Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
How Lawrence Sperry's 1914 gyroscopic autopilot demo on the Seine launched a century of cockpit automation - and the pilot-skill debate it still fuels.
Why the U.S. built its ADS-B network on two frequencies - 978 UAT and 1090ES - and what the dual-link design means for every pilot.
How NASA turned a Gulfstream II business jet into the Shuttle Training Aircraft to teach astronauts the impossible one-shot landing.
NASA and Lockheed's X-59 Quesst turns the sonic boom into a soft thump, aiming to overturn the 1973 ban on supersonic flight over land.
How Aireon's 66 Iridium satellites put the entire planet under real-time ADS-B surveillance for the first time in aviation history.
Sierra Space's Dream Chaser is a lifting-body spaceplane built to land on ordinary runways with a gentle re-entry, but it hasn't yet flown to orbit.
REGENT's Viceroy seaglider is a 12-seat electric craft regulated by the Coast Guard, not the FAA - because it never leaves ground effect.
How TCAS II lets two airliners coordinate a collision-avoiding climb and descent in seconds, why you always follow the RA, and what comes next.
CFM's RISE open fan revives a 1980s design, targeting 20% less fuel burn for the next single-aisle jet, with service entry around 2035.
Radio Hangar explores The Garmin G I Two Seventy-Five, the Screen That Drops Into a Round Gauge Hole, and the Quiet Retrofit Rewiring Legacy Panels.
How ZeroAvia's hydrogen fuel cells aim to power regional aircraft where batteries can't reach - and the real hurdles that remain.
ZeroAvia flew a hydrogen fuel cell Dornier 228 in 2023, proving clean regional flight is real - but tanks, fuel, and infrastructure remain hard.
ADS-R is why your ADS-B traffic display can be lying to you - here's how the dual-link system works and why you need ADS-B Out.
How Airbus Normal Law and flight envelope protection stop an A320 from stalling - and the training trade-off that comes with it.
Beta Technologies' Alia CX300 skips the hover for a runway takeoff, gaining range and building an East Coast electric-aircraft charging network.
JetZero's blended wing body promises half the fuel burn, but pressurization and 90-second evacuation are the real obstacles to a flying airliner.
Reliable Robotics is retrofitting the Cessna 208 Caravan with fly-by-wire automation to create a remotely piloted freighter for cargo routes.
Radio Hangar explores Stratolaunch's Roc and the Talon-A, the Six-Engine Twin-Fuselage Giant That Air-Drops a Reusable Hypersonic Testbed Over the Pacific.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro is the first type-certified electric airplane, with ~50 minutes of flight and cheap operating costs for pattern training.
SureFly's certified electronic ignition module replaces one magneto with self-advancing timing for easier starts and lower maintenance.