Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
Synthetic vision technology gives instrument pilots a continuous 3D terrain picture generated in real time from GPS and elevation data, dramatically reducing CFIT accidents in general aviation.
The angle of attack indicator has been standard on military jets since the 1950s, is now certifiable for GA, and the accident data says we need it.
The Avidyne IFD 550 offers a 10.6-inch display and full knob-and-touch interface that competes directly with the Garmin GTN 750 Xi - at a lower price point.
How MCAS design flaws and a broken certification process caused 346 deaths across two 737 MAX crashes and permanently changed how aviation certifies cockpit automation.
CFM's RISE program is developing a counter-rotating open fan engine targeting 20%+ fuel burn improvement over current LEAP engines, with entry into service targeted for the mid-2030s.
The FAA's ADS-B mandate created an unintended public surveillance layer - here's how the LADD and PIA programs address it, and their real limitations.
The Stratolaunch Roc, the largest aircraft ever built by wingspan at 385 feet, is reviving air-launch hypersonic testing with its reusable Talon A vehicle.
ForeFlight is the dominant Electronic Flight Bag platform in aviation - here's how it works, what it costs, and what Boeing's 2019 acquisition means for pilots who depend on it.
State-level GPS spoofing in conflict zones is injecting false positions into ADS-B broadcasts, undermining the surveillance picture controllers and pilots depend on.
Joby Aviation leads the FAA certification race for electric air taxis, targeting commercial passenger service before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The Airbus A320's alpha floor system overrides pilot throttle inputs to prevent stalls - a 1988 design decision that still defines the debate over cockpit automation.
The Eviation Alice completed the world's first all-electric multi-passenger commuter flight in 2022, with Cape Air ordering 75 aircraft for its short-haul New England network.
The X-15 flew 199 hypersonic research missions, sent two pilots above the Kármán line, and shaped every spacecraft that lands on a runway.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro became the world's first type-certified electric aircraft in June 2020 - here's what that means for flight training costs, noise, and the future of pilot education.
ZeroAvia's hydrogen fuel cell technology has proven itself in flight, but airport infrastructure - not engineering - is the constraint that will determine when and where hydrogen-powered regional aircraft actually enter service.
Aireon mounted ADS-B receivers on the Iridium NEXT constellation in 2019, ending decades of oceanic blind spots with real-time global surveillance.
Beta Technologies is betting on charging infrastructure as much as aircraft design - a dual strategy that may prove more consequential than the ALIA itself.
Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator crossed Mach 1.122 over Mojave on January 9, 2025 - the first commercially-funded supersonic flight in U.S. airspace in recent memory.
Honeywell Anthem is the first production-certified avionics platform using a partitioned architecture that separates the safety-critical core from a cloud-updatable connected layer - and it's already flying.
The FAA's 2014 policy change eliminated TSO certification requirements for advisory AOA displays, cutting installation costs from $6,000 to under $2,000 and finally bringing military-proven stall prevention technology within reach of every certificated aircraft.