Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
How Aireon put ADS-B receivers on 66 Iridium satellites to give controllers a live picture of aircraft over the oceans for the first time.
Ampaire's parallel hybrid retrofit cuts fuel burn 25-50% by keeping the engine and adding an electric boost, betting practical electric flight won't ditch combustion yet.
How Garmin's Electronic Stability and Protection gently pushes back on the yoke to prevent loss-of-control accidents - without ever taking over.
FIS-B datalink NEXRAD can be up to 20 minutes older than its on-screen timestamp - here's why, and how to use it safely.
Simplified Vehicle Operations lets a flight computer translate pilot intent into motor commands, making eVTOL air taxis flyable - and reshaping safety.
How Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne reached space using an air launch, a hybrid rocket, and a self-stabilizing feathering wing.
The FAA's fall 2024 powered-lift SFAR created a third pilot category, clearing the biggest hidden barrier to electric air taxis.
Autothrottle has arrived in single-engine turboprops like the Piper M600 and Daher TBM 960 - here's how it works and why it matters.
G100UL and rival unleaded fuels are racing to replace leaded 100LL avgas by 2030, and the fight is on display at Oshkosh.
Garmin Smart Glide automates the first 30 seconds of an engine-out emergency - but it stops short of landing the airplane, and that limit is the point.
How hydrogen-electric fuel cell propulsion actually works, why it beats batteries on weight, and its real timeline for aviation.
Radio Hangar explores The Dream Chaser, the Lifting Body Lineage, and the Spaceplane That Lands on a Runway Like Something You Actually Fly.
Why U.S. ADS-B runs on two frequencies - 978 MHz UAT and 1090ES - and what that split means for the traffic on your screen.
How MEMS sensors and solid-state AHRS units are replacing the vacuum-driven spinning gyro and deleting an entire category of GA accidents.
How MEMS gyros and solid-state AHRS replaced the failure-prone vacuum-driven attitude indicators that killed instrument pilots for decades.
Radio Hangar explores Aireon, the Sixty-Six Iridium Satellites, and the Space-Based ADS-B Net That Erased the Ocean's Blind Spot.
How Boris Popov turned a near-fatal 1975 hang gliding crash into the ballistic whole-airplane parachute that has saved hundreds of lives.
Radio Hangar explores Electronic Ignition, the SureFly Magneto, and Trading a Hundred-Year-Old Spark for Software on the Oshkosh Exhibit Floor.
Electronic Stability and Protection keeps autopilot servos active while you hand-fly, nudging you back from stalls, steep banks, and overspeeds.
In October 2024 the FAA created powered lift, the first new civil aircraft category in ~80 years - here's what it means for pilots.