DISPLAY


	TRACK'AIR PILOT84 8.4 inch Multi-sync LVDS display system Using state of the art flat panel display technology, TRACK’AIR has designed a new high resolution TFT color monitor suitable for the EZtrack system as well as for any other application where a really tuff flat panel monitor is required. The new PILOT84 display is based on a new 8.4 inch SVGA high brightness flat panel display manufactured by Toshiba.

Contrary to our previous design, our new display system is now split in 2 parts, the monitor itself and the electronic converter box. This original design allowed us to make a very small and ultra light display housing that is nonetheless capable of providing the high SVGA resolution (800x600) required by the fine graphics used by our software. Because using raster map backgrounds during the photo flight will soon become usual, only a high resolution graphic display such as the PILOT84 is able to reproduce the fine details of such maps.
	One of the main improvement of the new PILOT84 is its ability to accept any video signal (VGA, SVGA, XVGA) regardless of the fact that the panel itself is SVGA (800x600). In the past, the video output of the laptop had exactly to match the resolution of the screen. The new Multisync PILOT84 can now be connected to any laptop regardless of the resolution of its video graphic card.

The new smaller and lighter monitor housing can be installed on a yoke mount, thus this display is now a real part of the cockpit environment that does not conflict with the outside view and is well accepted by all pilots. Thanks to its very high brightness (350 cd/m2) it is easily daylight readable and it can be fitted in with a detachable hood during extreme lighting conditions.

	Additionally, the display is fixed to the yoke bracket via a quick disconnect mechanism that allows the pilot to
	remove the display from the yoke during take off and landing. This display can also be delivered with our articulated arm if the pilot prefers the display to be mounted otherwise.

The electronic components, power supply, etc, are contained in a separate housing that we name the LCD converter box. The monitor itself is connected to this box via a thin 4 meters cable.		This has for main advantage that the electronic can be placed in the back of the plane, away from the radios and instruments.
In addition, we have used state of the art LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) to carry the video signal from the box to the monitor, thus eliminating as much as possible any electronic interferences between the aircraft instrument and the monitor.

	LCD 800 (W) x 600 (H) pixels 8.4 inch p-Si TFT screen High Brightness (350cd/m2) Active Area 170.4 (W) x 127.8 (H) mm Housing Dimensions 207 (W) x 174 (H) x 42 (D) mm Twin CCFLs, Slide-light type backlight tubes Operating temperature 0 (min) – 50 (max) °C
	Specifications and quick-connect manual of the Track’air 8.4 inch Multi-sync LVDS display system

A personal opinion regarding computer displays and airplanes cockpits.

Being a former survey pilot myself, I have had to use many type of screens in my photo airplanes over the years. One thing is clear, a cockpit is not a good place to hang a computer display! But since the arrival of computerized survey flight management systems such as our EZtrack, survey pilots simply have had to put up with computer displays floating around the instruments panel, some too big, some too small, some hardly readable, others blocking the view, a real pain, I agree. Since I joined Track’air, I have tried to help find a display solution with which I would be happy in my own photo airplane. I think that our new PILOT84 display is close to that and I consider it as being the best compromise achievable. This display is small enough to be conveniently placed right in front of the pilot, but at the same time it is large enough so that one can read the text that is printed and clearly see the graphics without effort. I have therefore no second thoughts to recommend it to my fellow pilots.
JP Barriere