What Do You Know About the Black Box?

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