Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

Two widebody aircraft will soon be the first to be equipped with Rosen Aviation’s latest and largest in-flight entertainment (IFE) system display—a 97-inch 4K OLED. Rosen can’t identify the owners of the two aircraft, and it will be a while before anyone gets to travel on these widebodies, but NBAA-BACE visitors can see a production version of display at the Rosen booth. Supplemental type certification of the 97-inch display installation is expected by year-end.
“The specifications are impressive,” Rosen customer success manager Justin Watson told AIN. “This is larger than anything we’ve done. To the best of our knowledge, it’s the largest IFE OLED.”
Rosen purchases the OLED glass from manufacturer LG and then builds its own lightweight chassis and electronics. For this installation, Rosen was given a maximum weight of 265 pounds, and the 97-inch display came in 100 pounds lighter than that. The diagonal length is more than eight feet.
“This is mostly applicable only to widebody aircraft,” Watson said, However, he speculated that the Falcon 10X with its wide cabin might be able to accommodate a 97-inch display.&nbsp;
Rosen is also showing its digital skylight, which consists of four curved 65-inch 4K OLEDs tiled together in a composite chassis, this week at the show. It is viewable in the cabin mockup at Rosen's exhibit.
“It’s kind of a clean slate,” Watson said, “an open playbook.” Customers might want to feed a camera pointed to the sky to display, for example.
“We have some empirical evidence that digital windows or skylights give a better view, with higher contrast ratios and no reflections, so you can see stars better.” Customers might also opt for curated content such as cloud scenery; sunrises and sunsets; views of space with asteroids and galaxies; the Sistine Chapel ceiling; or a simulation of flying in a Star Wars TIE fighter.&nbsp;
“There are certain things we wouldn’t recommend because passengers might be nauseous,” Watson said. “We will work with companies on options for curated content. There are some nuances that dramatically influence how realistic it is. Ultimately, we want to create the illusion it is a real skylight.”
Rosen is also highlighting its manufacturing capabilities with examples of the lightweight composite chassis that it makes for various sizes of monitors. The display lineup now ranges from 22 inches to 97 inches, with OLEDs also available in 42, 48, 55, 65, and 77 inches.
“The purpose of exhibiting at NBAA,” Watson said, “is to get designers, end users, customer engineering—the ones with visionary imagination to see these and blow the lid off what’s possible in a VIP aircraft. It lets their imaginations run wild.”
“This project for an undisclosed client has been in the works for some time now, and to see it come to fruition is nothing short of an amazing achievement,” said Rosen senior v-p of strategy Lee Clark. “We are taking one giant eight-foot step towards closing the gap between what’s available at home and what we can put on an aircraft.”

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.

Rosen's 97-inch 4K OLED for VIP Jetliners Is Largest Yet

Certification of the 97-inch display installation is expected this year

Rosen was given a maximum weight of 265 pounds, and the 97-inch display came out at 100 pounds less. The diagonal length is more than eight feet.


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