Boeing studies pilotless planes as it ponders next jetliner

Boeing is looking ahead to a brave new world where jetliners fly without pilots and aims to test some of the technology next year, the plane maker said. The idea may seem far-fetched but with self-flying drones available for less than $1,000, "the basic building blocks of the technology clearly are available," said Mike Sinnett, Boeing's VP of product development. Jetliners can already take off, cruise and land using their onboard flight computers and the number of pilots on a standard passenger plane has dropped to two from three over the years. Sinnett, a pilot himself, plans to test the technology in a cockpit simulator this summer and "fly on an airplane next year some artificial intelligence that makes decisions that pilots would make", he said. Self-flying aircraft would need to meet the safety standards of air travel, which had its safest year in 2016, according to the Aviation Safety Network. They would also need to convince regulators who don't yet know how to certify such planes. "I have no idea how we're going to do that," Sinnett said. "But we're studying it right now and we're developing those algorithms." Airlines are among those backing the idea, in part to deal with a projected need for 1.5m pilots over the next 20 years as global demand for air travel continues to grow.<br/>