"The FAA commissioned the Boeing subsidiary Insitu, based inBingen, Washington, and the New Jersey Air National Guard to begin investigating ways for civil aircraft to share their airspace with remotely piloted uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs)."
Source:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627665.400-drone-alone-how-airliners-may-lose-their-pilots.html
Comments
More information on the workshop:
http://iap.esa.int/news/UAS%20Workshop%20Outcome
;)
I personally think the word manned most often means that one is at the controls or in control of something. I don't think passengers would qualify as "manning" an aircraft.
Regardless, it is just semantics.
How about, "WOULD you fly in an airliner knowing there were no computers in the cockpit? , lol :o)