Discussion Questions

Software to fly damaged planes

After all this information about software failures in aviation, what about the software intended to help recover from failures? Read these articles and consider the following questions.

Neural Net Software to Fly Planes Aerospace Technology Innovation
New Software Helps Damaged Airplanes Land Safely John Bluck, Ames Research Center

• Obviously such systems introduce a greater risk of software failure, so are they worth the effort?
• How does such a complex system contrast with the Airplane Rule? Which is a better method to follow, simplicity or complexity? Why do you think so?
• What potential dangers could such a system add terms of software safety?
• Do you think it is ethical to place the peoples' safety in the in the 'hands' of a computer, an inevitably unreliable system?