Aviation technology analysis with Vector. Electric aircraft, avionics advances, eVTOL certification, satellite connectivity, and the engineering innovations shaping the future of flight.
Autoflight mode confusion contributed to three major airline accidents between 2009 and 2013 - and the same automation systems now live in general aviation cockpits.
Beta Technologies built an open charging network before its ALIA Two-Fifty electric aircraft was certified - a strategy that may define how electric aviation actually reaches revenue operations.
NASA and Boeing are building the X-66A to test a truss-braced wing projected to cut narrow-body fuel burn by 30% - the biggest aerodynamic advance in commercial aviation in decades.
Honeywell's Anthem flight deck replaces 50-year-old federated avionics architecture with a software-defined, cloud-connected platform built to operate across the full range of human and autonomous control.
The Pipistrel Velis Electro earned EASA's first full electric aircraft type certificate in 2020 - here's what four years of flight school operations reveal.
On June 10, 2020, EASA issued the world's first full type certificate for an electric aircraft - and the standards it required now define the path for every electric aviation program in development.
The Stratolaunch Talon-A made history in September 2024 as the first reusable hypersonic vehicle to land on a runway, launched from the world's largest aircraft.
TIS-B rebroadcasts radar-derived aircraft positions onto your ADS-B display - but coverage gaps, latency, and a hidden dependency on ADS-B Out limit what you actually see.
JetZero's $235 million Air Force contract to build a full-scale blended wing body demonstrator is the most credible step yet toward replacing the tube-and-wing design that has dominated aviation for nearly a century.
JetZero's $235M Air Force contract to build the Z-5 blended wing body demonstrator could reshape aviation economics - but commercial service is still a decade or more away.
Mode S transponders broadcast a unique 24-bit aircraft identifier on every radar reply, making aircraft trackable via multilateration with or without ADS-B Out.
Sierra Space's Dream Chaser is an orbital lifting body designed to carry 12,000 lbs from the ISS and land on a conventional runway - no ocean recovery required.
The Eviation Alice flew for the first time in September 2022, representing the most serious near-term attempt to electrify short-haul regional air service with a pressurized nine-seat commuter.
Joby Aviation's S4 is the closest electric air taxi to FAA type certification, with a signed compliance framework, military contracts, and a Delta Air Lines partnership already in place.
The 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision killed 71 people after one crew followed a controller's instruction instead of their TCAS Resolution Advisory - here's what every pilot must know.
ZeroAvia's hydrogen-electric ZA600 powertrain completed its first flight on a Dornier 228 in January 2023, targeting commuter routes that batteries cannot serve.
FADEC is migrating from commercial jets to GA piston cockpits, delivering 8–12% fuel savings and near-zero mixture errors through full digital engine control.
Solar Cycle 25 is at or near its peak in late 2026 - making space weather more relevant for polar route ops, GPS approaches, and every IFR preflight than it has been in over two decades.
Synthetic vision technology renders a real-time 3D terrain picture on your PFD, replacing reactive ground proximity warnings with continuous visual terrain awareness.
Airbus's ZEROe hydrogen aircraft program is doing real engineering work, but the 2035 service entry date faces mounting pressure from ground infrastructure gaps.