Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
CFM International's RISE program is developing an open fan engine targeting 20% better fuel burn than current turbofans, with entry into service projected for the mid-2030s.
Wisk Aero is pursuing FAA certification for a fully autonomous electric air taxi with no pilot aboard - and the regulatory framework to approve it doesn't yet exist.
How Aireon's space-based ADS-B receivers aboard the Iridium NEXT constellation ended decades of oceanic flight invisibility, tracking every equipped aircraft in real time.
BETA Technologies is betting that a fixed-wing design and proprietary charging network will outcompete multirotor eVTOL rivals in the race to commercialize electric aviation.
Boom Supersonic has raised over $1 billion and flown a supersonic demonstrator - but engine certification, regulatory uncertainty, and airline order conversions remain unresolved.
The Garmin GFC 500 brings certified envelope protection and modern autopilot capability to legacy Cessnas, Pipers, and Beechcraft - here's whether the upgrade pencils out.
Two ADS-B-compliant aircraft can be invisible to each other due to America's dual-frequency mandate - understanding why matters most in mountain terrain.
ZeroAvia flew the world's largest hydrogen-electric aircraft in January 2023, exposing why batteries alone cannot decarbonize regional aviation - and what can.
ZeroAvia flew a hydrogen-electric Dornier 228 in January 2023, proving fuel cell propulsion can lift a 19-seat regional aircraft - a genuine systems milestone.
Electra.aero is building a hybrid-electric blown lift aircraft capable of takeoffs under 300 feet, targeting rural communities with no viable regional air service.
Eve Air Mobility is the only eVTOL company building urban air traffic management software alongside its aircraft - and that may be its biggest edge.
Hermeus's Chimera engine combines turbojet and ramjet operation in a single system, targeting Mach 5 commercial flight by the mid-2030s after 70 years of failed attempts.
The 2002 Überlingen collision killed 71 people when one crew followed ATC over their TCAS resolution advisory - the case that redefined automation authority in commercial aviation training.
The HRRR is a 3-kilometer, hourly-updating weather model that gives pilots the most accurate short-range convective timing guidance currently available.
NASA's X-59 QueSST aircraft is designed to prove that shaped sonic boom technology can produce sound quiet enough to overturn a 50-year FAA ban on overland supersonic flight.
TIS-B fills your ADS-B In display with radar-derived traffic, but a 15-nautical-mile 'hockey puck' service volume and 12-second radar lag create gaps most pilots don't know exist.
Archer Aviation's Midnight targets 45 dB at cruise altitude - the noise threshold that will determine whether electric air taxis can operate in cities.
EGPWS ended controlled flight into terrain as commercial aviation's top killer - here's the engineering behind it and why GA still lags behind.
Joby Aviation's six-rotor S4 - 200 mph cruise, 150-mile range, 45 dB overhead - is the most technically mature eVTOL nearing FAA type certification.
Reliable Robotics is retrofitting the Cessna 208 Caravan with autonomous flight technology, targeting cargo routes first - and their certification strategy may be the smartest in the industry.