The different entrances to stations are missing from most maps, and they're important on the Elizabeth line. If anyone knows a map which has them, or knows how to add them to a map (like a layer on OSM/Google), let me know!
Where's the commercial benefit though? The cost of certification is huge so upgrades after initial certification don't happen unless the tech has big cost benefit (or safety, which is also cost at second order).
Hence A320 still running on Motorola 68000 of Sega Genesis etc fame.
Ah you were saying serve ads on the flightdeck displays! Ok that's innovative- I'd recommend featuring big watches, mirrored sunglasses and divorce lawyers.
Honeywell FMS systems use AMD29000 to this day, including in new designs, and Honeywell even bought the licenses to operate as fabless manufacturer for it.
The reason is simple - they need stability of parts supply with minimal recertification costs, and in this case it means that by having an already certified cpu (AMD 29k) and full manufacturing line capability for it, they don't have to face issues with vendor deciding to scrap a line (like another popular design, i860, had to deal with) or having to constantly recertify and update for newer parts.
And quite often the computing requirements didn't really grow
Happens fairly regularly but for passenger issues rather than technical- medical emergencies and disruptive passengers usually.
Airlines have contracts with companies who provide a sat phone link to doctors who have the flight information and medical facilities at possible diversion airfields. Eg MedAire.
I'm an ex-military now furloughed airline pilot working on a flight planning tool to save trying to spot the needle in the haystack that is the current NOtice To AirMen system.
It's not the engines that would prove limiting to cruise speed at those altitudes, it's the aerodynamic design of the wing. Airliners are flying at between 78 to 86% of the speed of sound, you can't improve on that in a way that would be dramatically noticeable without a huge redesign.
Compact turbojet engines rather than high-bypass turbofans like modern airliners. Blended into the wing for less drag compared to underslung wing pods like the contemporary rival 707.
Autoland would definitely be preferable, a CAT III ILS would be ideal although you can still autoland off a CAT I beam. CAT IIIs tend to be limited to big airports due to cost and restrictions on the surrounding terrain and obstacles.
With autoland though, it's not just a simple button push. The aircraft needs to be descended around any terrain, navigated through any weather, and put into the landing configuration. If it'll be landing somewhere other than the planned destination, there's also a fair amount of reprogramming of the FMS.
> there's also a fair amount of reprogramming of the FMS
That was something I was missing. Probably complicated when you are scared to death. But still a CAT I glideslope descent/touchdown would be preferably to landing with the PAPI I think. (Funny detail, papi means daddy in Spanish!)
The utility of autopilot to a pilot is comparable to that of cruise control to a driver, it takes away some of the drudgery. It is not robust enough to be unmonitored by a human. It can not make the many decisions that arise every day in aviation, such as if and how to avoid a thunderstorm.
Autoland needs ground equipment that is expensive to install and has stringent requirements on the surrounding topography that means many airports can not install it. It also takes 2 people's full attention to make the autoland happen in a consistently safe manner, it's not a case of pressing the LAND button and sitting back sipping tea. This video shows a bit of that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMydKAcqKCg
It is not robust enough to be unmonitored by a human.
I'm no aviation expert, but isn't that only because the systems in civilian aircraft are decades old?
The state of the art in military drones seems to be autonomous landings on aircraft carriers[1]. The safety requirements for an Airliner are of course much higher than for an UAV, but the underlying technologies seem to be rather mature already.
