Thanks to the rapid development of onboard electronics and the automation of routine processes, the crew composition of civil aircraft continues to shrink. This was recalled by Oleg Panteleev, executive director of the Aviaport agency.
According to him, just a few decades ago, the cockpit of a typical passenger aircraft was staffed by four to five specialists — the aircraft captain, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer, and sometimes a radio operator. However, the introduction of modern radio-electronic systems made it possible to transfer most operations to onboard computers, significantly easing the pilots' workload and enabling the transition to a two-person crew, which has now become the standard.
At present, the professional community is actively discussing the possibility of a further reduction — to a so-called "one-and-a-half-person" or even single-person crew. In the first case, the co-pilot's functions are not used under normal conditions, but in an emergency, control may be transferred to the senior flight attendant who has undergone special training. This approach is viewed as a compromise solution between economic efficiency and flight safety.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that a forecast for Russia's civil aircraft manufacturing industry through 2050 has been developed.
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