IS&S Accelerates Flat-Panel Development

Innovative Solutions & Support, a Malvern, Pennsylvania-based digital instrument and avionics manufacturer, is accelerating development of its 10 x 14-inch flat-panel display systems, according to company chairman and CEO Geoffrey Hedrick.

"Our system represents a revolution in flight panel displays," Hedrick said. "We now have seven new patents pending that revolutionize the software development. We'll soon be able to recertify software revisions in eight weeks. That means our software development costs will be one tenth of anybody else in the industry," he noted.

The IS&S flat-panel system, currently being test flown in a Pilatus PC-12, has a resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels and weighs less than ten pounds, including a stand-alone 2MCU symbol generator. The display is backlit with a proprietary illumination system, helping to make possible a 36,000 hour MTBF, according to Hedrick. IS&S uses off-the-shelf consumer electronics, ruggedized for avionics. The four-watt display has been adapted from the laptop computer industry. It retains a high contrast ratio in direct sunlight because of special non-reflective overlays applied to the screen face.
The Pentium and Motorola CPU chips in the symbol generator also have origins in consumer electronics. This increases computing power, lowers production costs and extends the availability of components from suppliers, according to Hedrick.

"I want a piece of glass that will be around in ten years," Hedrick explained. "And our system has a screen refresh rate of 150 Hz."

Long term, Hedrick's firm is developing a two-screen, two-SG system with dual AHRS and DADCs that's designed for retrofit. It will have more total viewing area than all the LCDs on a Boeing 777, but it will be priced at $200,000 to $250,000.

But, first IS&S will have to achieve multiple TSOs for the product to be accepted by FAR/JAR 25 aircraft operators.