What is a Black Box?
The name "black box" is widely used; however, it is more commonly referred to as an electronic flight data recorder in the industry. This can refer to either the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) or the FDR (Flight Data Recorder), or both. Everything is contained in a number of modern black boxes. In any case, every aircraft must have at least two on board for redundancy. These boxes are essentially heavily protected hard drives that record everything about a flight on an ongoing basis, and they perform exactly what they say on the tin.
(Image Will be Updated Soon)
For security reasons, the black box is usually kept on the backside of the plane. This box is made of Titanium metal and housed in a Titanium box, giving it the strength to withstand any shock if it falls into the sea or from a great height. Now that we have understood what is a black box, let us know about black box working and the history of the black box.
History of Black Box
In the years 1953-54, in response to the rising number of plane accidents, it was proposed to construct a gadget that could provide information about the causes of plane accidents as well as aid in the rescue of planes. As a result, a black box was created. This is a small history of black boxes.
What is the Colour of a Blackbox in the Aeroplane?
It was previously known as the ‘Red Egg' because the black box colour is red. It was dubbed a 'Black Box' because its inner walls were originally the black box colour is black. So, if anyone asked you what is the colour of the black box in an aeroplane, you can undoubtedly say “bright orange.”
Purpose of Black Box
Let us understand what is a black box and how does it work, including its purpose.
As an aircraft flies from place to place, the FDR continuously records a large amount of data (about 700 various parameters) regarding all aspects of the aircraft. The CVR records flight deck conversations as well as other sounds like radio transmissions and automatic alarms. However, any audio older than two hours of flight is deleted. The basic idea is that if there are any problems with the plane – especially if there is a serious accident and the pilots are unable to explain what happened - the data from the black box may be used to recreate what exactly happened.
Parts of a Black Box
The Black Box has two separate boxes
Flight Data Recorder: Direction, altitude, fuel, speed, turbulence, cabin temperature, and other data can be maintained in this box. A total of 88 such values can be recorded over the course of around 25 hours. For one hour, this box can tolerate a temperature of about 11000°C, and for ten hours, it can withstand a temperature of 260°C. These boxes are red or pink in hue to make them stand out.
Cockpit Voice Recorder: This box has been recording the plane's sound for the past two hours. It records the sound of the engine, the emergency alert, the cabin, and the cockpit in an attempt to predict the plane's situation before an accident.
(Image Will be Updated Soon)
Black Box Working
Let us understand the black box working here.
The black box must be recovered if the cause of a plane crash is to be determined. This nearly indestructible orange device records all-important flight data and cockpit chats.
Evaluating data recorded by a black box is normal for experts at the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) in Braunschweig.
(Image Will be Updated Soon)
"I think we receive something like this every other week or so," said Jens Friedemann, spokesman for the BFU. "However, such evaluations exist also for less spectacular situations, so-called serious incidents." Friedemann defines significant incidents as events in which a flight barely escaped disaster.
A black box flight recorder, like a hard disc or a memory card, is essentially a highly protected recording device. The black box stores all pertinent flight data as well as cockpit conversations. Previously, this information had to be kept on two separate devices. However, there are now units that can perform both functions. However, according to the rules, every plane must have two of these devices on board.
Robust and Easy to Find
A black box must be able to resist a range of accidents without being damaged. Before being put into service, they are tested to see if they can withstand a 750 km/h (466 mph) impact with a concrete wall, a static load of 2.25 tonnes for at least five minutes, a maximum temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit) for one hour, and water pressure found at depths of up to 6,000 metres (about 19,700 feet).
To make them simpler to detect at sea, the devices emit a signal when they come into touch with saltwater that may be picked up within a two-kilometre radius (1.2 miles). The location of the wreck should be more or less pinpointed at such a short range in order to find the device.
Everything is Recorded
All sounds in the cockpit are recorded by the voice recorder. It also records automatic computer announcements, radio traffic, discussions with the crew, and passenger announcements, in addition to conversations between the pilots. The device also records the noises of switches and the engine.
The black box also stores private conversations between the pilots, which is why the captured audio recordings must be treated with caution from a data safety perspective. Only in order to clarify accidents or malfunctions may discussions be evaluated. As a result, after a maximum of 120 minutes, the recordings are erased; earlier devices only record 30 minutes. Pilots have the technical skill to stop or remove a recording. However, according to BFU's Friedemann, pilots don't use that feature in reality.
Ever-Increasing Data Quantities
Pilots, on the other hand, are unable to access stored files on the flight recorder, which is the second component of the black box. In earlier aircraft, pilots must manually turn on the devices before taking off; in current aircraft, this is done automatically.
In recent years, the amount of data collected has expanded significantly. "Hundreds, if not thousands, of parameters, are recorded there today," Friedemann explains. This provides information on the flight path, altitude, aircraft location, speed, engine and exhaust temperature, and flap positions, among other things.
(Image Will be Updated Soon)
The information assists experts in identifying the cause of an accident or serious incident and reducing the possibility of human error. Investigators, on the other hand, do not fully reconstruct a flight. "We don't use a flight simulator or animation - we're able to get information from the parameters themselves," said Friedemann.
Only a few specialist agencies around the world are capable of examining a black box, and not every agency can analyse all of the different versions. Both Western and Russian gadgets can be assessed by the BFU. However, for some models, the experts in Braunschweig must seek assistance from foreign labs.
(Image Will be Updated Soon)
Friedemann predicts that in the future, video devices will be used to record some cockpit displays and that the locator signal's transmission power across the water will be improved.
The so-called black box, by the way, has never been black. The black box colour is predetermined: bright orange.
FAQs on Black Box
1. Why do black boxes have an underwater locator?
Of course, easy retrieval is a key, and it isn't always evident where an aircraft has downed, especially if it occurs over large lengths of the ocean. As a result, all-black boxes feature underwater location beacons that emit a signal when they come into contact with water, at least until the battery expires, which happens after about a month. One issue is that the signal's radius isn't very large, and there have been calls to install stronger beacons to make it simpler to detect a remote crash. Although it is hoped that the data held in any given black box would never need to be retrieved and analyzed, every recorder must be able to resist the worst-case scenario: a catastrophic accident. That implies they must be verified as virtually indestructible, at least up to a point. They must withstand loads of 2.25 tonnes for at least five minutes, temperatures of 1,100 degrees Celsius for an hour, and not only be waterproof but also withstand the heavy pressure found at depths of thousands of meters underwater when they are launched at a speed of 750 kilometers per hour at a concrete wall.
2. Give the role of the Black Boxes.
These devices are well known for their use in determining the cause of significant accidents, but they can also be helpful in troubleshooting or understanding less severe problems. A lot of data points can assist engineers in toinnding out what went wrong with a system and isolating and correcting the problem, or it can reveal what chain of miscommunications or mistakes leads to an unsafe situation. In any instance, data is pulled and examined by professionally trained analysts for any and all clues.
3. Where are the Black box agencies located?
Only a few agencies throughout the world have the skills and resources to study black box data from complex crashes. The BEA of France, for example, was tasked with analyzing the boxes from Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, the high-profile 737Max crash that resulted in the plane's global grounding. Skilled investigators can nearly always use what they find to create a highly detailed picture of what happened, which can then be used to help make future flights safer.
