Single Pilot Cargo Study

[mscard88]

https://www.flyingmag.com/airline-p...gle-pilot-cargo-aircraft-proposal?enews060718

 

[weilke]

It'll happen. Not today or tomorrow. Maybe the day after tomorrow.

 

[Fearless Tower]

It'll happen. Not today or tomorrow. Maybe the day after tomorrow.

Not likely all that soon. The friggin’ cargo feeders won’t spend the money to put f’n GPS/RNAV in their airplanes let alone pony up for full automation.

 

[denverpilot]

Not likely all that soon. The friggin’ cargo feeders won’t spend the money to put f’n GPS/RNAV in their airplanes let alone pony up for full automation.

Pilots are cheaper than certified GPSes. LOL.

Not kidding. Really not kidding.

 

[weilke]

Not likely all that soon. The friggin’ cargo feeders won’t spend the money to put f’n GPS/RNAV in their airplanes let alone pony up for full automation.

FedEx just ordered 30 new ATR72-600F dedicated freighters (with 20 options). Not every parcel is flown by a mom&pop feeder using minimal equipment.

I don't think Amazon is going to be all that sentimental about paying a second guy to sit in the cockpit. They are calculating their per parcel shipping cost to 5 digits past the decimal point, the moment they can save a penny by operating a captain-only fleet, they are going to do it.

 

[denverpilot]

Cessna also has their little mid-sized cargo-feeder specific twin coming down their pipeline. I'd bet big money it's certified single-pilot.

 

[Stickman]

Glad I'll be happily retired long before it happens.

 

[steingar]

Actually, I think the most expensive avionics suite in existence pales before the cost of an employee with benefits. I suspect it pales before the benefits themselves.

 

[Stickman]

Good luck retrofitting the majority of cargo fleets. Keep in mind cargo is where aging airplanes go to die.

"Modern" cargo planes are B-757/767, MD-11F, MD-10 and A-300's. After airplanes are no longer economically viable as passenger planes they are converted to freighters. The latest are the B-737 "classics" the -300's and -400's.

 

[kayoh190]

Cessna also has their little mid-sized cargo-feeder specific twin coming down their pipeline. I'd bet big money it's certified single-pilot.

Aren't Cessna's current cargo feeders (Caravans) flown single pilot?

 

[Clark1961]

Aren't Cessna's current cargo feeders (Caravans) flown single pilot?

Many are, many aren’t. The lower 48 cargo guys I’ve heard of (which is only a couple) run single pilot. One of the ops, an UPS feeder, is talking about adding a SIC. I suspect they have problems finding qualified pilots so they need to start growing their own.

Lots of Alaska 208 stuff uses two pilots.