Next-gen Aircraft Black Boxes to Stream Data in Real time

Curtiss-Wright Corporation and Honeywell have partnered to develop next generation aircraft black boxes capable of streaming data real-time.

The companies will use real-time connectivity to reinvent the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) – commonly referred to as “black boxes” – for the commercial airline, cargo transport and business jet markets, Curtiss-Wright said in a statement Friday.

The companies will jointly develop the hardware for the new black boxes while Honeywell will modernize the software capabilities for easier access to real-time data during flight. This will provide aircraft owners, operators and manufacturers with new voice and flight data recording options to help decrease aircraft downtime through better predictive maintenance and, in the unlikely event of an emergency, help with the subsequent investigation.

Furthermore, the operators will benefit from real-time data streaming and cloud-upload capabilities, enabled by Honeywell’s Connected Aircraft software, which allows for the swift and remote retrieval of data from the aircraft for storage or analysis.

Along with added connectivity, the recorders provide an upgrade that saves installation time and lowers costs due to their design as form-fit replacements for Honeywell’s HFR-5 series cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Curtiss-Wright recently certified its Fortress recorder, a 25-hour CVR/FDR recorder that is used as the foundation for the new Honeywell Connected Recorder-25 or HCR-25.

Honeywell will offer the product in several variants, including as a standalone CVR, as a standalone FDR, or as a combined voice and flight data recorder, the company stated further.