FAA Awards Supplemental Type Certificate

The ToughWriter 4 flight deck printer includes both ARINC-429 and 10/100BaseT Ethernet ports to connect to Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting Systems (ACARS) and Electronic Flight Bags. It offers 300 x 600 dot-per-inch printing resolution, the highest resolution available in a flight deck printer, providing pilots with crisp, clear printouts of weather maps, approach plates, electronic charts and other graphical information. With print speeds up to 5 seconds per page in text mode, the ToughWriter 4 gives Boeing 767 pilots immediate access to critical ACARS messages.

Tom Carll, Vice President & Worldwide Sales Director, noted, "The ToughWriter 4 flight deck printer gives B767 operators the safety, convenience, and added capabilities that are associated with modern cockpit printers, including high resolution, graphical printing."

Commenting further on the award, Carll said, "This is the first of what we hope will be many Supplemental Type Certifications for the ToughWriter 4 flight deck printer as older aircraft are retrofitted with glass displays, electronic flight bags, and updated CNS/ATM systems."

Mike Natalizia, Astro-Med's Director of Engineering for Ruggedized Products, added, "The ToughWriter 4 replaces outdated, legacy flight deck printers, saving airlines a significant amount of weight. For new printer installations, the ToughWriter 4 gives pilots the ability to print text messages as well as graphics, and replaces the heavy flight bags that they used to carry on the aircraft."