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Why are there no flotation device on Black Boxes for planes or make it floatable?

Qianglong

Qianglong

Senior member
Now the news is talking about how the doomed Air France jet's blackbox might be 7000M down in the ocean trenches, will this incident prompt changes to make the black box floatable? I mean since the box isn't that big in size, enclosing it in fire-resistant but buoyant covering would make its recovery much much easier in the event of sea crashes?
 
How can you guarantee that the box will not run into something on the way up?

edit: cool a timewarp

edit2: where "something" is defined as the plane structure of course
 
Originally posted by: Qianglong
Now the news is talking about how the doomed Air France jet's blackbox might be 7000M down in the ocean trenches, will this incident prompt changes to make the black box floatable? I mean since the box isn't that big in size, enclosing it in fire-resistant but buoyant covering would make its recovery much much easier in the event of sea crashes?
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How is it going to float out from inside the plane?
 
I actually think this is a good idea. At least it gives a chance of recovery. As far as "floating away", give it a GPS device.

Edit: Good call on floating out of the plane.. hrm.

Ejectable black box? lol
 
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Wouldnt it just float away?
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(I think) it has a beacon that enables searchers to find it.

I'm guessing the reason it can't float is that they can't make the buoyant material as indestructible as the box itself. The buoyant material wouldn't survive a plane crash. And it probably wouldn't be able to escape the plane anyway.
 
Why not add wings to the box, make it fly home and just to be safe, add a white box inside the black box to record the flight of the black box.
 
This could work. 90% of the time it would probably be trapped in the plane but there's still a chance it floats. Or move it. Put it right on top of the plane instead of inside. (would need to be aerodynamic obviously)
 
Originally posted by: Epic Fail
Why not add wings to the box, make it fly home and just to be safe, add a white box inside the black box to record the flight of the black box.
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That's racist.
 
Better idea is to attach a colored string to ever plane so when it does fall somewhere, you just follow the string and you'll find the plane. It's that simple.
 
Originally posted by: hiromizu
planes aren't designed to crash dumbass.
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This.

Let me summarize the conclusions drawn from every black box recording ever consulted:

The plane crashed into __________.




 
Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
This could work. 90% of the time it would probably be trapped in the plane but there's still a chance it floats. Or move it. Put it right on top of the plane instead of inside. (would need to be aerodynamic obviously)
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What happens when the plane collides with another plane in midair or (gasp!) the ground (!) and the black box is destroyed because it's not placed safely in the middle of the plane? That's a much more common scenario than "fell into the ocean and sank"
 
Originally posted by: So
Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
This could work. 90% of the time it would probably be trapped in the plane but there's still a chance it floats. Or move it. Put it right on top of the plane instead of inside. (would need to be aerodynamic obviously)
Click to expand...

What happens when the plane collides with another plane in midair or (gasp!) the ground (!) and the black box is destroyed because it's not placed safely in the middle of the plane? That's a much more common scenario than "fell into the ocean and sank"
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yes, but if the plane hits another plane, the cause of the crash is pretty simple. the pilot was stupid.
 
Originally posted by: mugs
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
Wouldnt it just float away?
Click to expand...

(I think) it has a beacon that enables searchers to find it.

I'm guessing the reason it can't float is that they can't make the buoyant material as indestructible as the box itself. The buoyant material wouldn't survive a plane crash. And it probably wouldn't be able to escape the plane anyway.
Click to expand...

That would have been my guess as well. That the buoyant material wouldn't survive. You HAVE to believe they've thought and tested this.
 
Originally posted by: Fayd
Originally posted by: So
Originally posted by: RedSquirrel
This could work. 90% of the time it would probably be trapped in the plane but there's still a chance it floats. Or move it. Put it right on top of the plane instead of inside. (would need to be aerodynamic obviously)
Click to expand...

What happens when the plane collides with another plane in midair or (gasp!) the ground (!) and the black box is destroyed because it's not placed safely in the middle of the plane? That's a much more common scenario than "fell into the ocean and sank"
Click to expand...

yes, but if the plane hits another plane, the cause of the crash is pretty simple. the pilot was stupid.
Click to expand...

no, jets are moving pretty fast, if you see one only about 6NM in front you at around 10 o'clock, theres only one way to avoid it, ascend or descend. Back then TCAS wasn't used so you had to take a chance. either go up and hope other pilot goes down or you go down and other pilot goes up.
 
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