Automatic Takeoff Coming to Passenger Jets in 2025 Sparks Debate Among Travelers: ‘Good Idea or Not?’
“The system is better than the pilots,” Embraer’s principal performance engineer said
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Embraer E195-E2 aircraft was announced in July 2024Some people aren’t sure if they’re ready for takeoff on Embraer’s upcoming commercial jets that will feature new automatic takeoff technology.
The large aircraft manufacturer, which makes planes for airlines across the world, unveiled its “E2 Enhanced Take Off System” to reduce pilot workload and to produce “a more precise and efficient rotation moment and flight trajectory,” the company announced at an airshow in England in July.
Embraer is hopeful the upgrades will streamline takeoffs for consistency and increase payload on its E195-E2, E190-E2 and E175 aircrafts.
Now, travelers and pilots are debating if the takeoff technology coming in 2025 is necessary. In a Reddit post — titled “Automated Take Off: Good Idea or Not?” — people are chiming in with their initial thoughts.
John Keeble/Getty
Embraer’s E195-E2 during a demonstration in July 2024“Businesses are trying to make some trendy money by solving non-existent problems,” one Reddit user wrote in September. “Notice all the push for the continued automation of commercial aviation comes from disconnected MBAs without aviation backgrounds whose incentives are profit. Not aviation nor safety.”
Meanwhile, another said that the takeoff tech will likely work similarly to existing automatic landing systems.
“The big selling point they’re pushing this on is that at airports like London City and Florence where you’re very often performance limited, then this system will be able to perform the takeoff ‘perfectly’ meaning you can carry more fuel/payload,” the user explained. “I currently fly the predecessor, and will likely end up flying this 195-E2 by the end of the decade. I suspect it will be used just like Autoland ... only when it’s actually needed. If it means I don’t have to sit on the ground pissing about with weights and making numbers work then I’m all for it.”
The Reddit thread linked to a CNN article that quoted Embraer’s Principal Performance Engineer Patrice London saying, “The system is better than the pilots.”
He added: ”That’s because it performs in the same way all the time. If you do 1,000 takeoffs, you will get 1,000 of exactly the same takeoff.”
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Embraer President and CEO Arjan Meijer said in a news release for the upgrade announcements that his company is committed to safety.
“We aim to continually improve our aircraft and these upgrades — reducing fuel burn and emissions; increasing range; improving the passenger and cabin experience; and adding new technology and connectivity — is great news both for our customers and their guests,” Meijer said. “Embraer is committed to providing the safest, most efficient, most comfortable, and most commercially savvy jets to our customers.”
Embraer, which claims its aircrafts transport 145 million passengers every year, also noted the financial benefits of the upgrades in the release.
“As well as improving operational effectiveness these measures also deliver a net present value of $6 million per aircraft over 15 years in cost reduction and additional revenue,” the company said.
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