The old proverb of “may you live in interesting times” has never been more accurate as it is today. We live in a time where various types of propulsion are being experimented with, most notably hydrogen and electric-driven aircraft. The world is seeing a limited but growing use of biofuels…

It is not only the commercial aviation world that is interested in electric aircraft. The USAF has jumped into the mix and is investing in companies and ideas to meet its mission needs. Rather than perform in-house research and development on technologies related to this area, the Air Force is…

A British company named Satavia is claiming to be developing a technology solution that can reduce the number of contrails, reducing the environmental impact of jet aircraft. This approach may lessen the footprint of aviation in the fight against global warming. Let’s define first what exactly contrails are and why…

One of the key tools in a cybersecurity arsenal are referred to as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS). They are used not only in ground-based networks, data centers, and other such environments but are now coming to be part of future aircraft due to the increase in communications in-flight. Before we…

Many articles have been published on the topic of hackers accessing airlines, various travel, and even general aviation operators. This column has highlighted many cybersecurity issues and developments relating to avionics, flight, and MRO operations. Still, this time the topic will be slightly different, namely, hackers targeting airline and operators’…

The global travel industry may have found a way to jump-start international travel again through the use of digital “health pass or passports.” This credential will eventually contain a person’s proof of vaccination, replacing today’s proof of a negative COVID-19 test, as many nations now require in order to enter…

The coming revolution in aviation propulsion has mainly focused on electrical aircraft, even though battery technologies have not quite evolved to be practical quite yet for most planes. There are several smaller aircraft, UAV/air taxis, and VTOL aircraft, which are being developed to work off of batteries for use in…

Let’s start with addressing the elephant in the room; this is NOT an article that debates climate change. The simple fact is that aviation is one of the industries which affects the climate, so the world needs to identify methods by which to minimize emissions from aircraft and associated ground…

Much information and opinions have been coming out as of late on this topic. While much of it sounds hopeful and optimistic, the reality is that it just may actually be when taking the entire flying experience. At the time of writing this article, no cure or vaccine has emerged…