Ryanair want to remove the Co-Pilot

[cathay belgium]

Now actually, in MoL proposal there wouldn't be anybody anymore to challenge the Captain because the seat's empty...

No, the seat will be removed for placing an extra seat for pax with extra charge off-course, or installing a toilet so there will come 1/2 a row empty to install 3 seats..
Challenging the captain..., in the FS !

CX-B

Note
* expect this could be reality on short-haul..., busdrivers are also alone in their (air?) bus except if
they leave for Spain.., don't say this will happen soon but .. didn't Ryanair also .. for first.. scrap the free drinks and food, only hand-luggage,free seating,print your boarding pass... think they putting standards so why not now.. , don't say this was all good but look now.. a lot of others follow their/MoL's way.. believe it or not

[cnc]

CX-B, your statement is like comparing riding a go-car and a F1 car

[cathay belgium]

cnc,

I KNOW I DO ! ,but it's just to say that things COULD change in this direction,..
on the other side.. think you compared a lot of busdrivers with babies ? euh ...

CX-B

Didn't say I like this to happen but my guess it will go in this direction .. in 5/10 years..
Know this is a hard nut to crack but not uncrackable in the future ...

[Air Key West]

1. Would you feel safe in commercial plane with just one pilot ?
2. Do you expect pilots unions to allow this to happen ?
3. Why does anyone still care to react to MOL's provocative statements ?

[Thomas_C]

Maybe passengers can choose between flights with 1 or 2 pilots, but people on the ground can't.

[cathay belgium]

Hi,

1. Would you feel safe in commercial plane with just one pilot ?
2. Do you expect pilots unions to allow this to happen ?
3. Why does anyone still care to react to MOL's provocative statements ?

1. YES , on short haul ( max 1,5 - 2 h flight )
2. Offcourse NOT ! They will and must follow the people they must protect, and if this rule will
send a lot of pilots without jobs the answer is obvious.
3. Altough a lot/ the most of his statements are just ridiculous ( and good free publicity ) it must be said
that some things do make sense in a LCC mind and since full service airlines also follow him in this mind
MoL cant and might not be seen as just a nutcase.
Altough I also don't like to see how FR react and behave, I'll see that there making money,have a great
fleet and nice routes,and on the given fares I must admit I like to fly FR. ( but I prefer SN )
See slim seats also by LH !, no meals/catering/drinks/..
Even paid toilet visits for flights out of 1 h do make sense in their LCC mind !

I also don't like it,but I can follow their mind,..

CX-B

Maybe passengers can choose between flights with 1 or 2 pilots, but people on the ground can't.

Quite a reply,.. in this mind let's drop the whole satelitte and space program also ...
and even on the ground I also didn't choose that a busdriver killed a kid from our street three houses further..
Life isn't 100 percent, even aviation, also everything ...
Stupid remark IMHO.

[Thomas_C]

OK maybe I didn't think through enough on this one

[fcw]

Although MOL is only looking for publicity at the moment, the youngsters among us will certainly see airliners with one or even without pilots!
When my father started flying there were FIVE crewmembers in the cockpit! When he started flying, on the DC3, an old captain told him he would probably retire on an airplane carrying ten times more passengers, being able to fly ten times longer, ten times faster, have a system which would control the engines without anything moving in the cockpit and even land automatically without need for any visual reference. My father thaught the old captain was getting Alzheimers disease but 40 years later he retired on the A340...
The next step will probably be airliners flown by pilot-controllers on the gound, with one pilot monitoring in the cockpit in case the air-ground contact gets lost. Just like we see, already now, doctors operating patients which are thousands miles away via a robot and the internet.

[FlightMate]

If you feel safe with 1 pilot, then you've never heard about all the crashes happening with even 2 pilots.
And you've never heard about any malfunction in an aircraft.

In my short career, I've already had 3 engine failures, lot of electrical malfunctions, some flaps problems... I could go on and on....

And then, when the captain retires, who will replace him? A flight attendant with 0 experience?

[airazurxtror]

Actually, some airliners - small ones admittedly - do fly with only one pilot.
Aurigny fly islanders and Trislanders with one pilot, since many years.
And others think about that possibility :

FROM different corners of the aviation world, there is chatter about the possibility of single-pilot airline.
Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is looking to provide single-pilot operation for commercial passenger jets in the 2020-2025 time frame, The Wall Street Journal reported.
By 2020, Embraer said, air-traffic control will be modernised in both the US and in Europe, and new technology will make one-person cockpits feasible.
Whether it will be acceptable to the flying public is a different question, Embraer noted.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/airc ... z0z2jEhbpg

[regi]

Most of the passengers are not aware how many people are in the cockpit. And they don't really want to know.
I personally hate it when pilots wander in the passenger section. They should be in the cockpit. The co-pilot can also have a stroke or heart attack...

But coming back on the Ryanair remark, it was a step too far, suggesting that stewards should be able to land the aircraft in case of emergencies.
The message of MOL should have been shorter: is the industry capable to help us to save the cost of a co-pilot ?
And the question may be raised: is the industry capable to save the cost of...all pilots ?
Don't worry, dear pilots, your job is not in danger. Unmanned civilian aircraft would take many years to be developped. And in the transition period, many pilots will still be needed to fly the older types.
The basic technology exists already many years. But the implementation would take - I just say something - 30 years or more.

[Gliderpilot]

Just out of curiosity, what is largest business jet that is allowed to fly with a single pilot (with pax)?

[NimbusFlyer]

I personally hate it when pilots wander in the passenger section. They should be in the cockpit. The co-pilot can also have a stroke or heart attack...

Well, I challenge you: try to sit in your chair for 10 to 12 hrs, not just once, but every day you go to the office (and yes that is what we do on those charter flights). The "wandering" we do is to keep the blood flow going. Ever heard of deep vein thrombosis?

If we're not allowed to "wander", why don't we ban the toilet visits for the pilots? Maybe we should create new seats for pilots with sh*t-hole in it? Are the pax in deep sh*t if the cockpit occupant suffers from a heart attack while the other one is on the plee? No, of course not, there are redundance rules while one of the two pilots is out of the cockpit, the A/P is obligatory, ogygenmask when above FL390 and more...

Come on, use some common sense, it is not as simple as you think... There is a big difference in a single pilot operation or the fact that the cockpit is occupied by one pilot for a few minutes. Single pilot operations: NEVER! I've had enough failures, small and severe to know why we need to be with 2 pilots in that cockpit. But wander down the aisle so we can stretch our legs or take a leak for a few minutes: NO PROBLEM, it even is a must!

[regi]

I personally hate it when pilots wander in the passenger section. They should be in the cockpit. The co-pilot can also have a stroke or heart attack...

Well, I challenge you: try to sit in your chair for 10 to 12 hrs, not just once, but every day you go to the office (and yes that is what we do on those charter flights). The "wandering" we do is to keep the blood flow going. Ever heard of deep vein thrombosis?

If we're not allowed to "wander", why don't we ban the toilet visits for the pilots? Maybe we should create new seats for pilots with sh*t-hole in it? Are the pax in deep sh*t if the cockpit occupant suffers from a heart attack while the other one is on the plee? No, of course not, there are redundance rules while one of the two pilots is out of the cockpit, the A/P is obligatory, ogygenmask when above FL390 and more...

Come on, use some common sense, it is not as simple as you think... There is a big difference in a single pilot operation or the fact that the cockpit is occupied by one pilot for a few minutes. Single pilot operations: NEVER! I've had enough failures, small and severe to know why we need to be with 2 pilots in that cockpit. But wander down the aisle so we can stretch our legs or take a leak for a few minutes: NO PROBLEM, it even is a must!

OK, that sounds acceptable. I just saw that wandering as a kind of marketing blabla. We certainly don't want pilots who have a stroke because of trombosis. Not joking, this happens.
Thank you for making us aware about this fact.

[andorra-airport]

From independent.ie :

"The controversial boss of the budget airline Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, should be sacked and replaced with a flight attendant, a senior pilot for the carrier has claimed"

Captain Fischer said he was aware of the company's desire to reduce costs "whenever feasible" to keep ticket prices down for the travelling public.

"I would propose that Ryanair replace the chief executive with a probationary cabin crew member currently earning about €13,200 net a year,"

"Ryanair would benefit by saving millions of euros in salary, benefits and stock options.

"The position of CEO could, in fact, become a source of ancillary revenue for Ryanair. Currently, Ryanair's contract cabin crew providers charge new recruits for the cost of their training – €3000 in fact."

He added: "Ryanair could similarly charge €3000 for the training required to become chief executive."

But in a typically mischievous response, Mr O'Leary conceded that a flight attendant would be a "far more attractive" chief executive and claimed the suggestion was being seriously examined.

"Michael thinks that cabin crew would make a far more attractive CEO than him – this obviously isn't a very high bar – so we are going to seriously look at the suggestion," said Stephen McNamara, a Ryanair spokesman.

"After all, if we can train cabin crew to land the plane, it should be no problem training them to do Michael's job as well." He did not say if the pilot’s job was now at risk.

[regi]

They will not sack this pilot because he will remain cheap. He can not find another job because he was critical. And he will not receive bonusses or pay raises because he was critical.
Well done, another saving, another 0.010% off the ticket price.
Next ?

[JAF737]

I think some people here simply don't have a single (not even a single) clue of what flying is. You would think MOL looks ridiculous, but if we could post your comments about this matter in professional forums (yeah, some still exist), you'd be at the same level!

[Stij]

Sure, that's why this is an enthousiasts forum, not a professional one...

Cheers,

Stij

[Crosswind]

No more "Flaps Operator" in the cockpit? GREAT! I sign

[earthman]

To be honest, I don't buy the 'we need 2 pilots because I have seen countless in-flight failures' argument. Future planes will by themselves be capable of correctly diagnosing and fixing all of their own failures. Also, do not say 'yes but what about a failure that the engineers did not foresee?', because such systems do not work by having engineers predict all possible failures and come up with solution scenarios. In fact, if properly designed, I would sooner trust such a system to take the appropriate course of action when something breaks down, than any random amount of pilots and engineers in the cockpit.