Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
Sierra Space's Dream Chaser is a lifting-body spaceplane that lands on a runway like an airplane, returning fragile cargo gently instead of splashing into the ocean.
Beta Technologies is betting the first profitable electric airplane won't take off vertically - it'll roll down a runway and plug into a network Beta built itself.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 broke the sound barrier in 2025, but the engine, economics, and 1973 rulebook are the real barriers to civil supersonic flight.
Radio Hangar explores Boom Supersonic's XB-1, the Symphony Engine, and Whether a Startup Can Really Bring the Passenger Jet Back Through the Sound Barrier.
Garmin Smart Glide points a single-engine airplane at the nearest reachable runway and holds best glide the moment the engine quits.
Why air-launched rockets like Pegasus and LauncherOne worked technically but never beat conventional launch on cost.
Radio Hangar explores The Privacy ICAO Address, How ADS-B Turned Every Airplane Into a Trackable Beacon and the FAA Program Built to Let You Disappear From the Feed.
How ZeroAvia's hydrogen fuel cell powertrain works, what it has flown, and why the tank - not the fuel - is aviation's real hurdle.
ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric powertrain has genuinely flown, but volume, cryogenics, and infrastructure make it a late-2020s story at best.
How Aireon's 66-satellite Iridium NEXT constellation brought ADS-B surveillance to the 70% of Earth radar never covered.
Radio Hangar explores CFM RISE, the Open Fan Engine With No Cowling, and the Twenty Percent Fuel Burn Bet on the Airplane That Replaces the Single-Aisle Jet.
JetZero's blended wing body aims to cut airliner fuel burn by up to 50% using shape alone - here's how it works and when it might fly.
NASA's X-57 Maxwell never flew, but its 14-motor electric design de-risked distributed propulsion for the entire eVTOL industry.
The flight director draws command bars advising how to fly; the autopilot merely follows them. Here's how both work and how to fly them safely.
The Garmin GFC 500 brings airline-grade envelope protection and attitude-based autopilot logic to 1970s piston singles.
How SureFly's electronic ignition and FADEC are finally challenging the hundred-year-old aircraft magneto - and why it's taking so long.
Stratolaunch's Roc, the widest airplane ever built at 385 feet, now air-launches the Talon-A hypersonic vehicle past Mach 5.
Radio Hangar explores Garmin Smart Glide, the One Button That Turns an Engine Failure Into a Managed Problem Instead of a Blank Stare.
Radio Hangar explores Hermeus and the Chimera Engine, the Turbojet That Turns Into a Ramjet in Flight, and the Long Road From Mach Five on a Test Stand to a Passenger Someday.
Joby's S4 eVTOL air taxi has flown the hard maneuvers, but the real hurdle is FAA certification of its batteries and software.