The NASA X-59 and the Quiet Supersonic Bet to Turn the Sonic Boom Into a Thump
NASA's X-59 aims to soften the sonic boom into a quiet 'thump' and overturn the 1973 ban on overland supersonic flight.
Cleared Direct
Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
Aireon, Space-Based ADS-B, and the Iridium Satellites That Finally Put Eyes on the Ocean Nobody Was Watching
How Aireon's ADS-B receivers on Iridium satellites finally gave controllers real-time surveillance over the oceans that ground radar never covered.
Don Bateman, the Ground Proximity Warning System, and the Automated Voice That Taught Airplanes to Say 'Pull Up'
Radio Hangar explores Don Bateman, the Ground Proximity Warning System, and the Automated Voice That Taught Airplanes to Say 'Pull Up'.
Enhanced Flight Vision Systems, the Infrared Camera and Head-Up Display That Let a Crew Fly an Approach Down to a Runway Their Own Eyes Still Can't See
How EFVS uses an infrared camera and head-up display to let crews legally fly an approach to touchdown in weather their own eyes can't penetrate.
The CFM RISE Open Fan, the Unducted Engine Aviation Tried and Abandoned in the Eighties, and the Twenty Percent Fuel Bet Coming Back to the Single-Aisle Jet
CFM's RISE open fan engine promises 20% better fuel burn and could power the next single-aisle jet around 2035.
The FAA's Space Data Integrator, the Real-Time Feed That Is Shrinking the Giant Blocks of Airspace Rocket Launches Steal From the Rest of Us
The FAA's Space Data Integrator feeds live rocket telemetry to air traffic control, shrinking hours-long airspace closures to minutes.
The Garmin G F C Five Hundred, the Retrofit Digital Autopilot That Put Envelope Protection and a Straight-and-Level Button Into Fifty-Year-Old Airplanes
How the Garmin GFC 500 retrofit autopilot brought envelope protection and a level button to legacy aircraft - and why certification mattered as much as the hardware.
The Open Fan, CFM's RISE Program, and the Engine With No Cowling That Wants to Cut Airline Fuel Burn by Twenty Percent
Radio Hangar explores The Open Fan, CFM's RISE Program, and the Engine With No Cowling That Wants to Cut Airline Fuel Burn by Twenty Percent.
WAAS, the LPV Approach, and How a Handful of Ground Stations Taught a Constellation of Satellites to Fly You Down to Two Hundred Feet
How WAAS augments GPS to enable LPV precision approaches down to 200 feet at airports that could never afford an ILS.
Dawn Aerospace and the Mark Two Aurora, the Rocket Plane That Takes Off From a Runway, Breaks the Sound Barrier, and Lands to Fly Again the Same Day
Dawn Aerospace's Mark Two Aurora took off from a runway and broke the sound barrier - a rocket plane built to fly, land, and fly again the same day.
Garmin Smart Glide, the Red Button That Flies Your Best Glide and Points You at a Runway the Moment the Engine Quits
Garmin Smart Glide is a one-button feature that holds best glide, finds a reachable runway, and tunes your radio after engine failure.
JetZero's Z-Four, the Blended-Wing-Body Demonstrator Betting That the Airliner of the Future Doesn't Have a Fuselage at All
JetZero's Z-4 blended-wing-body demonstrator promises up to 30-50% fuel savings - here's the engineering, the funding, and the real timeline.
Starlink Aviation, the Low-Earth-Orbit Dish That's Quietly Rewriting What In-Flight Internet Costs and How Fast It Can Be
Starlink Aviation cuts in-flight internet latency from ~600ms to 20-40ms by flying satellites 60x closer than legacy systems - here's how.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro, the First Type-Certified Electric Airplane, and the Liquid-Cooled Battery That Made a Regulator Say Yes
How the Pipistrel Velis Electro became the first type-certified electric airplane - and why liquid-cooled batteries made EASA say yes.
The Two Frequencies of ADS-B, Ten Ninety ES and Nine Seventy-Eight UAT, and Why America Split Its Traffic Picture Onto Two Radios That Can't Hear Each Other
Radio Hangar explores The Two Frequencies of ADS-B, Ten Ninety ES and Nine Seventy-Eight UAT, and Why America Split Its Traffic Picture Onto Two Radios That Can't Hear Each Other.
The X Sixty-Six A, Boeing and NASA's Truss-Braced Wing, and the Bet That the Next Fuel Breakthrough Is a Longer, Skinnier Wing Held Up by a Stick
NASA and Boeing's X-66A tests a long, strut-braced wing that could cut single-aisle jet fuel burn by up to 30%.
ZeroAvia, Hydrogen-Electric Powertrains, and the Bet That Fuel Cells, Not Batteries, Will Electrify the Regional Airplane
ZeroAvia is betting hydrogen fuel cells, not batteries, will electrify regional aircraft - here's why the physics works and what still stands in the way.
ACAS X, the Collision Avoidance Brain That Replaced a Rulebook With a Cost Table, and the Slow Fight to Retire TCAS
ACAS X is the FAA's next-generation collision avoidance system, replacing TCAS's hand-written rulebook with an optimized cost table.
NEXRAD in the Cockpit, the Mosaic Latency Trap, and Why the Radar Picture on Your Tablet Is Older Than the Time Stamp Tells You
Cockpit datalink NEXRAD can be 15-20 minutes older than its timestamp suggests - here's why, and how to use it safely.
Skyryse, SkyOS, and the One-Stick Bet That the Hardest Aircraft to Fly Should Become the Easiest
Skyryse's SkyOS replaces helicopter controls with a single stick and fly-by-wire, aiming to make rotorcraft dramatically safer and easier to fly.