Reduced Crew Operations (RCO) refers to a concept in aviation where the number of required crew members on an aircraft flight deck is intentionally reduced
Types of RCO
Single Pilot Operations (SPO): In SPO, only one human pilot is on board a flight, even if current regulations require more than one pilot
This concept is actively researched for commercial airline and on-demand mobility applications
Other RCO Concepts: For long-haul commercial flights, RCO may involve periods where there is only one pilot in the cockpit while other pilots take prescribed rest periods
Motivation for RCO
Advances in computational power and machine learning have led to increased interest in RCO
These improvements create everyday autonomous capabilities, such as self-driving cars
Airlines are considering RCO to address challenges like pilot shortages and cost reduction
By requiring fewer pilots to operate flights, they aim to optimize resources
Challenges for RCO
Workload: Single pilot operations significantly increase workload compared to two-crew operations
Pilots must handle various tasks simultaneously
Safety and Performance: Subjective assessments of safety and performance tend to be degraded in single pilot scenarios
Overcoming Failures: expectations to overcome failure modes with fewer cognitive and physical resources
Human Element: RCO threatens the traditional belief that a well-trained pilot is critical for aircraft system safety