X-Virus-Scanned: clean according to Sophos on Logan.com Return-Path: Sender: To: lml@lancaironline.net Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 13:41:57 -0400 Message-ID: X-Original-Return-Path: Received: from web34412.mail.mud.yahoo.com ([66.163.178.161] verified) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.0c3) with SMTP id 747240 for lml@lancaironline.net; Tue, 04 Oct 2005 12:22:10 -0400 Received-SPF: none receiver=logan.com; client-ip=66.163.178.161; envelope-from=wfhannahan@yahoo.com Received: (qmail 98062 invoked by uid 60001); 4 Oct 2005 16:20:56 -0000 DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com; h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=DdaqKxLbyGLAsZXe/cABm7mqE7y/wNQUD+A+PYAYR1iyIBVo7bgLtOhn8T7vsjLQE6WkIk4b6RfNk6ivIqqIFV8jEfhe18xtDW8kmUa0A3TLpLmEOZTLVe8hlrDHR70rz3fFdut4HWrnzLXE52fqPOWhnbS1H5S6rwdjB8L6kRQ= ; X-Original-Message-ID: <20051004162056.98060.qmail@web34412.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Received: from [71.208.33.6] by web34412.mail.mud.yahoo.com via HTTP; Tue, 04 Oct 2005 09:20:56 PDT X-Original-Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2005 09:20:56 -0700 (PDT) From: BILL HANNAHAN Subject: non certified X-Original-To: MAIL LANCAIR MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-539639429-1128442856=:97290" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit --0-539639429-1128442856=:97290 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Hamid wrote: Run in the background taking action only when it detects danger, or I am sure you have seen the video of the famous Airbus crash at the Paris airshow when the SAP decided that it was going to land regardless of what the pilot wanted and crashed into the trees. Be turned off when you want to buzz your girlfriend’s house, but if you screw up the accident report will note that you turned it off. If you through that your actions would result in an accident report, would you ever take those actions? The fact that you have decided to turn off the SAP to buzz the girlfriend's house indicates that you believe that the actions are safe and the threat of a dishonorable mention in your obituary will not be a relevant consideration. This may sound like pie in the sky but no breakthroughs are required to do it. The hardest part would be writing the software to accomplish these goals under any combination of conditions and not screw up. One could start with the easiest functions and add on as experience is gained. The software for true fly by wire is much more critical and has been successfully accomplished by several engineering groups on several aircraft, with some bumps along the way. I am sorry to say that you have a very rosy view of technology that is not even remotely in touch with the reality of what is possible. If such technology was possible, pilots would go the way of milk men and all Boeing and Airbus airplanes will be flown without anyone in the cockpit. -- Someday Airbus and Boeing airplanes will be safer without anyone in the cockpit. No doubt the right software could have done a better job landing the one in Montreal. How would 9/11 have turned out if the computers refused to fly into buildings? Today unmanned combat aircraft are being designed and built that will fly entire combat missions almost autonomously. Human input will be limited to deciding which targets to destroy and which to spare. When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone there were those who said it was a foolish invention, the telegraph would meet all our needs. Today their descendants use text messaging. When Bell invented a way to transmit voice over a beam of light critics said it would never amount to anything, yet today the globe is wrapped in glass fiber. Life is just too short, think what fun it would be if Galileo, Pasture, Bell the Wright brothers and many others could be around today to chide their critics. The Super Auto Pilot (SAP) is just the next step in the evolution of the three axis auto pilot. The strength of the servos will be within the pilot’s ability to overpower them, there will be an off switch and a circuit breaker to pull if the off switch does not work. This is far less visionary than true fly by wire which has been around since at least the Apollo program. Don’t be sorry about my rosy viewpoint, I am glad we have scientists and engineers who can visualize the potential of technology. I shudder to think what life would be like without them, with a few more in the right positions we could have solved our energy problems by now. BILL HANNAHAN WFHANNAHAN@YAHOO.COM --------------------------------- Yahoo! for Good Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. --0-539639429-1128442856=:97290 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

 

Hamid wrote:

Run in the background taking action only when it detects danger, or

I am sure you have seen the video of the famous Airbus crash at the Paris airshow when the SAP decided that it was going to land regardless of what the pilot wanted and crashed into the trees.


Be turned off when you want to buzz your girlfriend’s house, but if you screw up the accident report will note that you turned it off.

If you through that your actions would result in an accident report, would you ever take those actions?  The fact that you have decided to turn off the SAP to buzz the girlfriend's house indicates that you believe that the actions are safe and the threat of a dishonorable mention in your obituary will not be a relevant consideration.

 

This may sound like pie in the sky but no breakthroughs are required to do it. The hardest part would be writing the software to accomplish these goals under any combination of conditions and not screw up. One could start with the easiest functions and add on as experience is gained. The software for true fly by wire is much more critical and has been successfully accomplished by several engineering groups on several aircraft, with some bumps along the way.

 

I am sorry to say that you have a very rosy view of technology that is not even remotely in touch with the reality of what is possible.  If such technology was possible, pilots would go the way of milk men and all Boeing and Airbus airplanes will be flown without anyone in the cockpit.

--

 

Someday Airbus and Boeing airplanes will be safer without anyone in the cockpit. No doubt the right software could have done a better job landing the one in Montreal. How would 9/11 have turned out if the computers refused to fly into buildings?

 

Today unmanned combat aircraft are being designed and built that will fly entire combat missions almost autonomously. Human input will be limited to deciding which targets to destroy and which to spare.

 

When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone there were those who said it was a foolish invention, the telegraph would meet all our needs. Today their descendants use text messaging. When Bell invented a way to transmit voice over a beam of light critics said it would never amount to anything, yet today the globe is wrapped in glass fiber.

 

Life is just too short, think what fun it would be if Galileo, Pasture, Bell the Wright brothers and many others could be around today to chide their critics.

 

The Super Auto Pilot (SAP) is just the next step in the evolution of the three axis auto pilot. The strength of the servos will be within the pilot’s ability to overpower them, there will be an off switch and a circuit breaker to pull if the off switch does not work. This is far less visionary than true fly by wire which has been around since at least the Apollo program.

 

Don’t be sorry about my rosy viewpoint, I am glad we have scientists and engineers who can visualize the potential of technology. I shudder to think what life would be like without them, with a few more in the right positions we could have solved our energy problems by now.



BILL HANNAHAN
WFHANNAHAN@YAHOO.COM

Yahoo! for Good
Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. --0-539639429-1128442856=:97290--