What does an airplane's black box look like and what does it contain?
2025-02-10 17:52:09
TiranaPost
The black box of an airplane is not actually black. The term "Black Box" comes from the English "Black Box" which etymologically means something uncertain.
The first black boxes were indeed black, but they were used in case of fires.
Currently they are orange or red, with fluorescent stripes to be easily distinguished in the event of a plane crash.
In simple technical jargon, the "Black Box" is called a "Flight Recorder".
This device records data during movement and stores it in case of an incident. But the main purpose of using the Black Box is investigation, as it survives pressure, high temperatures and accidents, while the information recorded in the black box is preserved completely undamaged.
The black box is mainly placed at the back of the aircraft to escape the moment of impact.
The "Cockpit Voice Recorder" (CVR) records sounds in the cockpit, keeps a record of the pilots' conversations, the latter's communication with air traffic controllers, with other people present in the cockpit, and other ambient noises.
For privacy reasons, all information at the end of flights is deleted.
The black box consists of three main parts: the lamp, the electronics, and the ULB.
The ULB (Underwater Locator Beacon) is a component that, upon contact with water, emits a signal that facilitates the location of the Black Box.
But can the Black Box be damaged by a plane crash?
The black boxes are designed to withstand up to 3,400 times the force of gravity, ocean depths of up to 6,096 meters, and extreme temperatures of fire and ice.
There have been cases where the black boxes have not been found, and cases in which only the flight data recorder has been found, but not the cockpit voice recorder. The opposite has also happened.
Researchers say it is extremely rare for a black box to be destroyed. Not even a plane explosion can destroy it.
