Aerospace company Boeing, the world's largest planemaker, wants to put pilotless jetliners to flight tests in 2018. "The basic building blocks of the technology clearly are available," Boeing's vice president of product development Mike Sinnett said at a briefing ahead of the Paris Air Show later this month, pointing out that self-flying drones are already available for less than $1000. The number of pilots helming a jetliner has dropped from three to two in recent years, and onboard flight computers already have the ability to take off, cruise and land without human operation. According to the Aviation Safety Network, regulators still need to be sold on the idea, as certification for the technology doesn't yet exist. The planes would also need to meet air travel safety standards. "I have no idea how we're going to do that," Sinnett, a pilot himself, said. "But we're studying it right now and we're developing those algorithms." Sinnett expressed his intentions to test the technology