Ideas to make pilots more useful?

[Jack Mcslay]

I feel with  how much scientists and engineers have improved over the updates I feel pilots have been getting underwhelming, often times made unnecessary with a probe around. Anyone have ideas to make them more useful?

One I had earlier is to allow pilots to control nearby objects: you put a pilot in a ship with a relay-capable antenna, and anything that is near enough to have a comms signal to that ship but not to KSC can be controlled by the pilot like it was connected to KSC, with pilot level determining the minimal signal strength required for control. This would also incentivize motherships

[Guest]

They used to be more useful when the “SAS on for everything from the start” bug didn’t exist. 

Ive seen someone do fuel consumption with pilots so a pilot uses less fuel than a non-pilot which I liked.

[HvP]

This exact use case is already implemented in the game. It just doesn't get much attention.

It's called a Probe Control Point. That link takes you to the Kerbal Wiki on the concept.

It allows pilots in suitable command capsules to control certain probes fitted with "remote pilot assist available" probe cores without needing a link to the KSC as long as they have a relay antenna capable of reaching the remote probe.

[herbal space program]

One thing I think would be great is if pilots of a certain level could execute maneuver nodes automatically. Perhaps they could do it semi-manually at level 4, so that you push a button and the whole burn gets executed, and at level 5 they could do it fully automatically, so that a maneuver node you set in advance gets done even if you time-warp past it.

[kerbiloid]

On 5/23/2021 at 4:39 AM, Jack Mcslay said:

Anyone have ideas to make them more useful?

These lazy jerks can be janitors, diggers, lab technicians, senior managers, waiters, and have other duties.

When I calculate a crew for something like a Martian expedition, there is always a Pilot, who is an unqualified jack-of-all-trades for others when they are on Mars.
Also he is the expedition boss (at least he thinks so).

Also they are expendable ballast, because you need geologists and doctors on Mars, not a flyar.

Edited May 25, 2021 by kerbiloid