Ankur Singh Chauhan

 The Black Box is a flight recorder used to record

specific aircraft performance parameters.
 The first prototype Flight Data Recorder was produced in 1956
by Dr. David Warren of Aeronautical Research Laboratories of
Melbourne, Australia.
 Warren came up with the idea of an onboard flight-data
recorder.
 There are two Black-Boxes Flight Data
Recorder & Cockpit Voice Recorder.
 The unit is usually mounted in the aircraft's tail
section.
Few parameters recorded by most FDRs:
• Time
• Pressure altitude
• Airspeed
• Vertical acceleration
• Magnetic heading
• Control-column position
• Rudder-pedal position
• Control-wheel position
• Horizontal stabilizer
• Fuel flow
• Both Black Boxes are powered by one of two power generators
that draw their power from the plane's engines.
• The Memory boards have enough digital storage space to
accommodate 2 hours of Audio data for CVRs and 25 hours of
Flight data for FDRs.
• These recording devices cost between $10,000 to $15,000
each.
 Magnetic Tape

 Solid-State Technology
MAGNETIC TAPE RECORDER
 Introduced in the 1960s
 It can track about 100
parameters.
 Magnetic-Tape CVRs store the
last 30 minutes of sound.
SOLID STATE RECORDER
 Introduced in the 1990s
 It can track more than 700
parameters in larger aircraft.
 CVRs that used solid-state
storage can record 2 hours of
audio.
MAGNETIC TAPE RECORDER SOLID STATE RECORDER
 CVR is designed to track the conversations of
the flight crew.
• Pilot's headset

• Co-pilot's headset

• Headset of a third crew member (if there is a

third crew member)

• Near the center of the cockpit, where it can

pick up audio alerts and other sounds
Underwater Locator
Beacon (ULB)
 Submergence sensor on
the side of the beacon.
 Pulses at 37.5 kilohertz
(kHz).
 sound as deep as 14,000
feet (4,267 m).
 Once the beacon begins
"pinging," it pings once
per second for 30 days.
 FLIGHT DATA RECORDER

Time recorded 25 hour continuous

Number of parameters 18 - 1000+

Impact tolerance 3400Gs / 6.5 ms

Fire resistance 1100 degC / 30 min

Water pressure resistance submerged 20,000 ft

Underwater locator beacon 37.5 KHz; battery has shelf life of 6

years or more, with 30-day operation
• In many airline accidents,
the only devices that
survive are the Crash-
survivable memory units
(CSMUs) of the flight data
recorders and cockpit
voice recorders. Typically,
the rest of the recorders'
chassis and inner
components are mangled.
• materials that provide a barrier for the memory
boards-
– Aluminum housing - There is a thin layer of aluminum
around the stack of memory cards.
– High-temperature insulation - This dry-silica material is 1
inch (2.54 cm) thick and provides high-temperature thermal
protection. This is what keeps the memory boards safe
during post-accident fires.
– Stainless-steel shell- The high-temperature insulation
material is contained within a stainless-steel cast shell that
is about 0.25 inches (0.64 cm) thick. Titanium can be used
to create this outer armor as well.