Single pilot operations = single point of failure

“The best safety device in any aircraft is a well-trained crew.”

Albert Lee Ueltschi, the father of modern flight training and founder of FlightSafety International, coined the company’s motto in 1951. The company he founded still espouses the motto as an ethos, in delivering pilot training to commercial airlines, militaries, and charter/corporate operators.

Single pilot operations (SPO) currently exist in aviation. Military fighter aircraft, general aviation aircraft, special missions, and corporate aircraft often operate under the command of only one pilot. Since the advent of commercial aviation whereby aircrew historically consisted of five or more crew members including two pilots, navigator, radio operator and flight engineer, the number of flight crew has steadily reduced as technology and automation have been able to reliably replace human tasks and functions.