Just announced is that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner series of aircraft to be delivered starting next year will have electrochromic dimmable window shades supplied by Gentex Corporation to PPG Aerospace who is the exclusive sole source supplier of aircraft windows for the Boeing 737, 767 and 777 airplanes.
The new dimmable window shades will use Gentex's proprietary electrochromic technology, and each window shade in the B787 passenger compartment will dim to five different levels utilizing a switch that is passenger controlled next to the window seat. The aircraft flight crew also will have the ability to control all of the passenger cabin windows at the touch of a switch. Gentex Corporation is also supplying the switches.
Gentex and PPG Aerospace are jointly producing the variable dimming electrochromic systems for the windows of the 787's passenger compartment. PPG is under a separate contract with Boeing to supply electronically dimmable systems for the windows of the 787's passenger compartment. Gentex shipped the first set of electrochromic dimmable aircraft window shades to PPG this summer.
Gentex's patented electrochromic dimmable window technology and automatic-dimming rearview mirror systems technology for the world-wide auto industry differ from Research Frontiers's suspended particle device technology used in an earlier-announced STC covering the Beechcraft King Air series of aircraft for retrofitting dimmable aircraft window to the aircraft. That work discussed earlier by me in this forum is installed as a retrofit Supplemental Type Certificate by Inspectech Aero Service, Inc.