The prototype of the future Loyal Wingman unscrewed fighter flew for the first time last week with test pilot Brian Maisler twisting the knobs. The Scaled Composites Model 437 Vanguard took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California for the local flight and Maisler didn’t mention any hitches. "Today’s first flight was in a good jet with a great team," said Maisler. This is the best part of my job. Thanks to everyone and their two years of hard work culminating in making this an uneventful and fun day."
Heck, with the KC-46 video game refueling system, it will be a boomer turning switches to control the boom while the pilot remotely turns their knobs to stay in contact to receive fuel. A form of blind leading the blind.
To all the pilots that complain about piloting and pilot things… behold your future. No one will get to fly. You log into your airplane from the ground and fly it.
I’m an avid ‘simmer’, MS 2020, mostly IFR proficiency, but I’m not ready to give up my Maule. I think the bigger threat to us pilots is not drone airplanes but the unavailability of fuel and airport closures.
RV-16 ?