VOA慢速英语2015 如果驾驶舱没有飞行员的话，我们会不会更安全点呢？

Are We Safer Without Pilots in the Cockpit? 如果驾驶舱没有飞行员的话，我们会不会更安全点呢？

Last month, 150 people were killed when Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed in the French Alps. Officials say the co-pilot flew the airplane directly into a mountain on purpose

Now, experts wonder if possibly removing pilots from planes would improve airline safety. Some suggest, at the very least, letting officials on the ground take control of a plane if a pilot is acting¹ strangely in the cockpit.

But airplane industry experts warn that the technology has many problems. And they say the tragic² crash of the Germanwings flight was an anomaly -- an extremely unlikely event. Each year, more than three billion people around the world take about 34 million flights. Fewer than 10 crashes over the past 30 years were purposely caused by commercial airline pilots.

Patrick Smith was a commercial airline pilot for 25 years. He wrote a book called "Cockpit Confidential³.'' He says that even the newest airplanes would need costly⁴ re-engineering of their major systems. He says there are also concerns over terrorists taking control of the communications link and hijacking⁵ the plane.

The United States military already has pilots operating drone aircraft remotely. The pilots are usually based far away from the drones, even on the other side of the Earth. But some experts worry about doing the same for passenger aircraft.

Mary Cummings is a former U.S. Navy fighter pilot. She now works as a professor at Duke University in North Carolina. In her words, “the real reason a person wants another human in the cockpit is because they want to believe there's somebody in the front who shares their own fate and thus if anything goes wrong, they will do everything they can to save their own lives.''

She and other experts believe cargo⁶ planes will be the first aircraft to fly over the U.S. without pilots. They say big cargo companies would go from two pilots to one, with a team of pilots assisting from the ground. Then, all operations would be done by flight specialists on the ground.

Airlines would save money on pilot training, pay and retirement⁷ costs. They also would save on hotel and travel costs. In addition, ground-based pilots would be able to have normal eight-hour work days, even if their plane is in the air for 12 hours. Ms. Cummings says these changes could take place in 10 or 15 years.

Pilots are getting further and further removed from their aircraft. Most aircraft movements other than takeoff and landing are already automated⁹. They are done with the help of computers and other machines. When pilots want to change a flight path, they program the new directions into the plane's computer instead of making the turns themselves.

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus is experimenting with the idea of a windowless cockpit. The company is testing a system of cameras and video monitors that would give pilots a wider, more-detailed look at their surroundings.

Todd Humphreys teaches aerospace¹⁰ engineering at the University of Texas. He says it would not be hard to go one step further and have the pilots watching those same monitors from a room on the ground.

"Anything you can control with knobs or buttons, without getting out of your seat, can be done equally well — or even better — on the ground,'' he says.

Professor Humphreys argues that pilots on the ground would not have to deal with jetlag or even the dehydration¹¹ that comes after long flights.

In his words, “pilots do not often face extreme challenges” and might not be able to deal with an emergency if it happens. Instead, he suggests having a team of airplane specialists in the room with all the remote pilots who could assist with any emergency. He says this would reduce the number of mistakes by pilots.

But many pilots disagree. They say that often pilots must make split-second decisions.

In the end, the final decision may come down to passengers. Are travelers more worried about a pilot killing¹² them or stepping onto a plane without a pilot?

Words in this Story

automate⁸ – v. to run or operate something such as a factory or system by using machines or computers instead of people to do the work

cockpit – n. the area in a boat, airplane, etc., where the pilot or driver sits

jetlag – n. a tired and unpleasant feeling that you sometimes get when you travel by airplane to a place that is far away

split-second – adj. done very quickly

remote(ly) – adj. far away from; out-of-the-way

dehydration – n. the process of using or losing more fluids than you take in; excessive loss of body water

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

3 confidential   

adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的

参考例句：

• He refused to allow his secretary to handle confidential letters.他不让秘书处理机密文件。
• We have a confidential exchange of views.我们推心置腹地交换意见。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 hijacking   

n. 劫持, 抢劫 动词hijack的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I have been told about the hijacking . 我已听说了那次劫机事件。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• They are taking measures to guarantee against the occurrence of hijacking. 他们正采取措施防止劫机事件的发生。

6 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

7 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

8 automate   

v.自动化；使自动化

参考例句：

• Many banks have begun to automate.许多银行已开始采用自动化技术。
• To automate the control process of the lathes has become very easy today.使机床的控制过程自动化现已变得很容易了。

9 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

10 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

11 dehydration   

n.脱水，干燥

参考例句：

• He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
• The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。

12 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。