While being the first to fly, the Wright Brothers were also the first and last
complete “one stop shop” of aviation: the only case in human flight in which the
same individuals personally carried out the research, development, testing,
manufacturing, operation, maintenance, air control, flight simulation, training,
setup, operation, and more. Since then, these facets gradually fragmented and
drifted away from the aircraft. This report discusses the phenomenon of aircraft
operation’s “fading humans,” including the development of flight instruments to
support it, its growing automation, the emerging artificial intelligence
paradigm, and the lurking cyber threats that all over the place.
Controlling Aircraft – From Humans to Autonomous Systems: The Fading
Humans examines the “fading” process itself, including its safety
aspects, current mitigation efforts, ongoing research, and the unsettled topics
that still remain.