Flytec’s latest flight instruments, the 7000 series, are due for release in 2014
Flytec unveiled their forthcoming 7020 and 7030 flight instruments at the Thermik show in Germany in February, and they will be available to buy later this year.
The small, lightweight and rugged devices will be touchscreen, operable with gloved hands, but they will be greyscale not colour which some had hoped for, as the current colour-screen technology is not yet advanced enough to offer a screen that is easily visible in daylight without drastically reducing battery life. Flytec say they have prepared the hardware to use transflective colour or e-ink displays in the future, if such a time arises that they become a viable option.
The 7030 will offer adaptive back lighting, and will be temperature and ambient light compensated to yield the best contrast whatever the temperature and lighting conditions. So flying under a well-developed cloud when it all goes a bit dark, the 7030 will automatically turn up the contrast on its display and appreciably improve readability, with negligible impact on battery consumption.
They have even considered the heads-up-display (HUD) concept, but consider that such a display would be supplemental to a standard one, as it is “impractical and undesirable” to have all of the information typically shown on a flight instrument presented full-time in your field of view. They say they have, however, fully embraced Bluetooth 4LE which should make it relatively easy to send flight data to a wearable HUD unit.
