreamliner which has taken the automation of the NGX to a new level (for boeing) but it still isnt as advanced as the airbus systems, however nowadays the manufacturers are not listeing to the pilots as they used to, they listen to he who writes the checks, and the current trend is for more automation , there are several airlines who are now practicng single crew ops albeit with a second crew member still in place and studies are currently being undertaken to asses the feasability of single crew ops with all findings being monitored by the relevant authorities. I think it is only a matter of time before this becomes a reality , just as ETOPS has become.

So going back to the radio buttons analogy, I think we will be rapidly passing this point in aviation, in an airbus you only have a manually tuned com set no doubt this may be phased out soon.