Re: (2068) automation

>Someone suggested that today's airplanes can pretty much fly themselves.  That
>may be so, but can they take off and land by themselves?  And would you want to
>fly on an automated plane?  Not me!

I feel like I'm going a bit out on a limb here, but from what I understand,
in a routine situation some modern passenger jets _can_ land by themselves
at a properly equipped airport.  I vaguely recall seeing a show which
mentioned that the Boeing 757 had this capability.  As I recall, most pilots
prefer not to use this function of the airplane, because the idea makes
them feel a bit uneasy.  Of course, if the pilot was incapacitated, this
might be handy...but in a storm, using it would be, well, inadvisable
(and probably illegal).  Please check this out yourselves, since I know
very little about this sort of thing, and could be wrong!

>No, *some* crew must be aboard to take care of emergencies.  I expect traveller
>starships will be very similar.

If I was building a robot-piloted craft, I'd feel best about one which
was used outside of atmospheres and insystem only, avoiding the two most
hazardous ship operations -- atmospheric transfer and jump initiation.
I'd feel even better if it didn't have much thrust; just in case. Then if
something goes wrong, someone can send a boat out to catch it, especially
if it was aimed at something important -- like Regina High Port.  If it
was carrying something especially important, it would be nice to have a
sapient pilot and mechanic/engineer on board (and maybe a medic, if it's
a long trip and you don't trust robot doctors).

- - --Steve