The boom in technology seen in the last few centuries has ushered in a new generation of firsts, especially in the aviation industry. As we evolve technologically, the next century will dramatically further change the landscape of aviation. One such area we are dramatically evolving technologically is in the area of automation. Manned and unmanned aircraft are seeing a rise in automated tasks, engineered to “provide a safer” flight experience. However, that does not necessarily mean that the aircraft is flying itself. Currently, automated aircraft rely on a series of computers and electronic control systems that allow the pilot to control the aircraft without keeping their hands on the controls (Patterson, 2012). This can be seen specifically in automated landing systems. To understand the impact automated landing systems are having on safe aviation operations two different platforms will be looked at. They are the Airbus A320 and the Navy’s X-47 unmanned platform. Both systems have automated landing systems. However, as a manned aircraft, the Airbus A320 puts a different spin on automation.
The Airbus A320 is a marvelous example of how technology can impact commercial aviation. Automated landing, or autoland as it is known by in the industry, is a system that automates the landing portion of an aircraft’s journey (SKYbrary, 2014). Actually a subset of the autopilot system, the autoland feature allows the Airbus 320 to land without the pilot having his or her hands directly on the flight controls. The autoland feature allows an aircraft to land in environmental conditions of zero vertical visibility and at least 50 meters of horizontal visibility (BAA Training, 2012). However, because the pilot does not directly have his or her does not mean the pilot is removed from landing the aircraft. In order for the autoland to effectively work the pilot must continually input information into the autopilot system, such as velocity and heading information, and adjust settings, such as flaps (BAA Training). Therefore the pilot must adequately follow all checklists and be extremely aware of what the instruments are relaying about the environment around the aircraft. Furthermore, in order to operate the Airbus A320’s autoland feature pilots must be qualified and experienced with the applicable guidelines to the region. For example in Europe, Airbus A320 pilots must be certified with IR-SPA.LVO.120 in order to operate the aircraft (SKYbrary, 2014). For a manned aircraft like the Airbus A320, autoland allows the pilot to safely land the aircraft in less-than-ideal conditions. This is the same idea that propels unmanned aircraft to go further with automated landings.
Imagine sitting in a high performance fighter jet, descending to a few hundred feet above the ocean, attempting to maintain a velocity of a little under 200 knots per hour, with the goal of landing on a moving platform. That is the task a Navy pilot is asked to do, every time they land on an aircraft carrier. It is said that landing an aircraft on an aircraft carrier is one of the most difficult things to do in aviation (Paur, 2009). Now imagine this high performance aircraft performing such a landing with no pilot at the controls. This is the Navy’s intent with furthering unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV technology, in the x-47 platform. When it comes to automated landing on an aircraft carrier, the X-47 contains similar technology as manned platforms. Currently the Navy uses a system called automatic carrier landing system or ACLS, to get aircraft from altitude to the deck of the carrier (Paur, 2009). The problem with the technology however, is that it is unreliable during less-than-ideal conditions while sailing on the ocean. It is here that the X-47 has the potential to shine. Utilizing a prototype ship-relative GPS based landing system (Majumdar, 2013), the X-47 is capable of high precision landings even in the worst weather conditions where the aircraft carrier deck is pitching and rolling in the ocean swells (Paur, 2009). The current problem with the system is the relatively limited number of tests of auto landing the X-47 on a fully mission capable aircraft carrier while at sea (Northrop Gruman, 2015). This does mean that certain safety factors, such as awareness of position in the carrier’s airspace, may not have been fully explored. However, despite the fears and desires of a fully autonomous aircraft, one thing is clear; as of right now a human will always be in the autonomous decision chain.
As aircraft engineers, engineer away flaws and human factors issues, the presence of humans in aviation has not changed, nor should it. While it may sound ideal to have an aircraft fully be autonomous, there may be unique, unplanned situations presented to the artificial intelligence that require a non-programed, out-of-the-box solution. These circumstances, prove that a human in the loop monitoring autonomous operations is needed. Furthermore, it eludes to the need for the pilot to not only understand the aircraft itself but a thorough understanding of flight as well. At the end of it all, autonomous procedures exist only to reduce the workload on the pilot, giving them time to focus on other tasks.
References
BAA Training. (2012, June 04). Airbus A320: Auto Landing Tutorial [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.baatraining.com/airbus-a320-auto-landing-tutorial/
Majumdar, D. (2013, november 22). Navy Completes Initial Development of New Carrier Landing System. Retrieved from USNI News.org: https://news.usni.org/2013/11/22/navy-completes-initial-development-new-carrier-landing-system
Northrop Gruman. (2015, May 20). Capabilities: UCAS Timeline. Retrieved from Northrop Gruman.com: http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/X47BUCAS/Documents/UCAS_Timeline.pdf
Patterson, T. (2012, March 26). Who's really flying the plane? Retrieved from CNN.com: http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/24/travel/autopilot-airlines/
Paur, J. (2009, November 03). Can Killer Drones Land on Carriers Like Human Top Guns? Retrieved from WIRED.com: https://www.wired.com/2009/11/can-killer-drones-land-on-carriers-like-human-top-guns/
SKYbrary. (2014, July 30). Autoland. Retrieved from SKYbrary.aero: http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php/Autoland
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