What is Airplane Black Box?
A black box is a device in an airplane. This tool functions as a flight data recorder and also a voice recorder in the cockpit room. The shape is not a box, but a small medium-sized tube. It’s about the size of a shoebox. In the world of aviation, this black box is needed because it is used as a medium for recording conversations between pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC) officers. Flight conditions will also be reported including air pressure and weather conditions at the time of the flight. Reports will also be made periodically.
This black box is very important on the plane. Records of existing conditions and damage will be reported by the pilot and recorded, so that later if the plane has an accident, the cause of the accident will be easier to know.
Generally, an aircraft black box consists of two recording devices, the first is the recorder in the pilot’s room or the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the second is the flight data recorder or Flight Data Recorder (FDR). These two recording devices are sometimes also referred to as black boxes. This tool contains a combination of data and voice. The placement itself is generally on the fuselage in a part that is not easily damaged and is also protected from hard impacts. Some are made to be in the middle of the plane, some are made to be at the back of the plane close to the wheels.
The black box tube itself is made using a very strong material, it is not easily damaged even though it is severely hit or burned. Its capabilities include being able to withstand the effects of falling aircraft from a height, heat resistance to temperatures above 1,000° Celsius for about thirty minutes, and water resistance to a depth of 6,000 meters. This strong material is intended to keep the data stored in the black box perfect.
The Facts Behind The Color That Is Not Black
Even though it is called a black box, in fact the tool in question is not in the form of a box, but a tube. As previously mentioned. Also, the plane’s black box is not black, the color itself is generally reddish-orange. This is so that when the plane crashes, this brightly colored black box can be easily found.
The recorder itself will automatically send a ping signal when there is an accident. This signal is intended so that the black box can be found more quickly. If the plane sinks, the signal will be sent for up to thirty days. To find it yourself, usually use a special underwater microphone and sonar detector. Sending the signal itself will continue.
But it all also depends on the capacity of the battery. Finding the black box does take time, generally it can’t be found immediately after the plane crashes. In some cases of accidents that have occurred, new black boxes can be found in a matter of months or even years. It all depends on the terrain where the plane crashes. The more difficult the terrain, the longer the time duration for the possibility of finding the black box. Once found, later the information obtained can be used to identify the cause of the plane crash.
The conclusion is
The mention of the black box is not based on the color in question, but on the data held because it is the confidential nature of the data. This tool serves as a flight data recorder from the aircraft. Everything will be perfectly recorded including conversations between pilots and ATC officers about air pressure, weather conditions, and aircraft problems that may occur. This serves to identify the cause just before the plane crash. For the shape itself, it’s not a box, but a medium tube the size of a shoe box.
As for the color itself, the plane’s black box is not black but reddish orange. This color tends to be easier to see, so the black box will be easier to find if the plane crashes. Later the black box will also send a special signal for about thirty days until the battery finally runs out. To find it, certain tools are also needed, such as a special underwater microphone and a sonar detector if the plane falls in the water.
