Pilotless cargo plane to start flying in 2023

[JEDI]

A European planemaker built a pilotless aircraft to power the world's first 'cargo drone airline' — meet Black Swan

Unlike other drones, the Black Swan has a fixed wing and a high payload, so it can fly more cargo into small, isolated communities.

www.businessinsider.com

Pilotless drone certified to carry freight in the European Union starting in 2023:


The plane boasts 50% lower costs than competing aircraft, a 770-pound payload, and a 1550-mile range.

"It can cover the continental US, the diagonal in the Caribbean, the South China Sea, and all of Europe," Rangelov told Insider.

It will start with lower-risk routes thus flights around the Mediterranean and over water, like in Greece or Cyprus.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Hopefully it will fly stuff to airports and not 'into small communities'.

 

[sdifox]

err, how would it handle air traffic instruction from the airport?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

err, how would it handle air traffic instruction from the airport?

Same way we do with semis, defer right of way to the hauler lest you end up a splatter on the roadside

 

[Dulanic]

Planes mostly fly themselves already. No surprise.

 

[spacejamz]

Planes mostly fly themselves already. No surprise.

Pilots have hands on control during take off and landing, the two most challenging parts of a flight....once the wheels are up, flying a plane becomes much easier...

 

[lxskllr]

770# payload doesn't sound like much. I wonder how the energy cost/# compares to other transport options.

 

[JEDI]

770# payload doesn't sound like much. I wonder how the energy cost/# compares to other transport options.

i think the overall '50% lower costs than competing aircraft' is what people care about tho that's probably because no pilot.

 

[Kaido]

Paging @skyking

 

[skyking]

Pilotless is a misnomer. There are remote operators for these drones. I think if somebody is manipulating a control and minding what's going on, he/she is the pilot.
I could not see turning loose a ~2500 pound bomb with wings over populated areas with a single engine and nobody home.

 

[Zorba]

Pilots have hands on control during take off and landing, the two most challenging parts of a flight....once the wheels are up, flying a plane becomes much easier...

Commerical aircraft have had auto land for decades, although it's rarely used.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

ALL aircraft have always had auto-land.

It's just been a matter of where and in how many pieces.

 

[Captante]

ALL aircraft have always had auto-land.

It's just been a matter of where and in how many pieces.

THAT kind of "auto-land" is more commonly known as "gravity" and pretty much everything is "equipped" with it!

 

[MrSquished]

I hope Musk is not involved, for the safety reasons.