Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
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- joefremont
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Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
I think I found out why the times were being overestimated and also found something I forgot to do, I wanted to adjust the time based on the pilots efficiency. Efficiency is a function of the pilots happiness, number of flights flown and the size of the aircraft (smaller is more efficient) while the schedule should always show base line time, actual flight should be 90% to 115% of the baseline (there is 5% of randomness added to the time). Just doing some last minute testing on that and it should be out momentarily.
I've sworn an oath of solitude until the pestilence is purged from the lands.
- joefremont
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Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
I have just merged in a page where you can change the home base for an automated pilot. The base cost is half the hire cost plus a factor for the number of flights they have done. The amount is reduced if the distance is less than 200nm.
I have discovered an issue regarding payloads. If the flight distance is such that the aircraft can not carry full cargo the system will reduce the generic cargo and passengers to not exceed MTOW, but the system has never removed packages. Now I am reviewing a flight by an AP pilot where 930kg over MTOW and has 4800kg of packages on board and only 140kg of other cargo. So the question I have is what should the system do? If there is a tech stop assigned it could stop there but that is not always possible, think a flight between KSFO/San Francisco and PHNL/Honolulu, there are no airports in between where you could refuel. I suppose the AP could cancel the flight in that case. There does need to be better visibility when a pilot can't fly for some reason.
I have discovered an issue regarding payloads. If the flight distance is such that the aircraft can not carry full cargo the system will reduce the generic cargo and passengers to not exceed MTOW, but the system has never removed packages. Now I am reviewing a flight by an AP pilot where 930kg over MTOW and has 4800kg of packages on board and only 140kg of other cargo. So the question I have is what should the system do? If there is a tech stop assigned it could stop there but that is not always possible, think a flight between KSFO/San Francisco and PHNL/Honolulu, there are no airports in between where you could refuel. I suppose the AP could cancel the flight in that case. There does need to be better visibility when a pilot can't fly for some reason.
I've sworn an oath of solitude until the pestilence is purged from the lands.
Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
A thought on long haul automated pilots: Make their rest period match flight hours or 10 hours whichever is largest. As we don't fly "relief crews" on flights longer than 10 hours, then maybe they need to have longer rest periods after flights exceeding 10 hours. Was thinking it might not be too difficult to implement with an "if / then" parameter in the code looking at individual flight hours. If a flight exceeds 10 hours then the rest period shall equal the total block time of said flight.
Just a thought. My Las Vegas / Tokyo 763 guy gets a full day off in Tokyo on his turns anyway.
Just a thought. My Las Vegas / Tokyo 763 guy gets a full day off in Tokyo on his turns anyway.
Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
What does it take to keep pilots happy with flying time?
Is it because he is flying too much?
Is it because he is flying too much?
- joefremont
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Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
Sam I did some digging into that, the function that calculates the limit of flying hours uses a 28 day period, while the function that calculates pilot happiness was using a 30 day period and I will change it to reflect the same 28 day period as everything else.
While bot pilots can never exceed 100 hours in 28 days human pilots can and thought the happiness score should go down if they exceed 100 hours. The ideal range is 60-100 hours in a month.
While bot pilots can never exceed 100 hours in 28 days human pilots can and thought the happiness score should go down if they exceed 100 hours. The ideal range is 60-100 hours in a month.
I've sworn an oath of solitude until the pestilence is purged from the lands.
Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
cool thanks so if you overwork them they are not happy either, that makes sense.
- joefremont
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Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
Some minor updates
- Fixed the calculation of happiness for 28 days of flying rather than 30
- A bot pilot will not start a schedule if the aircraft has a repair status less than 96%
- Transferring between airports a bot pilot will cost 5 times what a human pilot is charged (the human pilot pays for themselves where the airline pays for the bot).
- Fixed the calculation of happiness for 28 days of flying rather than 30
- A bot pilot will not start a schedule if the aircraft has a repair status less than 96%
- Transferring between airports a bot pilot will cost 5 times what a human pilot is charged (the human pilot pays for themselves where the airline pays for the bot).
I've sworn an oath of solitude until the pestilence is purged from the lands.
Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
New wrinkle: pilot had a diverted landing and hard landing and now is stuck off route as the system did not seem to make a route for him to get out. Flight in question: LVAP502 Oct 27 Pilot LAS211 Aircraft N105WR
I can always make a route to get him back to Las Vegas but wanted you to see the data first.
I can always make a route to get him back to Las Vegas but wanted you to see the data first.
- joefremont
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Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
Thanks Sam, I saved off some data and will look into it, I know there are some issues with that, I still occasionally see 'dirvers' where there is no divert.
I've sworn an oath of solitude until the pestilence is purged from the lands.
Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
Oh he diverted all right. LOL Destination Las Vegas, landed in Blythe CA LOL Not a wrong airport but system generated divert. Like he had an inflight emergency and got it on the ground, alibeit hard landing, but everyone walked away OK.
It's an interesting dynamic that makes operators pay attention to what their bots are doing on a daily basis. Just setting up the systems and letting them go without supervision is not advised.
It's an interesting dynamic that makes operators pay attention to what their bots are doing on a daily basis. Just setting up the systems and letting them go without supervision is not advised.
- joefremont
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Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
My test airline, i was trying to recreate the old Air California. When it was absorbed into American Airlines it had 8 737-300's and 21 737-200's. I have grown my VA, just using the bot pilots to 8 x 737-300's and 12 737-200's, I stopped there figuring there was not much point in having more aircraft than pilots. I just refactored all my schedules so that each pilot will have their own schedule and try to balance the number of days they fly a week to not exceed 100 hours per 4 weeks.
Now what to do with it next. I figured they would have started replacing the 732's with newer aircraft, I have purchased a pair of 737-700's to start replacing the older aircraft but then what to do after that. The limiting factor does seem to be the number of pilots. I figure a real airline would probably have 3-4 pilots per aircraft to keep it moving all the time.
So once the fleet is modernized I expect the way to keep growing would be to start replacing the smaller aircraft with wide bodies and expand beyond AirCal's historic routes.
Now what to do with it next. I figured they would have started replacing the 732's with newer aircraft, I have purchased a pair of 737-700's to start replacing the older aircraft but then what to do after that. The limiting factor does seem to be the number of pilots. I figure a real airline would probably have 3-4 pilots per aircraft to keep it moving all the time.
So once the fleet is modernized I expect the way to keep growing would be to start replacing the smaller aircraft with wide bodies and expand beyond AirCal's historic routes.
I've sworn an oath of solitude until the pestilence is purged from the lands.
Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
This all sounds really challenging, in a good way though. Looking forward to wider release.
Would an option be to move into freight? A fully laden 747F service from Dubai into Europe dove tailing with a regional fleet (Gatwick) for further distribution and ultimately delivery throughout UK & Irelan as an example.
Other challenges are shipping passengers to one-off events. Olympics World Cup soccer etc. Airlines put on extra flights and are strategic to avoid flying near empty return flights. I think VAs will use bots in a wide variety of ways.
Your doing a great job.
fackpr9d
Would an option be to move into freight? A fully laden 747F service from Dubai into Europe dove tailing with a regional fleet (Gatwick) for further distribution and ultimately delivery throughout UK & Irelan as an example.
Other challenges are shipping passengers to one-off events. Olympics World Cup soccer etc. Airlines put on extra flights and are strategic to avoid flying near empty return flights. I think VAs will use bots in a wide variety of ways.
Your doing a great job.
fackpr9d
Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
Another little wrinkle: I have a pilot who is becoming disenchanted with his work schedule so I added some flights on one of his off days - Wednesday - after pulling him off the schedule, adding the new routes and then putting him back on. The system still says his next flight is not until Thursday when it should be tomorrow-Wednesday.
Pilot LAS203 AutoVon Allen Park, Schedule Detroit Regional 2.
I must be missing something, but can't figure out what it is. Maybe the "off day" Wednesday has to be at the top of the que instead of below the Thurs-Sunday flights?
Pilot LAS203 AutoVon Allen Park, Schedule Detroit Regional 2.
I must be missing something, but can't figure out what it is. Maybe the "off day" Wednesday has to be at the top of the que instead of below the Thurs-Sunday flights?
- joefremont
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Re: Automated Pilots: Limited Beta
Looking at AV Allen Park, the leg he is on.Cat wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2024 7:25 pm Another little wrinkle: I have a pilot who is becoming disenchanted with his work schedule so I added some flights on one of his off days - Wednesday - after pulling him off the schedule, adding the new routes and then putting him back on. The system still says his next flight is not until Thursday when it should be tomorrow-Wednesday.
Pilot LAS203 AutoVon Allen Park, Schedule Detroit Regional 2.
I must be missing something, but can't figure out what it is. Maybe the "off day" Wednesday has to be at the top of the que instead of below the Thurs-Sunday flights?
Flightnr. Departure Arrival Days Departure time Arrival time Hours
DTAP201 Detroit / KDTW Saginaw / KMBS ---4567 06:00 06:45 0.43
The days set are 4567 so the first day they should fly is Thursday, this being Tuesday. When you add someone to a schedule, the system adds at the first leg in the sequence available, in this case it would be leg 1, I suppose that if there is more than one leg at that airport you should get a choice, but that would make it a tiny bit more complicated.
I've sworn an oath of solitude until the pestilence is purged from the lands.