Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
The Garmin GFC 500 brings envelope protection and coupled ILS approaches to 200+ older certified aircraft for $8,000–$14,000 installed.
NASA still flies a fleet of 65-year-old supersonic jets to train astronauts - here's why no simulator has replaced them and what that means for every pilot's proficiency.
Wisk Aero is attempting to certify the first fully autonomous passenger air taxi in the U.S., and the certification challenge is unlike anything the FAA has faced before.
Beta Technologies is building a nationwide airport charging network before the ALIA gets certified - a deliberate infrastructure-first strategy that could define electric aviation's commercial future.
Garmin Autoland, FAA-certified in June 2020, gives a non-pilot a single button press to land a turboprop or light jet automatically - here's exactly how it works and where it stops.
Honeywell Anthem is an open, connected avionics platform that rethinks how flight deck software is built and certified - targeting eVTOL and new-production business aircraft first.
The FAA's MOSAIC rule raises the light sport weight ceiling from 1,320 to 3,600 pounds, creating the first viable regulatory pathway for practical electric aircraft in the U.S.
Every ADS-B Out broadcast is public and unencrypted - here's what the FAA's LADD and PIA programs can and cannot protect against.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro became the world's first fully type-certified electric aircraft in June 2020, setting the regulatory playbook every electric aviation startup now follows.
Sierra Space's Dream Chaser is targeting a mid-2026 launch to become the first winged spacecraft to land on a runway since the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 2011.
ZeroAvia flew a hydrogen fuel cell-powered Dornier 228 in January 2023, marking the first flight of a commercial-category aircraft on this zero-emission technology at regional scale.
On October 13, 2023, China's CAAC issued the world's first type certificate for a fully autonomous passenger-carrying aircraft - EHang's EH 216-S.
GPS spoofing in the Baghdad flight information region is injecting false positions into the ADS-B surveillance system - a structural vulnerability the aviation architecture was never designed to catch.
NASA's X-59 Quesst is conducting supersonic community overflights to build the dataset needed to replace the FAA's 53-year-old overland ban with a loudness-based standard.
How the NEXRAD dual-polarization upgrade changed U.S. weather radar data and what it means for pilots who fly through convective weather.
The Stratolaunch Roc - the largest aircraft ever built by wingspan at 385 feet - is actively air-launching reusable hypersonic test vehicles from altitude over the Mojave desert.
The 2002 Überlingen midair collision killed 71 people and forced a global rewrite of TCAS procedures after a crew followed ATC over an RA.
Wisk Aero is pursuing fully autonomous air taxi certification with the FAA - a harder regulatory path than piloted eVTOL rivals, but one with compelling long-term economics.
Airbus Normal Law prevents pilots from stalling or overstressing the A320 - but AF447 revealed what happens when that protection disappears without warning.
Aireon's 66-satellite network ended the North Atlantic's oceanic surveillance blind spot, delivering 1-second position updates where controllers once waited 14 minutes.