A new Blackbird to fly, but not for me...

[Fielder 3,744]

.... because, well because it's not released yet, and I'm not really qualified ...

 

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/11/04/lockheed-martin-skunkworks-to-build-successor-to-sr-71-blackbird/?intcmp=latestnews

[z06z33 781]

Why is every new plane unmanned? It makes me angry if I'm going that fast what is possibly going to shoot me down. A pilot to a plane is like water to a fish

[Mijitman 147]

A pilot to a plane is like water to a fish

 

While I'm with you on this issue, the sorta sad truth is that in this age of accelerating technology and computers, pilots are, in some scenarios, removable.  Now I'm not saying that airline pilots will cease to exist, I think it'll be a cold day in hell when I or anyone else climbs aboard a 787 without any pilots, but the thing is in some industries (namely the defensive ones) sometimes a pilot is more of a hindrance than a benefit. The SR-71 pilots had to wear space suits when they flew, and while it didn't hinder their ability to fly the airplane too much, the fact that they were that close to the edge somewhat limited the airplane itself. This new Blackbird can fly insanely high without worrying about oxygen systems, accelerate at ridiculous rates without worrying about G-loading, and spend hours and hours airborne without having to deal with pilot fatigue. The other thing is that these aircraft are more capable of operating in our environment than some think. I fly near an AFB where they do extensive testing of drone aircraft, and I've flown right above Predators and Global Hawks in the traffic pattern. They fly a box and land just like everyone else. The final and most crucial benefit of course is that were anything to go wrong with the aircraft in a catastrophic way, at these huge speeds an air frame failure would result in the aircraft and it's poor pilot being effectively vaporized. We reduce half of that risk by removing the pilot. I don't like it either, but it's the way of the future, so we kind of need to get used to it.

[Lukas_Mathijsen 41]

Hmm...

Kinda weird to announce/reveale a *spy*plane 10 years before it's even flying.. :huh:

 

But that could be just me :Hypnotized:

[HiFlyer 9,375]

Hmm...

Kinda weird to announce/reveale a *spy*plane 10 years before it's even flying.. :huh:

 

But that could be just me :Hypnotized:

Backtrack a bit and this will probably kill a few old UFO reports.  :lol: