Garmin Smart Glide, the One Button That Turns an Engine Failure Into a Managed Problem Instead of a Blank Stare
Radio Hangar explores Garmin Smart Glide, the One Button That Turns an Engine Failure Into a Managed Problem Instead of a Blank Stare.
Cleared Direct
Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
Hermeus and the Chimera Engine, the Turbojet That Turns Into a Ramjet in Flight, and the Long Road From Mach Five on a Test Stand to a Passenger Someday
Radio Hangar explores Hermeus and the Chimera Engine, the Turbojet That Turns Into a Ramjet in Flight, and the Long Road From Mach Five on a Test Stand to a Passenger Someday.
Joby Aviation's S Four, the Tilt-Rotor Air Taxi, and the Long Grind From Flashy Demo to a Certificate the FAA Will Actually Sign
Joby's S4 eVTOL air taxi has flown the hard maneuvers, but the real hurdle is FAA certification of its batteries and software.
Lawrence Sperry, the Gyroscopic Autopilot, and the 1914 Paris Demonstration Where He Took His Hands Off the Controls and Stood on the Wing
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.
The Dual-Link Gamble, 978 UAT and 1090ES, and Why America Built Its ADS-B Network on Two Different Frequencies
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.
The Shuttle Training Aircraft, the Gulfstream That NASA Turned Into a Flying Glider Simulator to Teach Astronauts How to Dead-Stick a Hundred-Ton Spaceship Onto a Runway
How NASA turned a Gulfstream II business jet into the Shuttle Training Aircraft to teach astronauts the impossible one-shot landing.
The X-59 Quesst, NASA and Lockheed's Long-Nosed Demonstrator Built to Turn the Sonic Boom Into a Thump and Overturn a Fifty-Year Ban
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.
Aireon, Space-Based ADS-B, and the Sixty-Six Iridium Satellites That Finally Put the Whole Ocean Under Radar Coverage
How Aireon's 66 Iridium satellites put the entire planet under real-time ADS-B surveillance for the first time in aviation history.
Dream Chaser, the Lifting-Body Spaceplane Sierra Space Wants to Land on a Regular Runway, and Why a Spacecraft That Flies Like an Airplane Is Harder Than It Looks
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, the Twelve-Seat Electric Craft That Rides a Cushion of Its Own Air a Wingspan Above the Waves, and Why the Coast Guard, Not the FAA, Gets to Say Whether It Flies
REGENT's Viceroy seaglider is a 12-seat electric craft regulated by the Coast Guard, not the FAA - because it never leaves ground effect.
TCAS II, the Resolution Advisory, and the Automation That Tells Two Airliners How to Miss Each Other in the Dark
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.
The CFM RISE Open Fan, the Uncowled Engine GE and Safran Are Betting Will Power the Next Narrowbody, and Why an Idea the 1980s Abandoned Is Back on the Test Stand
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.
The Garmin G I Two Seventy-Five, the Screen That Drops Into a Round Gauge Hole, and the Quiet Retrofit Rewiring Legacy Panels
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.
ZeroAvia and the Hydrogen Fuel Cell, the Bet That You Can Skip the Battery Entirely and Turn Compressed Gas Into Electrons at the Prop
How ZeroAvia's hydrogen fuel cells aim to power regional aircraft where batteries can't reach - and the real hurdles that remain.
ZeroAvia, the Hydrogen Fuel Cell in a Dornier Two Twenty-Eight, and Why the Cleanest Battery on Earth Is a Tank Full of the Universe's Simplest Gas
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, the Rebroadcast That Vouches for You, and Why the Airplane on the Other Frequency Is Invisible Until a Ground Station Ties the Picture Together
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.
Airbus Fly-by-Wire, Normal Law, and the Flight Envelope Protection That Won't Let the Airplane Stall
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, the Electric Airplane That Skipped the Hover, and the Interstate Charging Network Nobody Was Watching Get Built
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, the Z-Four Demonstrator, and Why Burying the Cabin Inside the Wing Buys You Half the Fuel but Fights Everything We Know About Boarding and Evacuating an Airliner
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 and the Robotic Cargo Caravan, the Fly-by-Wire Retrofit That Aims to Put a Remotely Piloted Cessna Into the Freight Network
Reliable Robotics is retrofitting the Cessna 208 Caravan with fly-by-wire automation to create a remotely piloted freighter for cargo routes.