T-CAS II, the Resolution Advisory, and the Night Over Uberlingen That Taught Every Crew to Trust the Box Over the Controller
How TCAS resolution advisories work, why the Überlingen midair changed the rules, and why pilots now trust the box over ATC.
Cleared Direct
Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
The EHang E H Two Sixteen S, the World's First Type-Certified Passenger eVTOL, and What It Means That the First Air Taxi to Get a Certificate Has No Pilot and No Wings
In October 2023, EHang's pilotless EH216-S became the world's first type-certified passenger eVTOL - here's what that milestone really means.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro, the First Type-Certified Electric Airplane in the World, and What a Fifty-Minute Trainer From Slovenia Actually Proves
The Pipistrel Velis Electro is the world's first type-certified electric airplane - here's what its 50-minute range actually proves.
The Two ADS-B Links, Ten Ninety ES and Nine Seventy-Eight UAT, and Why the FAA Has to Rebroadcast Traffic So the Two Halves of the Sky Can See Each Other
Radio Hangar explores The Two ADS-B Links, Ten Ninety ES and Nine Seventy-Eight UAT, and Why the FAA Has to Rebroadcast Traffic So the Two Halves of the Sky Can See Each Other.
There And Back Again, Rocket Lab's Helicopter That Caught a Rocket Falling Out of the Sky, and Why the Most Aviation Thing in Spaceflight Got Quietly Retired
How Rocket Lab caught a falling Electron booster with a Sikorsky helicopter - and why the company quietly retired the stunt for a boat.
Aireon, Space-Based ADS-B, and the Sixty-Six Satellites That Finally Put Eyes on Every Airplane Over the Ocean
Aireon's 66-satellite ADS-B network finally put real-time surveillance over the oceans, cutting separation from 80 to 14 nautical miles.
Auto-GCAS, the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, and the Fighter That Rolls Itself Level and Pulls Away From the Dirt While the Pilot Is Out Cold
Auto-GCAS automatically rolls an F-16 level and pulls away from the ground when the pilot is unconscious or disoriented, saving lives and aircraft.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1, the Symphony Engine, and the Startup Trying to Build a Supersonic Airliner Nobody Else Would Touch
How Boom Supersonic's XB-1 broke the sound barrier over the US - and why the Symphony engine will decide whether Overture ever flies.
FIS-B Weather in the Cockpit, the Free NEXRAD Picture Coming Up From ADS-B, and the Latency Trap That Makes a Storm Look Where It Was, Not Where It Is
FIS-B beams free NEXRAD weather to your cockpit, but its built-in latency makes it a strategic tool that's dangerous to use for threading between storm cells.
Joby's S4, the Tilt-Six Propulsion System, and Why the Air Taxi Race Comes Down to How You Turn a Rotor Into a Wing
How Joby's S4 tilts six electric propellers from hover to cruise - and why that transition decides the air taxi race.
The Sierra Space Dream Chaser, Tenacity, and the Lifting-Body Spaceplane That Glides Home to a Runway Like an Airliner
Radio Hangar explores The Sierra Space Dream Chaser, Tenacity, and the Lifting-Body Spaceplane That Glides Home to a Runway Like an Airliner.
ZeroAvia, Hydrogen-Electric Propulsion, and the Fuel Cell That Wants to Turn a Regional Turboprop Into a Zero-Emission Airplane
How ZeroAvia's hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain flew a 19-seat turboprop on water vapor - and the storage physics that decides its future.
ADS-B Spoofing, the Unauthenticated Broadcast, and Why the System That Sees Every Airplane Will Believe an Airplane That Isn't There
Radio Hangar explores ADS-B Spoofing, the Unauthenticated Broadcast, and Why the System That Sees Every Airplane Will Believe an Airplane That Isn't There.
Airbus DragonFly, the Automatic Emergency Diversion Demonstrator, and What Happens When the Airplane Has to Fly Itself Home
Airbus DragonFly is a flight-tested demonstrator that can divert, land, and taxi an airliner when the crew can't - here's how it works.
Garmin Smart Glide, the One Button That Turns a Dead Engine Into a Managed Emergency
Garmin Smart Glide turns an engine failure into a managed glide with one button - here's how it works and where its limits are.
REGENT's Viceroy Seaglider, Ground Effect, and the Electric Machine That Wants to Fly a Few Feet Over the Water Between the Boat and the Airplane
How REGENT's electric Viceroy seaglider uses ground effect to fly a few feet over water, replacing coastal ferries at 180 mph.
The Lightspeed Delta Zulu, the Headset That Put a Carbon Monoxide Sensor in the One Thing You Never Take Off
The Lightspeed Delta Zulu builds a carbon monoxide sensor into your headset, adding real safety to any cockpit you fly.
The NASA X Sixty-Six, Boeing's Transonic Truss-Braced Wing, and the Skinny High Airplane Wing Held Up by a Strut That Wants to Cut Airliner Fuel Burn by Thirty Percent
NASA and Boeing's X-66 revives the strut-braced wing to cut narrow-body airliner fuel burn by up to 30 percent.
The Stratolaunch Roc, the Widest Wing Ever Built, and Air-Launching the Talon Hypersonic Off the Back of a Twin-Fuselage Giant
How the Stratolaunch Roc, the widest airplane ever built, became a reusable runway in the sky for hypersonic test flights.
Aireon, Space-Based ADS-B, and the Sixty-Six Satellites That Finally Put Eyes on the Middle of the Ocean
How Aireon's 66 satellites put ADS-B receivers in orbit and finally closed air traffic control's oldest blind spot: the open ocean.