The decade from 2010 to 2019 saw some remarkably ambitious initiatives in all realms of aviation. While some, like the creation of the Gulfstream G650 ultra long-range jet, were spectacular successes, others, like the saga of the Solar Impulse global giants, were less so. Still, they reminded us that great accomplishments come only after overcoming great obstacles, which makes the successes all the sweeter.
4. Automation
Electrical mechanical automation is aircraft is nearly 100 years old. But over the last decade the advent of light, rugged and powerful digital hardware has advanced the state of the art at light speed literally and otherwise, making the automating of aircraft flight control, in part or in whole, a signature movement of the decade. From airliners to light planes, from pilot-less planes to weapons of war, weâve seen the storyline of increasing automation play out in dribs and drabs in both the mainstream and insider media. The crash of two Boeing 737 Max aircraft is linked to a failure of the design, implementation and integration of an automated system known as MCAS. Even light aircraft had their moment in 2019, when aircraft electronics giant Garmin International introduced a hardware/software package known as Autoland that will take control of an aircraft after a pilot is incapacitated bring the plane in for a safe landing to stop with zero human involvement. Again, expect much more news on this front in the coming decade, including perhaps the first commercial airliner one-pilot passenger flights.
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