COMMERCIAL AEROPLANE

[shHel1]

WHAT COLOUR IS THE BLACK BOX IN A COMMERCIAL AEROPLANE?

[lynnben]

I think it`s orange

[greenfingers]

Yes , its orange.

[Clanad]

They are International Orange in color. Large commercial aircraft and some smaller commercial, corporate, and private aircraft are required by the FAA to be equipped with two "black boxes" that record information about a flight. Both recorders are installed to help reconstruct the events leading to an aircraft accident. One of these, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), records radio transmissions and sounds in the cockpit, such as the pilot's voices and engine noises. The other, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), monitors parameters such as altitude, airspeed and heading. The older analog units use one-quarter inch magnetic tape as a storage medium and the newer ones use digital technology and memory chips. Both recorders are installed in the most crash survivable part of the aircraft, usually the tail section. Each recorder is equipped with an Underwater Locator Beacon (ULB) to assist in locating in the event of an overwater accident. The device called a "pinger", is activated when the recorder is immersed in water. It transmits an acoustical signal on 37.5 KHz that can be detected with a special receiver. The beacon can transmit from depths down to 14,000 feet. In the U.S., following an accident, both recorders are immediately removed from the accident site and transported to NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C. for processing. Using sophisticated computer and audio equipment, the information stored on the recorders is extracted and translated into an understandable format. The Investigator-in-Charge uses this information as one of many tools to help the Safety Board determine the Probable Cause of the accident.

[Alan2]

Why don't they make the aeroplanes out of the same material?

[jenstar]

I'm not sure if Alan's joking or not, but the reason they don't make planes out of the same material is that titanium is very dense and thus very heavy - fine for making little boxes out of but not very practical for whole planes because they'd never get off the ground!

[Clanad]

Jenstar is quite correct, but to add... the boxes can withstand at least 3,500 G's, in some teast spike G's to 20,000. The human body could withstand around 12 to 14 with a maximum of around 20 before failure (death). So even if the aircraft could be made to fly the extra protection wouldn't necessarily provide extra survivability...

[biff67uk]

clanad...teast??