Home » Black box: improve air safety

Despite according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a passenger should carry an average of about 5.3 million commercial flights before coming across an accident, this transport is still the most dangerous in the collective imagination. So many people are still afraid to board a plane, preferring cars or trains for long and tiring journeys. But as stated ironically Lorenzo Pinna in his service: “The real risk of flying is the drive to the airport.” In fact, a plane crash stands every 1.6 million flights worldwide. Aviation safety is ensured by a set of rules that impose numerous operations of aircraft maintenance, strict controls and frequent surveys. These are possible thanks to the use of so-called BLACK BOX. This device consists of two recorders: the FLIGHT DATA RECORDER that records technical data (altitude, speed, temperature, turbulence etc.) and the COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER that records conversations between the pilots. It not only allows you to identify the causes of a plane crash, but also to investigate failures or wrong maneuvers that cause minor or near misses incidents. The black box is actually orange color to be easily traced, it is designed so as to withstand extreme conditions and it is equipped with a transmitter which is automatically activated upon contact with water, by transmitting ultrasonic signals up to 30 days. There are two black boxes, one in the tail and one in the face, typically on a commercial airplane.

image credits: theguardian.com