FlightSafety uses Folsom devices to enhance flight-simulation visuals

Nov. 1, 2000
Experts at FlightSafety International Inc. in St. Louis are using off-the-shelf converters from Folsom Research Inc. of Rancho Cordova, Calif., for heads-up-displays for their aircraft visual systems.

By John McHale

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — Experts at FlightSafety International Inc. in St. Louis are using off-the-shelf converters from Folsom Research Inc. of Rancho Cordova, Calif., for heads-up-displays for their aircraft visual systems.

The Folsom components will be part of a state-of-the-art instructor operator station head-up display (IOS HUD) repeater for use with the system. FlightSafety's visual systems are part of many types of aircraft, says Milton Fulghum, marketing manager at FlightSafety's visual simulation systems component in St. Louis.

The IOS HUD repeater combines an out-the-window background scene with a HUD overlay. FlightSafety's VITAL 8+ image generator generates a background scene of raster video and high brightness calligraphic light point data, Folsom officials say. The frame rate of the video varies dynamically in response to scene generation mode changes. HUD video derives directly from the aircraft system in X,Y,Z (stroke) format.

Folsom equipment converts the incoming HUD signals and calligraphic light point data to raster format to scale and mixes the converted video with the raster scene video, Fulghum says. This approach enables HUD, raster scene, and calligraphic light point information to display on a standard high-resolution monitor, such as an instrument cockpit display, he adds.

HUD signals come from the pilot and co-pilot HUDs and route to the Folsom HUD source multiplexer. The signals from the source flow to a Folsom SRC-3100 stroke-to-raster converter. The SRC-3100 converts the X,Y,Z (stroke) video to raster format to support subsequent mixing with the scene video.

Folsom experts developed the CLC-2000 Calligraphic Light Point Converter to process high-resolution calligraphic light point data from the VITAL 8+ image generator, Folsom officials say. The CLC-2000 receives calligraphic light point data through a high-speed serial interface and processes the data to generate raster video in real time.

The CLC-2000 basically improves the brightness of lights on a flight simulator, such as landing lights and stars, explains John Orr, customer service manager at Folsom. When those lights are presented using raster, the images are dim and not realistic, Orr adds.

Anyone who has ever peeked out the window of an airplane landing at night knows how bright the runway lights are and now with the CLC-2000 the simulator can accurately reflect that, Orr claims.

For more information on the CLC-2000, contact Folsom Research by phone at 916-859-2500, by mail at 11101-A Trade Center Drive, Rancho Cordova, Calif. 95670, by email at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.folsom.com.

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