Wisk Aero is the only major eVTOL company pursuing fully pilotless passenger flight from the ground up - a certification gamble that could reshape aviation safety standards industry-wide.
Radar attenuation can paint a dangerous thunderstorm gap as clear green - understanding this blind spot is essential for any pilot using airborne weather radar.
Archer Aviation's Midnight eVTOL is accumulating real FAA test data toward type certification, backed by United Airlines and a new powered-lift regulatory framework finalized in 2023.
Electra Aero's hybrid-electric eSTOL targets a 150-foot takeoff and landing roll using blown lift, potentially reopening thousands of underserved U.S. airports to scheduled service.
CFM International's RISE program targets more than 20% better fuel burn by eliminating the nacelle entirely, marking the most fundamental rethink of commercial jet propulsion in decades.
The FAA's LADD program lets pilots block their aircraft from public tracking platforms - but independent receiver networks operate outside those rules.
The Stratolaunch Roc - the world's widest aircraft at 385 feet - has found its mission as a reusable hypersonic test platform after pivoting away from orbital launch.
The TBM 960's certified autothrottle - the first in a single-engine turboprop - signals a turning point in how cockpit automation manages the demands of single-pilot IFR flight.
Reliable Robotics is pursuing FAA Part 135 certification to fly the Cessna 208 Caravan autonomously for cargo, with FedEx as a partner and commercial routes likely 3-5 years out.
NASA's X-59 QueSST completed its first flight on January 24, 2024, launching a program aimed at replacing the 50-year US ban on supersonic overland civil flight with a noise-based standard.
Pete Knight flew the X-15 to Mach 6.7 on October 3, 1967 - a speed no winged aircraft has matched in nearly 59 years, and a record built on engineering that still shapes aerospace today.
TIS-B targets on your ADS-B display are radar-relayed, not direct broadcasts - carrying up to 12 seconds of latency that can place traffic half a mile from where it appears.
GPS spoofing corrupts ADS-B position data without triggering any cockpit warning, creating a silent surveillance integrity threat now documented across European and Middle Eastern airspace.
The Eviation Alice flew in 2022, but turning an 820 kWh battery-electric commuter into a certified airline product still requires years of unglamorous work.
Dream Chaser's runway-landing design traces directly to NASA's 1960s lifting body program at Edwards - including the real crash that opened The Six Million Dollar Man.
ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric Dornier 228 flight in January 2023 marked the first time a 19-seat regional airframe flew on hydrogen fuel cell propulsion, reshaping the math on zero-emission regional aviation.