Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro became the first type-certified electric airplane in June 2020, making battery-powered flight training legal.
How ADS-B made every aircraft trackable in the clear - and how LADD and the Privacy ICAO Address let some pilots disappear.
How the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Innovation set a 387 mph electric flight record - and why the real breakthrough was battery heat, not speed.
Radio Hangar explores Airbus Fly-By-Wire, Normal Law, and the Flight Envelope the Airplane Simply Will Not Let You Leave.
How Aireon's 66 Iridium satellites brought ADS-B surveillance to the oceans and poles, tightening separation and saving fuel.
How Sierra Space's Dream Chaser lands like an airplane on a runway, and why the Space Shuttle's lifting-body shape keeps coming back.
FADEC gives a computer full authority over an aircraft engine's fuel and timing - here's how it works and why it's still rare in piston planes.
Radio Hangar explores JetZero, the Blended Wing Body, and the Bet That the Tube-and-Wing Airliner Has Finally Run Out of Room.
JetZero's Z4 blended wing body promises up to 50% less fuel burn by making the whole airframe a wing - here's why it might finally work.
The uAvionix AV-30-C is a ~$2,000 solid-state instrument that drops into a standard 3⅛-inch panel hole to replace failing vacuum gyros.
Radio Hangar explores ZeroAvia, the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powertrain, and the Dornier That Flew on Water Vapor Instead of Kerosene.
Boom's XB-1 flew supersonic without a sonic boom reaching the ground - here's how Mach cutoff works and what it means for supersonic travel.
Radio Hangar explores Electra's EL9 Ultra Short, Blown-Lift eSTOL, and the Hybrid-Electric Nine-Seater That Wants to Take Off in the Length of a Soccer Field.
Garmin Smart Glide automates the first 60 seconds of an engine failure - glide math, airport selection, and radio setup - while leaving the landing to you.
The Pipistrel Nuuva V300 is a hybrid cargo eVTOL that hauls ~1,000 lbs with no pilot, betting the future of electric flight on freight.
Stratolaunch's Roc, the largest-wingspan aircraft ever flown, now drops reusable Talon-A vehicles into hypersonic flight for U.S. defense testing.
Radio Hangar explores TCAS to ACAS X, the Climb-Climb-Now Voice in the Cockpit, and the Optimized Logic That's Teaching Collision Avoidance to Turn Left Instead of Just Up.
ADS-B broadcasts aircraft positions with no encryption or authentication - here's why it's spoofable and why the system around it still keeps flying safe.
Electric aviation lives or dies on one number: watt-hours per kilogram. Here's the energy wall it has to beat.
How Aireon's 66 satellites brought air traffic surveillance to the 70% of Earth that radar never covered - and why it matters for aviation.