A Jetstream aircraft became the first to fly "unmanned" across UK shared airspace last month.
An on-board pilot handled the take-off, from Warton, near Preston in Lancashire, and landing, in Inverness.
But during the 500-mile journey, the specially adapted plane was controlled by a pilot on the ground, instructed by the National Air Traffic Services.
There were no passengers, but the 16-seater aircraft flew in airspace shared with passenger carriers.
A representative of BAE Systems, one of the companies to have invested in Astraea, said: "The flights were part of a series of tests helping flight regulators and Nats to understand how these flights work, and what they need to do were they to go ahead and put a regulatory framework in place for the unmanned flights in manned airspace.
"It's not just the technology, we're trying to think about the social impact of this and the ethical and legal things associated with it," he said.
"You've got to solve all this lot if you're going to make it happen, enable it to happen affordably."
BBC News - Pilotless flight trialled in UK shared airspace
Sounds like they mean "make it cheap, have 1 pilot on the ground controlling 10 planes at once" while the passengers are crammed in like sardines. Question has to be the safety aspect. I find something comforting on a plane trip knowing that if the pilot crashes the plane that he's going with me, so it's in his interests not to wander off for a quick few pints down the pub while the plane's on autopilot in the hope that it doesn't crash while he's out. Also I'd never travel on a plane with Windows installed, not because you can't open them, but can you imagine the BSOD - it really would be meaningful as a name
An on-board pilot handled the take-off, from Warton, near Preston in Lancashire, and landing, in Inverness.
But during the 500-mile journey, the specially adapted plane was controlled by a pilot on the ground, instructed by the National Air Traffic Services.
There were no passengers, but the 16-seater aircraft flew in airspace shared with passenger carriers.
A representative of BAE Systems, one of the companies to have invested in Astraea, said: "The flights were part of a series of tests helping flight regulators and Nats to understand how these flights work, and what they need to do were they to go ahead and put a regulatory framework in place for the unmanned flights in manned airspace.
"It's not just the technology, we're trying to think about the social impact of this and the ethical and legal things associated with it," he said.
"You've got to solve all this lot if you're going to make it happen, enable it to happen affordably."
BBC News - Pilotless flight trialled in UK shared airspace
Sounds like they mean "make it cheap, have 1 pilot on the ground controlling 10 planes at once" while the passengers are crammed in like sardines. Question has to be the safety aspect. I find something comforting on a plane trip knowing that if the pilot crashes the plane that he's going with me, so it's in his interests not to wander off for a quick few pints down the pub while the plane's on autopilot in the hope that it doesn't crash while he's out. Also I'd never travel on a plane with Windows installed, not because you can't open them, but can you imagine the BSOD - it really would be meaningful as a name
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