Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Zeiss Microoptics is breaking into the aviation industry, offering new cockpit and cabin displays that it says are needed for more connected aircraft. The innovations the group is demonstrating for the first time at the Farnborough Airshow build on its 175-year pedigree of precision optical engineering in fields such as medicine, industrial metrology, microscopy, and advanced imaging.
The company’s new aerospace division is chasing applications for its scalable ProSight technology in head-up displays (HUD) and transparent cabin displays for next-generation aircraft. It says this approach will consolidate the way increasingly complex data is presented in one place, avoiding the need for multiple screens and separate hardware.
According to Zeiss, it can relieve the pressure on aircraft manufacturers and tier-one suppliers to deliver greater display functionality without increasing weight and space requirements by tapping advances in holography and micro-optical engineering. It says that by controlling and directing light at a microscopic scale, optical functions can be integrated into transparent surfaces to deliver displays that are more compact, efficient, and intuitive.
The Zeiss HUD architecture offers an alternative to flight deck systems already produced by companies including Collins, Honeywell, Thales, Elbit, and Garmin. The new market entrant claims these “conventional systems” rely on complex optical architectures that can limit field of view and increase integration challenges.
The Germany-based group’s HUD features a wide field of vision that will improve situational awareness for pilots by projecting critical flight and navigation information directly. By enabling pilots to keep their focus “eyes out” rather than looking down at cockpit instruments, Zeiss said the technology supports safer, faster, and more intuitive decision-making during critical phases of flight by removing the need for bulky projectors traditionally associated with HUDs. It claims the result is a significantly lighter, more compact solution capable of delivering a wider field of view and high optical performance, while reducing cockpit integration complexity and energy consumption.
In the cabins of airliners and business jets, Zeiss is proposing to present integrated information on transparent surfaces such as windows or dividers separating different compartments. According to the company, the ProSight technology will improve options for passenger communications and entertainment, as well as overall cabin design.

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

Zeiss Debuts New Approach to Aircraft Cockpit and Cabin Displays 

ProSight technology is being demonstrated at the Farnborough Airshow

Precision optical engineering specialist Zeiss is breaking into the aviation sector with ProSight head-up displays for pilots and transparent cabin displays.

Zeiss Debuts New Approach to Cockpit and Cabin Displays 

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New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

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