Published on 12:00 AM, March 16, 2014

BLACKBOX & the missing MH370 conundrum

BLACKBOX & the missing MH370 conundrum

To begin with, the Black Box is actually never black in color rather they are red or orange so that it can be spotted from a distance. This nifty device is responsible for recording each and every transmission sent to the plane from the air-traffic control.  Also it records all the conversation through radio, in the cockpit and between co-pilots and cabin crews. So far what we said does not make this device stand out from any other recording devices, right? Well, what makes this device unique is the external armor that wraps the recording and storage units in it. The exterior armor is designed with a three layer titanium coating to endure and survive high impact air-crash, extreme high pressure and low temperatures of sea or ice and raging temperature of fire. Black boxes generally consist of two different units: Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder. Here are some more facts about black box:
*Can withstand acceleration of 3400g for 6.5 milliseconds
*Can withstand impacts at 310 mph
*Is generally located in the tail of the plane
*Can record and store up to 25 hours of flight information
*Has an underwater locator beacon for up to 30 days and can operate immersed to a depth of up to 20,000 ft.
*Costs over $100,000 per unit for a single aircraft

The MH370 incident
The recent missing aircraft of Malaysian Airlines- MH370 has again brought the pressing issue in front of us: the required major upgrade for the current black box systems. Whereas passengers can make video calls and stream 'True Detective' in flights, the existing black boxes cannot upload or stream all the information to a secure location. If the data was available, the missing plane could have been found days ago and possibly with few survivors. Adding to that, the underwater locator beacon can transmit a SOS message to a 15 mile radius only. That is the reason why in 2009 after Air France flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, It took two years to find the black box.