Aircraft Cockpit and Data Recorders

[Writer's Name]

[Writer's Institution]



Aircraft Cockpit and Data Recorders

Introduction

If the Wright brothers were alive to this day, they themselves would not be able to believe how far the aviation industry has come. Airplanes are used not only for the defense of country, but they are used for transporting people from city to city. They are also used to transport animals, fruits and vegetables, supplies and even the mail. The aviation industry is truly an asset when it comes to the 21st century. Things would simply not be the way they are today had it not been for the success of the aviation industry. Unfortunately, with all its advantages, the aviation industry comes with a risk; a very large risk. Flight is a very tricky science and the slightest mistake in the airplane's structural design, a loose nut, poorly maintained equipment or even a bird getting caught in the engine or hitting the windshield can cause great devastation. Many people have lost their lives because of things like these. These include fighter pilots charged with the duty of protecting the nation's borders and individuals who merely wanted to get from one location to another and opted to use a commercial airline to save time and get to their destination faster. Air crash investigators are charged with the duty of putting together wreckages and trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. A few years ago, this was not very simple. Actually, it is not simple to this day.

Investigators quite literally piece together bits and pieces trying to figure out who is to blame for the death of hundreds of people and the loss of millions of dollars. They look at clues like the craters formed in the earth, trying to judge the attitude of the plane when it hit the ground and the speed at which it hit the ground. One of the tools that make the lives of these air crash investigators easier is the flight data recorder. Not a very old invention, the flight data recorder only has one task in every flight that takes off. It records information. The flight data recorder records information that includes air speed, heading, location and even the conversations in the cockpit. This proves to be vital information in trying to figure out why the plane crashed and has been the key to solving some of the most confusing air crash investigations. One must consider that acquiring a flight data recorder, also known as the black box, does not necessarily mean that air crash investigators will be able to solve the case and figure out what went wrong. The flight data recorder is merely a tool, an aid, that provides insight into what was going on in the cockpit, which systems were functioning or malfunctioning and thus, who or what can be deemed responsible for the crash.

Investigator's Perspective

Upon receiving the horrible news that an airplane has crashed, one of the first questions that an air crash investigator asks is whether ...