Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
RNP-AR approaches use curved flight paths and real-time accuracy monitoring to land at mountain airports no conventional ILS could ever reach.
Sierra Space's Dream Chaser traces its runway-landing design to 1960s Edwards AFB lifting body research, representing over 60 years of aerodynamic reentry development.
Beta Technologies is building electric aircraft and a nationwide charging network simultaneously - a strategy that may determine who wins commercial electric aviation.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 broke the sound barrier in 2024, making it the most credible attempt at commercial supersonic flight since Concorde retired in 2003.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator broke Mach 1 without afterburner in October 2024, validating the aerodynamic models that underpin the planned Overture supersonic airliner.
Mode confusion - the dangerous gap between what automation is doing and what pilots believe it's doing - remains an unsolved root cause in major aviation accidents.
FAA formally classifies pilots and flight attendants as radiation workers - here's what Solar Cycle 25's peak means for polar route operations.
The Garmin GFC 500, certified in 2019, brings digital autopilot technology and envelope protection to over 100 legacy GA aircraft models - changing the fatal accident risk calculus for IFR pilots.
TIS-B rebroadcasts radar-derived traffic to ADS-B displays, filling gaps from unequipped aircraft - but data latency and coverage limits matter.
ZeroAvia flew a hydrogen-electric powertrain in a 19-seat regional turboprop in January 2023 and is targeting commercial certification by 2027.
Archer Aviation's Midnight eVTOL is navigating the most complex FAA certification process ever attempted for a small electric commercial aircraft - and the outcome will shape the entire industry.
Eve Air Mobility is building both an electric air taxi and the software platform to manage urban airspace - a dual strategy that sets it apart from every other eVTOL competitor.
GPS spoofing is actively corrupting ADS-B position data in conflict zones, creating false traffic pictures that controllers and pilots cannot automatically detect.
The 2002 Uberlingen mid-air collision killed 71 people after a crew followed ATC instead of their TCAS Resolution Advisory - here's what every pilot needs to know.
GOES-16's Advanced Baseline Imager and Geostationary Lightning Mapper cut convective weather update intervals from 15 minutes to 30 seconds, fundamentally changing what pilots can know before weather surprises them.
The Stratolaunch Roc - with its 385-foot wingspan - is now actively flying hypersonic research missions, recovering test vehicles intact for the first time in decades.
Wisk Aero is pursuing FAA certification for a fully pilotless four-passenger air taxi - a regulatory first that could redefine civil aviation for the next 50 years.
Aireon's space-based ADS-B network, hosted on 66 Iridium NEXT satellites, cut North Atlantic position update intervals from 14 minutes to 8 seconds and reduced lateral separation to 15 nautical miles.
FIS-B radar data on your ForeFlight or Garmin display is typically 15–20 minutes old - here's why, and how to fly with that reality in mind.
Garmin Autoland, FAA-certified in November 2020, lets an untrained passenger land a plane with a single button press when the pilot is incapacitated.