SOLID STATE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER

A cockpit voice recorder (CVR), often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents. These recordings can hold important clues to the cause of accidents. A standard CVR is capable of recording 4 channels of audio data for a period of 2 hours. The original requirement was for a CVR to record for 30 minutes, but this has been found to be insufficient in many cases, significant parts of the audio data needed for a subsequent investigation having occurred more than 30 minutes before the end of the recording. These employ solid-state memory and use digital recording techniques, making them much more resistant to shock, vibration and moisture. With the reduced power requirements of solid-state recorders, it is now practical to incorporate a battery in the units, so that recording can continue until flight termination, even if the aircraft electrical system fails. A solid state recorder (SSR) is a recording device that uses solid state technology to store recorded audio data. SSRs record and store data in a digital format. SSRs and traditional audio recorders (such as reel-to-reel) differ in terms of how data is stored and accessed, as SSR data is digitally stored in memory chips. SSRs are usually integrated with a solid state storage mechanism like CompactFlash (CF) or Microdrive (MD). Key SSR features are as follows: Provides faster speeds for data saving and retrieval Saves audio data in multiple formats Compresses stored data by default This also provides facility of Underwater Locator Beacon (ULB). An underwater locator beacon (ULB) or underwater acoustic beacon is a device fitted to aviation flight recorders such as the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder. If a plane crashes into the water, this beacon sends out an ultrasonic pulse that cannot be heard by human ears but is readily detectable by sonar and acoustical locating equipment. There is a submergence sensor on the side of the beacon that looks like a bull's-eye. When water touches this sensor, it activates the beacon. The beacon sends out pulses at 37.5 kilohertz (kHz) and can transmit sound as deep as 14,000 feet (4,267 m). Once the beacon begins "pinging," it pings once per second for 30 days. This beacon is powered by a battery that has a shelf life of six years. In rare instances, the beacon may get snapped off during a high-impact collision.