Editing Flight engineer (section)

== Elimination ==
[[File:ETHBIB.Bildarchiv 259179 Flight Engineer Jakob Kübler im Cockpit einer Boeing 747-257B der Swissair.jpg|thumb|Flight engineer's station in a [[Boeing 747#747-200|Boeing 747-200]] of [[Swissair]]. Early 747 models were among the last commercial airliners to utilize a flight engineer.]]

Starting in the 1980s, the development of powerful and small [[integrated circuit]]s and other advances in [[computer]]s and digital technology eliminated the need for flight engineers on airliners and many modern military aircraft.

On two-pilot flight deck airplanes, sensors and computers monitor and adjust systems automatically.<ref name="USA Today" /> There is no onboard technical expert and third pair of eyes. If a malfunction, abnormality or emergency occurs, it is displayed on an electronic display panel. One pilot does the flying while the other pilot starts reading and executing the quick reference handbook (QRH) to resolve the problem. Modern technological advancements in today's aircraft have reduced the dependence upon human control over systems.<ref name="USA Today" />

The most recent aircraft built with FE stations include military variants of the [[Boeing 707]], such as the [[Boeing E-3 Sentry|E-3 Sentry]] and [[Boeing E-6 Mercury|E-6 Mercury]], both built through 1991,<ref>{{cite web |title=Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS |url=https://warriorlodge.com/pages/boeing-e-3-sentry-awacs |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=Warrior Lodge}}</ref> the [[Tupolev Tu-154]], the final example of which was delivered in 2013,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Falcus |first1=Matt |title=Last Tu-154 Handed Over |url=https://www.airportspotting.com/tu154-handed-production/ |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=Airport Spotting |date=26 February 2013}}</ref> and the [[Scaled Composites Stratolaunch]] whose sole example first flew in 2019.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Team |first1=ABW |title=Paul Allen's Stratolaunch |url=https://www.abwtec.com/news/2017/6/28/paul-allens-stratolaunch-the-engineering-behind-the-worlds-largest-airplane |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=ABW Technologies |date=28 June 2017}}</ref> The last major US passenger airline to fly aircraft equipped with a flight engineer's station was [[Northwest Airlines]], who retired their final 747-200s from charter service in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aircraft by Type |url=https://www.deltamuseum.org/exhibits/delta-history/aircraft-by-type/jet/boeing-747 |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=Delta Flight Museum}}</ref> The final major cargo operator to employ flight engineers was [[FedEx Express]] when they retired the last of their 727s in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=End of an Era as FedEx Express Retires Last B727 |url=https://newsroom.fedex.com/newsroom/end-of-an-era-as-fedex-express-retires-last-b727/ |access-date=15 March 2022 |work=FedEx Newsroom |date=21 June 2013}}</ref> FedEx continued to operate the DC-10 until the end of 2022, all of which were originally delivered with a flight engineer's station, however all examples that were still in the fleet had been converted to MD-10 standard, which provided for a two-crew cockpit.