Eadmund), and the Old Norse form was auð. Audaþius), the Anglo-Saxon form was ead- (as in e.g. The Gothic form of the prefix was auda- (as in e.g. It was the name of three 10th-century German kings, the first of whom was Otto I the Great, the first Holy Roman Emperor, founder of the Ottonian dynasty. The name is recorded from the 7th century ( Odo, son of Uro, courtier of Sigebert III). It originates as an Old High German short form (variants Audo, Odo, Udo) of Germanic names beginning in aud-, an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. While there is little data on the number of times human intervention has saved planes, pilot unions say safety is paramount, even in cargo operations.Otto von Bismarck is one of the famous bearers of this name Some ultra-long flights can have five pilots on board to take turns between flying and resting.Īlthough human error is estimated to cause about 60% of crashes, there have also been situations where trained pilots have saved planes from disaster, such as the famous “Miracle on the Hudson” Airbus A320 water landing in New York’s Hudson river in 2009. The study projected the prospect of having one of two pilots take a nap while the other sat at the controls as being more plausible, suggesting it might be possible for airlines to reduce long-haul crew numbers in the future. US airline pilots tested solo in Boeing 737 simulators found the workload “unacceptable” even in normal flight conditions, let alone when something went wrong. More automated systems would be needed, as well as a way for controllers on the ground to take over if needed.Ī Nasa study published in September was not encouraging. “That I think will probably take a bit more time to work through.”Īirbus and Boeing jets are designed for two pilots, and taking one out of the equation would need a revamp of the flight deck.
“But it is a question of the human factors,” he said, citing incapacitation, distraction and fatigue as the biggest problems that would give regulators pause for thought. Kevin Shum, director-general of Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority, said flight technology was advanced enough to create a one-pilot cockpit in as little as five years. That protects against the potential incapacitation of one pilot and helps with the cockpit workload.Īfter the Germanwings crash in 2015, in which a disturbed pilot locked himself alone into the cockpit, and crashed the aircraft into the Alps, regulators worldwide introduced rules requiring two people in the cockpit at all times.īut such rules were lifted two years later when they were found to add little to security while introducing new risks.įor now, regional cargo flights seem the most realistic area for single-pilot flying. “I think some are watching each other quite certainly if one jumps on board, you would expect the others to not want to fall behind because there’s a lot of cost savings here.”Īlthough some small business jets can be flown by a single pilot, commercial jets carrying passengers and cargo require two pilots at the controls.
“The interest is global,” ST Aerospace’s chief operating officer, Jeffrey Lam said.
Singapore Technologies Engineering’s ST Aerospace demonstrated to delegates how a cockpit could be modified for one pilot when the firm converts passenger jets to freighters. Boeing co-operates with General Motors to develop technologies for autonomous flight. It would take a “couple of decades” to persuade passengers to take a single-pilot jet, he said, adding that gaining public support for the concept would be a step-by-step process starting with proliferation of self-driving cars. “We are studying that, and where you will first see that is probably in cargo transport, so the passenger question is off the table,” Boeing research and technology vice-president Charles Toups said of one-pilot operations. The issues loom large as single-pilot flying concepts are fleshed out at the Singapore Airshow this week. But with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and a deliberate crash by a Germanwings pilot in the last few years, earning public trust and ensuring safety is critical.