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What's within our means mass media usually called a “black box” or “flight recorder”, in the language of aviators it is called an “emergency recording of flight parameters system”, abbreviated as SARPP.
This is a device, or rather a device, which includes a large number of sensors, signal processing units, storage devices.
Australian scientist David Warren is considered the inventor of the first such device.
In May 1953, the world's first jet passenger airliner, Comet 1, crashed. As a result of the disaster, no one survived, there were no witnesses, and nothing was known about the causes. While working on a team investigating crashes, David thought that recordings of conversations between the pilot and crew members, as well as instrument readings during a crash, could help establish the cause of plane crashes.
In 1957, David, with the help of two colleagues at the Aeronautical Research Laboratory in Melbourne, created a working model of a “black box” that could record information and conversations for four hours.
In 1958 head of the Registration Agency aircraft The United Kingdom Air Registration Board, visiting Australia, saw David's car and was very interested in its further promotion. At his invitation, David Warren went to England, where a team of scientists was placed at his disposal to improve the device. New model The “black box” was placed in a shockproof and fireproof box and began to be sold in many countries.
In 1960, after a plane crashed in Queensland, the court ordered all Australian airlines to install “black boxes” on all civil aircraft without fail. Australia became the first country in the world to implement such a law.
Currently, the “black box” is mandatory on all airliners. The device has made it possible to determine the causes of many car accidents throughout and prevent future tragedies.
By the way, the name “black box” arose due to the fact that the first such devices were strictly prohibited from being serviced by ground technical personnel (except for performance monitoring), and the details of its operation were strictly classified. Similar measures were taken by airline management in order to ensure maximum objectivity in the investigation of flight crashes.
What is a "Black Box"
In fact, the device hidden in an orange casing and called a “black box”, which is usually shown on television, is only part of the SARPP - a protected on-board storage device (OBS). Modern aircraft are usually equipped with two digital sensors: one of them registers flight parameters, the second one registers crew communications. However, other options are also possible. On some aircraft, data is recorded in parallel on two or three ZBNs so that if one of them is destroyed, the other is preserved. To facilitate the search for “black boxes,” radio beacons are built into them, which automatically turn on in the event of an accident. For the same purpose, ZBN has a bright orange color.
To preserve data in the event of a disaster, the hollow parts of the “black box” are filled with a special powder that can withstand the burning temperature of jet fuel (1100°C). Also, thanks to this powder, the temperature inside the “box” does not rise above 160°C, which allows you to save all the data contained in the “flight recorder”. Military aircraft in this sense are no different from civilian ones. Unless other parameters are recorded for working with weapons (launching missiles, dropping bombs, etc.), for navigation equipment, etc.
System for recording flight parameters of the TU-154 aircraft
The TU-154 aircraft is equipped with an on-board magnetic recorder MSRP-64, which includes a significant number of sensors, an information acquisition and conversion unit (BSPI), an on-board cassette storage unit (KBN), a protected on-board storage unit (ZBN) and a sound recorder (Mars-BN).
The sensors record and send information about the following parameters to the BSPI:
- Barometric altitude (i.e. altitude above sea level).
- True altitude (vertical distance from the aircraft to the surface (ground, tree crowns, roofs of buildings, etc.).
- Flight speed (indication of the speed indicator in the cockpit).
- Angle of attack (at what angle to the plane of the wing the air flow hits it).
- Lateral overload.
- Vertical overload.
- Deviation angle of the right elevator from neutral.
- Deflection angle of the left elevator from neutral.
- Vehicle roll angle.
- Gyrocompass flight course.
- Pitch (the angle of the aircraft's nose up or down).
- Engine control handle position - 1.
- Instantaneous engine fuel consumption - 1.
- Engine speed - 1.
- Engine control handle position - 2.
- Instantaneous engine fuel consumption - 2.
- Engine speed - 2.
- Position of the engine control handle is 3.
- Instantaneous engine fuel consumption - 3.
- Engine speed - 3.
- Pitch angle (how quickly the plane lowers (raises) its nose).
- Steering wheel stroke.
- Pedal deflection.
- Steering column deviation.
- Right aileron deflection.
- Left aileron deflection.
- Rudder deflection.
- Stabilizer deflection.
- Flap deflection.
- Roll control traverse travel.
- The control traverse travels along the course.
- Pitch control traverse travel.
- Cabin air pressure.
- Trimmer rod stroke.
- Left aileron spoiler deflection.
- Right aileron spoiler deflection.
- On-board network voltage.
- Total remaining fuel.
The information collection and conversion unit (BCPI) converts the received data into a form convenient for recording and sends them to the on-board cassette storage device (OBN) and to the secure on-board storage device (ZBN).
The CBN is located in the pilot's cockpit and is used in everyday work. Reels with magnetic tape on which flight parameters are recorded are available and these records are used for flight analysis, analysis of crew actions, analysis of equipment failures and all other cases when it is necessary to track the behavior of the machine. Pilots often call KBN a “snitch.”
The ZBN is located in the rear of the vehicle and is inaccessible to the crew. The ZBN is an orange sphere made of high-strength materials. It can withstand 1000g overload and 50-minute heating up to 1000°C. The capacity of the magnetic tape and the CBN and ZBN allows you to record flight parameters for the last 17-20 hours. MSRP-64 turns on automatically from the moment voltage is applied to the vehicle’s electrical network (no matter from internal sources (generators, batteries) or external (stationary airfield network, engine starting machines, etc.)) and turns off when the on-board power supply is turned off. That is, the parameters of not only the last flight, but also several previous ones remain on the tape.
In the event of an airplane crash, the CBN is most often destroyed, and the CBN, located in that part of the aircraft that usually suffers the least, is preserved, although not always in the best form.
Recording a magnetic tape requires decoding on a computer, after which you can obtain ordinary graphs on paper or simulate the behavior of an aircraft on a monitor screen. You can also use this data on the simulator and get almost a complete picture of what was happening in the cockpit during the flight (instrument readings at each moment, position of controls).
In addition to the ZBN, a Mars-BN sound recorder is installed in the tail section of the aircraft. Outwardly, it looks the same as the ZBN, but is designed to record on magnetic tape all crew conversations in the last 30 minutes. However, to be precise, Mars-BN records speech and sounds from each headset socket (headphones and microphone). Naturally, if, for example, it is not he who speaks from the co-pilot’s headset, but, say, a terrorist, then the terrorist’s speech will be recorded.
Moreover, each socket is written to a separate track. So that when speaking from several sockets at the same time, each of them will be recorded clearly and without interference. Usually they rely on the testimony of the “black box” as an impartial witness who will tell everything, clarify everything, and name the cause of the disaster.
However, this is not always the case. Firstly, during disasters, records are often damaged so much that little can be extracted from them. Secondly, not everything that one would like to know is recorded by the ARPP. There are many technical difficulties here.
Currently, systems are offered that record not only speech and sounds from headsets, but also sounds and even images of everything that happens in the cockpit, passenger compartment, and in front of the aircraft. It is also proposed to duplicate all data on the ground so that in the event of the loss of on-board information storage devices, the data would still be saved.
When a plane crash occurs, great hopes are placed on deciphering the “black box.” We will tell you what a “black box” is and why it is so important to “read” it.
Why and when was it invented?
Australia is considered the birthplace of the first “black box”. The credit for the invention is given to David Warren. In 1953, he worked on the team of the commission that investigated the causes of the crash of the first jet passenger airliner, Comet-2, and began to think that it would be nice to have a device on board every aircraft that could record all the processes occurring during the flight.
Four years later the first flight recorder was made. David put it together with colleagues at the Aeronautics Laboratory in Melbourne. A year later, the head of the British Aircraft Registration Agency became interested in the device. He invited Warren to England, where, with the help of other specialists, the “black box” was improved. Two years later, after a plane crash in Queensland, “black boxes” were ordered to be carried on all Australian ships and they began to spread around the world.
Why is the box called "black"
It’s trite, but true - the box, of course, is not black. And not a box. Many have seen him in pictures. Usually it is either an orange ball or an orange cylinder. There are two versions as to why the device is still called “black”. According to one thing, the first “black boxes” really were black boxes, and they began to be painted in bright colors later; according to another, the box was called “black” because it was inaccessible to anyone except narrow specialists. Even ground crews could not touch the flight recorder.
What is it made of?
Traditionally, the shell of black boxes is made of titanium alloys or alloyed iron. In any case, it is a high-strength, heat-resistant material. Although, it must be said that the main safety of “black boxes” is ensured not even by the material from which they are made, but by their location. Usually - in the tail or fin of the aircraft.
What is inside?
The “stuffing” of the “black boxes” changed over time, but its essence remained the same. Inside the flight recorder there is a device that records changes occurring during the flight, technical parameters, and records conversations between pilots and air traffic controllers. In the first “black boxes”, parameters were recorded in ink on paper tape, there was no need to talk about quality, then rapid development began, photographic film began to be used, then wire. Today, data is typically recorded on magnetic and solid-state drives.
What loads can it withstand?
Black boxes are designed with critical loads in mind. They can withstand 3400 g, and static pressure of 2 tons for 5 minutes, water pressure at depths of up to 6000 meters.
A special topic is testing the strength of recorders. Science magazine provides a list of checks that black boxes undergo before use. A sample recorder is fired from an air cannon, beaten, crushed, kept in fire at a temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius, kept at low temperatures down to -70 degrees, immersed in salt water and process fluids (gasoline, kerosene, machine oils).
What do black boxes read?
Black boxes are constantly being improved. The first onboard readers recorded only five parameters (heading, altitude, speed, vertical acceleration, and time). They were recorded using a stylus on metal disposable foil. The last round of evolution of on-board readers dates back to 1990, when solid-state media began to be used for recording. Modern “black boxes” are capable of monitoring up to 256 parameters. NationalGeografic reports that the latest models of recorders can monitor the movement of all parts of the wing and landing systems.
Why are they looking for so long?
All flight recorders are equipped with radio beacons, as well as acoustic systems for searching under water, which are activated only in case of danger. However, we must admit that radio beacons are not the most reliable devices. If the “black box” ends up under rubble or at great depths, the signal is extinguished, which greatly complicates the search.
How to say it in English?
In English-language sources, a “black box” can be called differently: flight recorder, blackbox and flight data recorder.
Sinking or not?
Another question that is especially relevant today: do “black boxes” sink? Almost all models of flight recorders sink. Usually, buoyancy is not specified in their parameters, but the parameter of being in sea water at a certain depth is specified. Thus, for the “black box” Bars-2M, information must be stored when in sea water at a depth of 1000 meters for 30 days.
How many “black boxes” are there on an airplane?
The number of recorders may vary on different types of aircraft. Typically this is an on-board storage device, which is used in everyday work, as well as a secure on-board storage device, which is the notorious “black box”. A separate unit contains a secure recorder of crew conversations and sounds in the cockpit. All technical parameters are recorded on the flight recorder relative to the time scale.
Are there any alternatives?
Still falling. It is logical to assume that “black boxes” are still not the most reliable devices in the world that can disrupt the sad statistics of plane crashes. Are there alternatives to them?
At the moment, there is no alternative to “black boxes”, but developments are constantly underway to improve recorders. In the near future, it is planned to transmit all flight recorder data in real time either to a satellite or to services at air bases.
In an interview with Newyorker, Steve Abdu, a Boeing 777 captain and partner at an aviation consulting firm, commented on the promise of such changes: “Sending black box data in real time would require expensive satellite communications, but it could be sent at four to five minute intervals. Then this will reduce the price and increase the profitability of using the technology.” Every day the number of satellites in Earth's orbit increases, so storing flight data on a “remote” device seems to be the most likely alternative to long searches and painstaking decryption of data.
Russian passenger plane on February 11. All 65 passengers and six crew members were killed. Rescuers reported that the debris was scattered over 30 hectares, but they were found relatively quickly. the site figured out what a black box is, what it looks like and what it is needed for
What is a black box?
The black box is the name given to the flight recorder on an airplane. It records instrument readings, pilot conversations and sounds in the cabin. Black box data is used to analyze crew actions, aircraft performance, and air crash investigations.
Why is a recorder called a black box?
Few people know, but the so-called black box is orange or red. The recorder is specially painted in bright colors to make it easier to find after a plane crash. For the same reason, the box is made not square, but cylindrical, in order to minimize physical damage upon contact with a hard surface.
The black box got its name thanks to its creators. In 1939, two Frenchmen, Usseno and Baudouin, presented the first model of a recorder. The data was recorded using a thin beam of light and ordinary photographic film. The designers painted the box black so as not to expose the film. In the middle of the last century, recorders were not a mandatory attribute of airliners. In 1957, the black box was replaced by an orange cylinder.
How many recorders are on the plane?
Until 1957, black boxes only recorded instrument readings. But after the still-unsolved crash in 1953 of the world's first British jet passenger airliner, Comet 1, in which 35 people were killed, Australian scientist David Warren came to the idea that conversations between the pilots could help the investigation. Four years later, he presented to the world his recorder, capable of recording both instrument parameters and crew conversations.
Today there are two types of black boxes: operational and emergency. The first transmits readings to the control room on the ground. The second records all information cyclically - the data is rewritten every two hours. It is installed in the tail section of the aircraft, because according to statistics, the tail is less likely to be destroyed during a fall. To be on the safe side, there may be several recorders on the plane.
Why isn't the black box destroyed when it explodes?
The cylindrical body of the box is made of titanium or high-strength steel. Requirements to technical specifications recorders are growing in direct proportion to technological progress. In addition to the force of impact on the ground, the device must withstand 30 minutes of continuous burning and month-long storage under water at a depth of six kilometers.
What's inside the cylinder?
The electronic boards inside the case are installed on additional shock absorbers to minimize the consequences of a powerful impact on a hard surface. The microcircuits are protected by a heat-protective layer. The drive that records the data looks like a regular computer's hard drive.
An ultrasonic beacon is installed on the recorder, which facilitates searches under water. There are also light and radio beacons on the body. These devices have standard signal frequencies so as not to confuse them with other sources.
For autonomous operation of the beacons, batteries are installed. During the flight they do not work, and the recorder receives energy from the aircraft systems. The batteries are activated after a strong shock.
What parameters does the device record?
The first models of the box recorded only speed, height, direction, acceleration and time. Modern instruments record 256 parameters. Among them: air pressure, fuel consumption, helm stroke, engine speed, barometric altitude, etc.
How is data decrypted?
Contrary to popular belief, the recorder data is not encrypted with a complex code. The records are made in a form convenient for perception and further analysis. After all, the main purpose of the recorder is to assist in the investigation of plane crashes.
Often data is lost due to destruction. In this case, specialists restore lost memory. This process takes months of painstaking work.
Where else are black boxes used?
Recorders are installed on trains, water transport and cars. The operating principle of these boxes is no different from a similar device on an airplane. In railway terminology, a recorder is called a locomotive speedometer, in automobile terminology - an autometer.
The “black box”, also known as the on-board storage device, is only one of the components of the emergency parameter recording system. It is an extensive system for collecting, processing and recording many flight data.
The first airborne one was created back in 1939 by two Frenchmen F. Housseno and P. Baudouin, but it was only a prototype of those used. In 1953, Australian D. Warren proposed a new version of such a device. After participating in the investigation, Warren realized that a device that recorded crew communications could greatly facilitate his task of finding the cause of the crash.
Warren's flight recorder used magnetic tape, was wrapped in asbestos, and was hidden in a steel case. In 1956 he presented his creation to the public, and already in 1960 everything passenger aircraft Australia were equipped with them. Following this country, others made a similar decision.
Today, the “black box” is an essential part of the aircraft control system. It accumulates various information: engine speed, fuel pressure, temperature behind the turbine, speed, flight altitude, course and others. The actions of the crew are also recorded (retraction and release of the landing gear, degree of deflection of controls and other data).
Every modern airliner is equipped with two flight recorders. One of them records crew conversations (voice), the other records flight parameters (parametric). Unlike its ancestor, the modern recorder records information on optical or flash media.
Many measures have been taken to create durable black boxes. Today's recorders are able to withstand an overload of three and a half thousand G, data preservation is guaranteed for half an hour when the box is engulfed in fire, for a month when immersed in water to a depth of six thousand meters, and for five minutes with static overloads of more than two tons. Despite the second name "black box", flight recorders are colored orange or red to make them easier to find.
The main task of the on-board storage device is to save information about the flight, which is especially relevant in case of plane crashes. Having discovered the “black box”, workers read the data, decipher it and analyze it. After this, you can understand whether the crew committed prohibited actions or mistakes, or whether a technical breakdown occurred that caused the crash.
But flight recorders help the airline industry do more than just investigate crashes. After each flight, ground staff examines the data read from it, which makes it possible to monitor the technical condition of the aircraft and carry out necessary work. In other words, the “black box” helps in the work to improve the reliability of air travel and its safety.
The flight recorder installed on board an aircraft is used to record and store a variety of information coming from on-board instruments, as well as conversations in the cockpit. This data helps experts uncover the cause of a disaster when a plane crashes.
The first use of flight recorders to record crew conversations and facilitate investigations was proposed in the mid-twentieth century by David Warren, a scientist from Australia. The recorder was invented a little earlier, but at first it recorded only some instrument readings, which was not enough to determine the cause of the crash. Therefore, the flight recorder was equipped with a device to record the pilots' conversation on a magnetic tape that could be used several times before it was replaced.
There is still no precise rationale for the colloquial name for the flight recorder, which is often called a black box, although it is actually bright orange. According to one version, the whole point is that initially the recorder was painted black on the outside so that sunlight, harmful to the film on which the instrument readings were recorded, would not get inside the case. Others argue that the recorder is called a black box only because it is associated with something mysterious, with a secret and, possibly, its successful disclosure.
The special housing of the flight recorder allows it to withstand enormous loads, keeping all data intact. In particular, the recorder is perfectly protected from fire and can remain under water for a long time without damaging the information. And to make the device easier to detect, it is equipped with a special beacon that transmits an emergency radio signal.
Since the 60s of the twentieth century, equipping all aircraft without exception with flight recorders has acquired the status of a mandatory procedure. For some time, a voice recorder was installed in the head of an airliner. However, it was later rightfully moved to the rear, since it is the cabin of an aircraft that usually suffers the most in a crash.
