Did you know that it’s not even black? Or a box? What? But after you learn the reasons why it’s not, it’ll make sense. Here are some interesting facts about the so-called “Black Box”.
It’s not Black
Why not? Because it’s already difficult to find it, so it needs to be painted a brighter color in order to be easily found.
It’s not a Box
It’s made up of two separate pieces, a flight data recorder (FDR) and a cockpit voice recorder (CVR). They are kept in the tail of the aircraft, where they are more likely to survive a crash.
Underwater Locater Beacons
Once the orange cylinder mounted on two large metal touches water, it sends a signal once a second until the battery runs out, which approximately takes about a month.
How much can it endure?
• It needs to withstand an acceleration of 3,400 Gs (3,400 times the force of gravity), which equals an impact velocity of about 310 mph.
• Temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius for an hour.
• Withstand the heavy pressure found at depths of thousands of meters underwater.
Has a black box ever been destroyed?
There are some unfortunate cases in which black boxes have not been recovered, and a couple of cases in which the flight data recorder was found but not the cockpit voice recorder, or vice versa. It’s really rare though for a recorder to be recovered blank or too damaged to read.
Cover photo: News.delta.com
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What Do You Know About the Black Box?