What is a Black Box in Aviation?
Despite the name, the black box is not black. It is typically bright orange with reflective tape to aid visibility after a crash.
There are actually two black boxes on every commercial aircraft:
- Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
- What it records: Over 80+ flight parameters, including altitude, airspeed, vertical acceleration, heading, engine performance, autopilot settings, control surface positions.
- Duration: Stores data for at least 25 hours of flight time.
- Purpose: Helps reconstruct what the aircraft was doing before an incident.
- Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
- What it records: Audio from the cockpit — conversations between pilots, alarms, engine noises, and radio communications with ATC (Air Traffic Control).
- Duration: Stores the last 2 hours of cockpit audio.
- Purpose: Reveals human factors, miscommunications, and in-cockpit decision-making during emergencies.
