“And the security breach didn’t affect the Fend 100 that was flying that day?”
“Correct,” Karpinsky said. “We analyzed the electronic data stats for hydraulics, avionics, electrical and mechanical controls, along with their built-in redundant systems and fail-safes. Any interference with the normal signal would be detected and flagged to us. We’re clear to proceed with our test flight.”
“And when is that flight?”
“Four days from now.”
They took a break around five-thirty p.m. Sandwiches and drinks were brought in from a local place down in San Marco.
Flynn asked to speak to one of the test pilots who worked on the program. They brought in a guy named Tim Hutson. Karpinsky stepped out for a meeting.
“So are you going to be flying the Fend 100 during the big test flight in four days?”
“That’s right.”
“And you used to fly for the Air Force?”
“That’s right. C-141s, among others. I was a test pilot before I retired and started working here.”
“Excellent. I saw a bunch of Air Force jets at an air show once. What do they call them? The white ones that fly together?”
“The Thunderbirds?”
“Yeah. That’s it. They were incredible. Wow. Hey, thank you for your service.”
“Thanks.”
Flynn looked at Tim. “Can I ask you something? As a pilot, what do you think of all this automated flight stuff?”
Tim said, “I think it’s going to put guys like me out of business.”
“Really?”
“Sure. I mean, autopilot functions have been around for decades. And they’re getting better and better. Hell, now any kid can buy their own quadcopter drone and control it with a smartphone.”
“So you’re saying that the technology is already there.”
“Yeah, has been for years.”
“So then what gives? Why is everyone making such a big deal out of automating commercial airliners?”
“This is more than just a few safety measures. Your car has cruise control, right?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, well, think of today’s autopilot in planes as being the equivalent of cruise control in cars. The Fend 100 autonomous flight is like those driverless cars you hear about all the tech companies testing out. We’re actually using some of the same technology. There are very sophisticated computers on board that will — potentially — be able to completely replace the pilots.”
“From the tone of your voice, I’m picking up that you’re a bit skeptical?”
Tim said, “Most people want to know that there’s a human being up front, making sure everything goes smoothly. An expert, ready to take charge if anything goes wrong.”
“Do you think pilots are still needed?”
“Right now I do, yeah. I think with any new technology, you’re gonna have bumps. And flying is an unforgiving business. Small mistakes have big consequences. I would want a pilot on board.”
Flynn ate a potato chip. He looked at Maria, who was shaking her head in disagreement. “Maria, what are the arguments for automated commercial airliners?”
“I mean… aside from the massive profits, and it being part of our company’s main growth strategy?”
“Yes. Aside from all of that.”
“Safety. Cost efficiencies. Do you know how many car accidents there are in the United States every year?”
“A lot, right?”
“Yes. Over thirty thousand people die in road crashes every year. Thirty thousand. Think about that number. Not only that, but another two million are injured. Two million people. That’s almost one percent of the entire population. Every stinking year. Compare that to aircraft accidents. The fatalities are in the hundreds.”
“What has this got to do with robot pilots?”
“Her point is going to be that robots make fewer mistakes than people,” Tim said. “She’s saying that bringing autonomous driving and flying to market will save lives.”
Maria nodded. “It will save lives. Lots of them.”
Flynn looked at Tim. “You seem skeptical. You still don’t trust a robot to do your pilot job.”
“That’s because he’s a dinosaur.” The gruff voice of Bradley Karpinsky, who stood in the doorway, wearing his light blue lab coat.
Maria looked at her watch. “Your meeting go okay?”
He plopped down at the head of the conference table. “Yes, thanks. Maria’s right. Computers are smarter than people. It’s not even close. Tim here” — he pointed at the pilot — “is going to get tired. He’s going to drink alcohol. He’s going to forget things. He’s going to have to pee. He’s going to get sick. Distracted. Sometimes, he’ll underperform.”
“Never,” said Tim. “Except maybe the part about getting drunk. But not while flying.”
“A computer — or a robot, if you will — will never get tired, sick, hungry, or have to go to the bathroom,” Bradley said. “It will be ruthlessly efficient. Do you know that even today, if you’re flying on a commercial airliner, the hardest landings are given to the computers? Did you know that?”
“That’s not entirely true,” Tim said.
“What does he mean?” Flynn asked.
“He’s referring to the fact that — depending on the airline and the type of aircraft — if weather minimums get bad enough, the pilots are required to have autopilot fly the landing,” Tim answered.
Flynn stopped chewing. “Are you serious? What do you mean weather minimums — like if it gets too windy?”
Tim gave him a funny look. “No, sorry. I mean ceiling and visibility. If the clouds get too low… the best way to think of it is when it’s really foggy out. That gets the visibility way down. So in that scenario, when the cloud layer is basically zero, and the visibility is zero, then a lot of airlines require that their pilots use an automated approach. In essence, the computers will fly the landing.”
“No shit. Wow. I had no idea.”
“Most people don’t.”
Flynn said, “What if the computers mess it up?”
“The pilots are right there, ready to take the controls. But in reality, with the improved navigational equipment on board and the reliability of the automated flight software, the computers never make a mistake.”
Flynn said, “So is your Fend 100 as simple as that? You guys just hit the autopilot button and the pilot leaves the plane?”
“There are three modes of operation in the Fend automated flight software,” Bradley said. “Type one — normal, pilot-controlled flight. Nothing out of the ordinary. Type two — remote-controlled flight. A pilot from the ground controls the airplane. This is the way the military controls its drones. Finally, we have type three — this is the really innovative stuff. This is where machine learning and artificial intelligence come into play. And it’s where Fend actually adds to the value chain.”
“Bradley’s never had trouble talking up his own program,” Maria said.
Karpinsky frowned. “Fend’s type three automated flight means that the computers inside the aircraft are doing everything. They handle all the communications to and from ground controllers, tower controllers, and all other air traffic controllers throughout the flight. Much of this is through data exchanges. But there’s an actual voice action-response mechanism that’ll supplement the pilot. And the machines are learning. Getting better every day with the sum learning of the entire system.”
“So how does a computer know what to say like a pilot would?”
“That part is pretty easy. It’s just a bunch of code. A bunch of if-then statements, so that it knows what to do in every scenario. For instance, before it goes into class bravo airspace, it knows that it has to establish two-way communications with the class bravo air traffic controller. So it won’t enter that airspace until it does.”