I have opinions. I have also learned, through experiences, a great many things. And I have a great many things to learn. I also have a great many things that I know very little about, but I have a strong opinion on. So, as things are changing right now in the nation’s capital, some of the discussion has revolved around the use of drones in the Air Force versus manned fighter jets. And a very prominent person about to become active in the government made a comment about "fighter jets and pilots are obsolete, and drones are the future," or something close to that.
I'm stuck. The things I've learned about regarding drones in use by the Air Force and the rest of the military is astonishing. DARPA has even gone so far as to prove that you don't need things like ailerons or elevators or rudders to control craft and has apparently had prototypes showing this for a number of years already. I caught an interview snippet with the Lockheed CEO, explaining the capabilities of one pilot in an F-35, controlling and instructing multiple drones while also piloting their own jet...It's an astonishing thing to realize how incredibly far we've come in the last 30 years! Even more so, when you look at the entire history of "flight" since its beginning, not that terribly far back in the past!
I think that the reality is that both have their place and value. And again, this is my personal opinion, which may change in the future! But at this point, I feel like a properly trained person with experience under their belt still beats what drones can do, any day, any time. Yes, drones offer incredible and exceptional added value to the situation! But it still takes people making smart choices with those drones to make it successful. Nothing can replace experience. Nothing can replace intuition. Nothing can replace insight and forward thinking. And those are all traits of good people!