Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
Garmin Smart Glide is a one-button feature that holds best glide, finds a reachable runway, and tunes your radio after engine failure.
JetZero's Z-4 blended-wing-body demonstrator promises up to 30-50% fuel savings - here's the engineering, the funding, and the real timeline.
Starlink Aviation cuts in-flight internet latency from ~600ms to 20-40ms by flying satellites 60x closer than legacy systems - here's how.
How the Pipistrel Velis Electro became the first type-certified electric airplane - and why liquid-cooled batteries made EASA say yes.
Radio Hangar explores The Two Frequencies of ADS-B, Ten Ninety ES and Nine Seventy-Eight UAT, and Why America Split Its Traffic Picture Onto Two Radios That Can't Hear Each Other.
NASA and Boeing's X-66A tests a long, strut-braced wing that could cut single-aisle jet fuel burn by up to 30%.
ZeroAvia is betting hydrogen fuel cells, not batteries, will electrify regional aircraft - here's why the physics works and what still stands in the way.
ACAS X is the FAA's next-generation collision avoidance system, replacing TCAS's hand-written rulebook with an optimized cost table.
Cockpit datalink NEXRAD can be 15-20 minutes older than its timestamp suggests - here's why, and how to use it safely.
Skyryse's SkyOS replaces helicopter controls with a single stick and fly-by-wire, aiming to make rotorcraft dramatically safer and easier to fly.
The Stratolaunch Roc, the largest-wingspan aircraft ever flown, now serves as a reusable hypersonic testbed after its orbital-launch mission failed.
China's EHang EH216-S became the first certified pilotless passenger eVTOL, beating US and European air taxis to market.
CFM's RISE open fan engine ditches the cowling to cut fuel burn 20%, reviving a 1980s idea the tools couldn't build until now.
ADS-B broadcasts aircraft positions unencrypted and unauthenticated - here's why it's spoofable and what the FAA does to catch fake targets.
How Aireon's 66 space-based ADS-B receivers on the Iridium NEXT satellites gave controllers real-time surveillance over oceans for the first time.
Archer's Midnight eVTOL bets that short back-to-back hops respect battery physics - here's whether the engineering holds up.
How Auto-GCAS automatically rolls an F-16 upright and pulls it out of a dive to save unconscious pilots from ground collision.
How Electra's hybrid-electric EL-Nine uses decades-old blown-lift aerodynamics to take off in 150 feet without needing a runway.
How REGENT's electric seagliders use ground effect and hydrofoils to make battery-powered coastal travel finally add up.
How NOAA's HRRR model simulates thunderstorms on a 3-km grid every hour, and how pilots should actually use it to time storms.