Pilots Agree One Is The Loneliest Number, Want Two Flyers In The Cockpit

As it turns out, pilots are also not on board with the idea of just one of them being in the cockpit during a flight. To show their displeasure, airline pilots at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands handed out flyers to raise awareness for plans to allow flights with just one pilot on the flight deck.

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The pilots said the move to only have one flyer is a “worrisome development in aviation,” according to the NL Times, a Netherlands-based news outlet. The pilots referenced plans by Airbus (the damn French) to implement technology that’ll be used to replace the second pilot in the cockpit at any given moment.

Airbus says this is a safety measure, but NVN, a Dutch pilots’ union, said it hasn’t been proven that this tech would actually improve safety. They argue that it’s essential to have two pilots working together in the cockpit. This is not a surprising take from a union.

Here’s what they said, from NL Times:

“International studies and practice show that humans are the essential factor for high safety standards in aviation. For example, a system lacks creativity, resilience, leadership, teamwork and survival instinct,” the pilots’ association argued. “We support new technology that benefits safety. Two pilots working together with that technology take safety to a higher level.”

In addition to aircraft manufacturers, the European aviation authority EASA also appears to think such a change has potential, according to VNV. The union noted that the regulator already indicated last year that it would consider allowing flights on a limited scale in 2027 where aircraft are flown by one pilot.

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VNV asked the aviation companies “not to gamble with safety and to stop replacing a pilot with unproven technology.” The labor union made this appeal together with other international pilot associations.

The Dutch union also wants an independent and scientific investigation into the plans. This should focus on the “medical and psychological implications,” but also on the costs and benefits of removing a pilot from the cockpit.

It should be noted that EASA said it was “absolutely unrealistic” for all aircraft to be manned by just a single pilot by the end of the decade because of the degree to which it expects automation to advance in the coming years.
Listen, I know planes are very good at flying themselves and landing without much issue, but I really would like to see two folks up in the cockpit. Maybe it’s just me. I don’t know.