Ground control: Are pilotless passenger jets within reach?

By Ayesha Durgahee, CNN

September 5, 2013 -- Updated 0112 GMT (0912 HKT)

Are pilotless planes within reach?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• CNN goes aboard the BAE 146 test aircraft as it flies above northern England
• The aircraft is manned by a crew in the sky but controlled by a pilot on the ground
• Unmanned flight is an exciting milestone for those at the cutting edge of the aviation industry

(CNN) -- "We're ready to take control" confirms Bob Fraser, a well-seasoned pilot who has been flying for 37 years.

"And proceed," replies flight test engineer Duncan Casey.

Fraser and Casey are looking at computer display screens, tracking the position of a BAE 146 aircraft flying north towards Scotland -- but there is one vital difference.

Casey is high in the sky while Fraser has his feet firmly on the ground.

Casey is one of the flight test engineers onboard the test aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art drone technology along with the two pilots in the cockpit for the take-off and landing phases.

After taking-off and climbing to an altitude of 7,000 feet, the pilots hand over to the flight test engineers who in turn hand over to Fraser.

A flight test engineer monitors a computer display screen

Fraser is responsible for navigating the aircraft on a pre-planned route. Calmly in front of his computer, he taps in coordinates to make the plane turn left and right, clearing it with air traffic control as any other pilot onboard would do.

"Flying an unmanned vehicle is not as much fun as flying a normal aircraft, however it has a lot of similar challenges," explained Fraser from the comfort of his armchair cockpit.

Πηγή cnn .com