the.com/flight recorder
A flight recorder stores cockpit sounds and flight data, helping investigators determine what caused a crash.
means A flight recorder is the onboard device that continuously logs cockpit sounds and flight data so investigators can reconstruct what happened in a crash.
from The term is a straightforward mid-20th-century compound — 'flight' plus 'recorder' — coined as aviation engineers developed crash-survivable data loggers in the 1950s and 60s. The device is popularly nicknamed the 'black box,' though units are actually painted bright orange for visibility, a nickname whose own origin is murky — some trace it to early prototypes with scorched or dark casings, others to military slang for instruments whose workings are opaque to the user; no single confirmed story has won out.
- actual color
- bright orange, never black, despite the nickname
- heat survival
- withstands 1,100°C for a full hour
- two devices
- cockpit voice and flight data recorders, usually separate
- ping lifespan
- underwater locator beacon lasts about 30 days