Black box: Inside a flight data recorder

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  • Опубліковано 24 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 327

  • @Hopeless_and_Forlorn
    @Hopeless_and_Forlorn 9 років тому +337

    Actually, you get a total of 800 hours recording from one spool of expensive Inconel foil. The magazine is replaced after 400 hours, then the spool in the magazine is reversed in the avionics shop and returned to stock to be installed in another aircraft. The second 400 hours are inscribed on the reverse side of the foil before the foil is replaced by a new spool. Foils are marked on each side to identify aircraft and dates installed, and recorded foils are retained for time spans specified by regulation. All that has, of course, been superseded by solid state digital recorders that store hundreds of parameters instead of five.
    One other thing--if you ever see the magazine and foil from one of these antiques, do NOT handle the foil. It is sharp as a razor on both edges. I knew an avionics tech whose hand was badly cut when he tried to clear a foil jam in a magazine.

    • @jjovereats
      @jjovereats 9 років тому +4

      +Hopelessand Forlorn Or if handling it, use tweezers.

    • @soulextracter
      @soulextracter 8 років тому +18

      Thank you, I was just about to ask if the foil was erased somehow, how long it lasted, or if it was replaced after each flight! You just answered all those questions for me ^^ *thumbs up*

    • @Tahoza
      @Tahoza 8 років тому +19

      I like your user name...

    • @ronaldtartaglia4459
      @ronaldtartaglia4459 7 років тому +2

      Is that the same material developed for the skin of the North American x-15?

    • @Jeffrey314159
      @Jeffrey314159 7 років тому

      Hopelessand Forlorn I think that alloy was Cobalt based. Either that or it was a Nickel Chrome superalloy

  • @jeriellsworth
    @jeriellsworth 14 років тому +44

    I love your series. It's great to celebrate the creative engineers.

  • @zachsielaff8296
    @zachsielaff8296 10 років тому +112

    I had the good fortune to meet a woman who works in the NTSBs flight recorder laboratory, she said her first job with the board was recovering data from just these sorts of recorders. Apparently the biggest problem is that, over time, the write heads drift such that there is no definite "zero" point for any of the parameters. Her job was to go back through the data, along with the aircraft's flight logs, and try to find a time when the variables could be deduced with certainty so that she could calibrate the rest of the data. Of course, there was no machine way to read the information from the tape, so she spent many late nights with a ruler and a magnifying glass :)

    • @MattH-wg7ou
      @MattH-wg7ou 4 роки тому +2

      Wow!

    • @NoriMori1992
      @NoriMori1992 3 роки тому +3

      That's so cool. NTSB investigators are amazing, they're like engineers and detectives at the same time.

    • @bobroberts2371
      @bobroberts2371 Рік тому +4

      said " I had the good fortune to meet a woman. . . . . she spent many late nights with a ruler and a magnifying glass :) "

  • @noelroberts8199
    @noelroberts8199 3 роки тому +4

    This was an Australian invention in the 1950's, and has solved alot of air crash problems, Love your Vids Bill...........

  • @Beauxdeauxfinglok
    @Beauxdeauxfinglok 11 років тому +209

    I...am going to develop a "problem" with your channel... I discovered you about ten minutes ago and I already have a half dozen tabs open to others I plan to watch/followups. Thank you, and ...Darn. I had this fantasy about getting to bed at a decent time tonight...

    • @engineerguyvideo
      @engineerguyvideo  11 років тому +112

      Don't buy the book ... it will keep you up even later ... thanks for this note.

    • @poulosegeorge5457
      @poulosegeorge5457 4 роки тому +1

      @@engineerguyvideo you wont let me study for my actual exmas and your videos more addictive than heroine and marunjan combined(I am 16 and will never try this and havent done it in my life time.)

    • @rrueps4844
      @rrueps4844 4 роки тому +1

      @@engineerguyvideo I have been watching your videos for the past 6 hours

    • @squidwardo7074
      @squidwardo7074 3 роки тому +1

      glad youtube added the queue feature now

    • @FrederSnorlax
      @FrederSnorlax 2 роки тому

      Hows that channel addiction going for ya bud?

  • @Toolmamon
    @Toolmamon 5 років тому +8

    As an engineer myself, I fell in love with your channel when I saw your video on the science behind a soda (Design ALumiun Beverage Can) can and how they are made. Having worked in metal stamping and, being a metallurgical engineer, this drew me in like a moth to a flame. Thanks for such great videos!!

  • @Aussie50
    @Aussie50 9 років тому +24

    Those old mechanical filght recorders are so cool!, never seen one in person, tho I do have a couple of digital tape ones myself, the metal foil or wire types are in a class of their own!.

    • @joseluisrodriguez5302
      @joseluisrodriguez5302 6 років тому +1

      i have an older one,, it cost me only 1 us$$ dusty and ugly but no dents nor scratches

  • @Cynthia_Cantrell
    @Cynthia_Cantrell 5 років тому +4

    As an engineer, I can appreciate the clever use of technology designed into the mechanisms and recording material. I am at a loss to explain however, how these ever got the name "black box" when they are clearly bright orange or red to facilitate finding them in a crash. Maybe the first ones were black - or perhaps many were found to be black in planes that had caught fire. But it seems to me that from a safety standpoint, if a plane went down somewhere in a large wooded region, you'd want to tell people "you're looking for a bright orange box," rather than "you're looking for the plane's black box - it's this bright orange color."
    And if anyone can tell me why we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway, one of the greatest mysteries of my life will be revealed.

    • @dryan8377
      @dryan8377 4 роки тому +2

      They call them black boxes because most folks will never know what's inside. This term is used heavily in the defense aerospace industry for 'secret' boxed devices manufactured for aircraft.

    • @peterrobinson2484
      @peterrobinson2484 10 місяців тому

      @@dryan8377 the name Black Box derived from the Little Black Book because of the secrets they hold. Which then in the electronics industry a collection of different circuit modules which is put together to do a specific job is often called a "black box"; the idea is that the contents can be a complete mystery as long as you know what the output is for a given input.

  • @Occrameq
    @Occrameq 12 років тому +4

    This series is among the best on UA-cam. Educational and entertaining. Keep up the great work, Bill!

  • @alexmoss5879
    @alexmoss5879 8 років тому +18

    Could you make another video or two regarding aviation? Perhaps you could talk about the synchronizer gear used in the world wars to allow machine guns to fire through the arc of a piston engined fighter’s propeller, or the shift from reciprocating engines to jet engines in the aviation industry, or even the basic engineering that allows airframes to fly. I greatly enjoy your videos, and would love to see some more regarding aviation.

  • @biga8u
    @biga8u 10 років тому

    OK, i just discovered your videos... don't know how i have watched hundreds of UA-cam vids & not seen yours till now. Thanks for such clear & informative videos.

  • @TheThirdGerman
    @TheThirdGerman 13 років тому

    Every single video on this channel is just beyond excellent.

  • @garynorris4648
    @garynorris4648 7 років тому +2

    Even 7 years ago this was about 20 years ancient. Modern flight data recorders digitally record thousands of parameters such that the last minutes of a flight can be precisely reconstructed.

  • @gengkey
    @gengkey 14 років тому

    I'm a technician for aircraft maintenance,and good to see the simple way from you to explain it. Salute :)

  • @unlikelyninja8345
    @unlikelyninja8345 8 років тому +4

    Bill, you're such a classy man.
    I admire you.

  • @wavewobbler
    @wavewobbler 12 років тому

    Great videos. I used to work on the cockpit voice and crash recorders. Some of the earlier ones used wire to record data on (used on Concorde), others metal tape, moving on to ferric oxide on mylar(?) tape, then to solid state. The non metal based tape and solid state recorders protected the data by being embedded in a 'water jacket' inside a steel box. The theory being that the jacket - plastic coated hydrated chalk - would vent superheated steam hence routing thermal energy away from the unit.

  • @grahambird1570
    @grahambird1570 4 роки тому +1

    WOOOOW !!! This is the most interesting Video Iv'e seen to-date - Annnnnd 'NO ADDS !!!

  • @nanofarming
    @nanofarming 2 роки тому

    I really like your videos. thanks for the way you present those. really enjoy.

  • @keagsta
    @keagsta 13 років тому

    You my friend just helped me a lot in my engineering studies assessment task. Thanks a million!

  • @headbanger1428
    @headbanger1428 4 роки тому

    10/10 for all ratings, and 10/10 for best background music.

  • @CamiloSanchez1979
    @CamiloSanchez1979 13 років тому

    Dude this is the reason why the internet is so cool. Thanks for that. Also, I like a lot that you made a vid of an old black box because the new ones being digital don't require much ingenuity as this mechanical one.

  • @pauldemontmorency6353
    @pauldemontmorency6353 4 роки тому

    Always enjoy your videos. I can tell because I wish they were longer.

  • @birdiegolden
    @birdiegolden 9 років тому

    I thoroughly enjoy your videos. Thank you for taking the time to make them.

  • @motivationinstinct
    @motivationinstinct 6 років тому +1

    I just love the way you explain concepts...hats off...#thesincerestudent ;)

  • @jayfulf
    @jayfulf 14 років тому

    Another interesting piece of engineering "simplicity" often overlooked. Love the vids!

  • @bayareabest05
    @bayareabest05 12 років тому

    Awesome videos .. I hope new ones are uploaded.. Entertaining, detail and clear .. Great videos

  • @ScampiCheese
    @ScampiCheese 14 років тому

    weirdly I like this video, voice is smoothing and he seems to really enjoy what he does

  • @emerson-biggons7078
    @emerson-biggons7078 4 роки тому

    This channel is the perfect thing to eat hot dogs to. It's so relaxing and hot dogs are a cheap, and simple food.
    Dont ask why.

  • @gjw000
    @gjw000 7 років тому

    This is my new favourite UA-cam channel

  • @48956l
    @48956l 3 роки тому

    Your content is great but I gotta say your vocal delivery is impeccable.

  • @mitropoulosilias
    @mitropoulosilias 6 років тому

    thanks! that was the only educational video of old times flight recorders

  • @horseshoe_nc
    @horseshoe_nc 4 роки тому

    For anyone wondering, Inconel is a metal that contains high amounts of, nickel and chromium. Also worth noting, it is difficult to machine and is considered a super alloy.

  • @rjat1000
    @rjat1000 12 років тому

    Bill your stuff is great.

  • @paulprovencher1478
    @paulprovencher1478 7 років тому

    Concise and lovely. A+!

  • @pao2cool
    @pao2cool 9 років тому +1

    Your videos are informative. Great job for sharing videos that we can learn. (Y)

  • @rebell813
    @rebell813 12 років тому +2

    the sound of your intro makes me smile :)

  • @TheRouteShow
    @TheRouteShow 6 років тому

    This channel needs more views...

  • @finding_mahmoud
    @finding_mahmoud 14 років тому

    WOW .. first time to see/know how it works ... thanks

  • @daniloorbolato
    @daniloorbolato 12 років тому

    awesome!
    we need more people like you in the world of today!
    Thanks!

  • @TheGibbousPhase
    @TheGibbousPhase 14 років тому

    I like this sounds the black box makes :)

  • @dixiefix6055
    @dixiefix6055 5 років тому

    Quite a unique topic on the bussiest travel day of the year.

  • @hp2114b
    @hp2114b 12 років тому

    The origin of the term 'black box' is unclear, but our museum has two extremely early USAF computer-controlled flight data recorders, manufactured circa 1961-1965, which are both black and box-shaped, just like everything else onboard a USAF aircraft. All of the flight data recorders we've seen which were manufactured from the late 1960s onward, including military units, are painted bright orange.

  •  12 років тому

    Just a shot in the dark here but black box is a term often used for a system where you can only observe input/output (and not internal state) so that might have something to do with it.

  • @CampKohler
    @CampKohler 14 років тому

    @Ogoidg The term black box refers to any electrical/electronic package that is to be considered as a unit; that is, you know the inputs and outputs, but exactly what goes on inside is not in your job description, so to speak. It is painted orange to increase visibilty to facilitate it's location after a crash. (Since the government specifies the color, be thankful it's not kerosine-soaked-dirt-colored. :-) )

  • @felurfalas4427
    @felurfalas4427 5 років тому

    The man spent $100 on on something he will probably only use once to teach us how foil oscillographic recorders work. That is dedication right there.

  • @TheRouteShow
    @TheRouteShow 6 років тому

    Best youtube channel.. Gald i found it.. Pls make more videos

  • @tech4pros1
    @tech4pros1 12 років тому

    yes they do, onto multiple chips and units so damage to one does not render the data irrecoverable and satellite links are being experimented with, so flight data is streamed live from the aircraft. also flash memory can withstand higher temperatures than magnetic tape, as tape will demagnetize once it gets too hot, while flash memory can survive above 250deg, tape will not. also flash memory can withstand far higher g-loading than tape, as a tape mechanism will jam if jarred to hard.

  • @ms90sbabyy
    @ms90sbabyy 7 років тому

    This channel is really cool

  • @rogertycholiz2218
    @rogertycholiz2218 7 років тому

    Bill knows everything about everything.

  • @timfondiggle2582
    @timfondiggle2582 5 років тому

    I sure wish this guy made videos more regularly,

  • @BenEtherington
    @BenEtherington 10 років тому +7

    SpaceX recently announced their SuperDraco engine, which is 3D printed using inconel steel! If it's good enough for a rocket engine, it's probably good enough for a blackbox, right?

  • @MisterErts
    @MisterErts 12 років тому

    All modern data recorders use solid state drives (they are required to for all new aircraft), none have ever used hard disks.

  • @jomac2046
    @jomac2046 4 роки тому

    Australian David Warren inventor of the flight data recorder died in 2010. Engraved on he's coffin is "Flight Recorder Inventor; Do Not Open"

  • @GerardHammond
    @GerardHammond Рік тому

    The engineering method is Rule of thumb = everyone should know the engineering method - thank you Bill

  • @BrassLock
    @BrassLock 4 роки тому

    Did I hear anyone mention it was invented by a highly decorated Australian Aeronautical Engineer Dr. David Warren, who worked on the Comet crash investigation, and lamented that there was no record of any sounds during the flight. This led him to develop the device for commercial aviation accident investigations.

  • @Cketzalcoatl
    @Cketzalcoatl 13 років тому +1

    I'm a material scientist specialising in Nickel base superalloys so allow me to say: Aaarghh, Inconel isn't a steel alloy! As the name would imply, it's mostly Nickel (40 - 70% Ni depending on the exact alloy), they may have a bit of iron in there but it isn't more than 10%. But anyway, awesome videos!

  • @joriankell1983
    @joriankell1983 3 роки тому

    Inconel steel is awesome stuff. I make engine brackets out of it for a living.

  • @_Snowflame
    @_Snowflame 7 років тому

    I knew a guy in high school who openly pondered on why they don't just make the entire airplane out of the same material they use for the black box.
    After about a half dozen perfectly good reasons why not, I still don't think he was ever convinced.

    • @GreatMewtwo
      @GreatMewtwo 3 роки тому

      A "Fairly Odd Parents" episode makes a joke of this; after wishing himself smarter, Timmy simply mentions that the aircraft would be too heavy to fly.

  • @davio3d
    @davio3d 13 років тому

    If I had you as a teacher, I bet I would become an engineer instead of mediaworker. Keep up the good work!

  • @russulmahdi
    @russulmahdi 9 років тому +1

    best page ever

  • @joeduece1
    @joeduece1 6 років тому +1

    Wow that's extreme

  • @zcxvasdfqwer1234
    @zcxvasdfqwer1234 14 років тому

    i always wondered what was really inside those things!

  • @TheWelschman
    @TheWelschman 13 років тому

    Aerogel would be a great thing to use for a heat resistant, that is only if you're looking for something that is light weight.

  • @darlthris
    @darlthris 11 років тому

    I imagined this would be similar to a Hard Drive but I was way wrong. Be nice to see something like the two be made into a sort of hybrid that way xP Big ass hard drive...

  • @H3adcrash
    @H3adcrash 14 років тому

    OMG! :D that's just a totally awesome piece of equipment! :)

  • @mcjohnalds45
    @mcjohnalds45 12 років тому +1

    You need a tv show.

  • @vincenmt
    @vincenmt 12 років тому +2

    Inconel is not steel! in fact it contains less than 10% iron, more than 50% is nickel and at least 15% chromium. In addition Inconel has these properties largely due to its mono-crystalline structure or heat treatment.

  • @canyonair
    @canyonair 14 років тому

    You missed some important information in your video. The ULB Locator Beacon was never mentioned. You also did not mention the protective material that encases the recording module. The recorder you bought on ebay was stripped of these items.

  • @robertgoss4842
    @robertgoss4842 4 роки тому

    Sir, you never fail to interest and/or intrigue me with your presentations. I thought your Titanic Engineering series was superb, and have re-watched it several times. Could you please answer a question about the Space Shuttle? It seems that it is now fashionable to declare the shuttle program was a mistake, that it was destined to fail. To me, an ordinary Joe, a hack outsider, the program was a spectacular success. Tell us, why do you think there has arisen this coterie of naysayers and after-the-fact criers of doom?

  • @krmt
    @krmt 14 років тому

    The black box was invented by DSTO in Australia, found out when did some work for them.

  • @siutubetube
    @siutubetube 8 років тому +1

    Kindly advise any website that contain simple statistics the chance of the flight data recorder survival in a crash. eg. 100 crashes , no recorder data is damaged.
    911 is an extreme case that seems nothing could remain.
    the recorder should designed to survive in most crash conditions .reasonable costing and reliability. but in accordance with changing environment and material technology , is the standard is upgrading ? or just 20 years before ?

  • @willemvandijk8860
    @willemvandijk8860 6 років тому

    Sunstrand? That translates to sunny or solar beach, where the debris washes up. Smart.
    - We need the data recorder!
    - Go to the nearest Sunstrand.

  • @COLINJELY
    @COLINJELY 7 років тому

    Invented by David Ronald de Mey Warren AO, of Australia's Defence Scientific and Technical Organisation (DSTO) David's Father died in an air crash in Bass Strait in 1934. He was inspired by the crash of the DH Comet in 1953.

  • @mtz660
    @mtz660 8 років тому

    Delta never had the Boeing 727, they did however have the dc-9. Delta was the launch customer in 1965.

    • @jacklcoggins
      @jacklcoggins 7 років тому

      They did have the 727s, there was a famous crash, Flight 1141, which crashed on take off.

  • @cabbievonbump
    @cabbievonbump 13 років тому

    @danielcarmi305 Think about it. At what altitude did the problem first occur, at what altitude did the crew become aware of it, etcetera. Anyone can see the result of the disaster, but the investigators want to know who-what-when-where-why caused the disaster. Remember, the idea behind the box is the assumption that the first clue anyone had of a problem with the aircraft is when it has a Zen experience with Terra Firma, where the plane and the ground become One at a rather high velocity.

  • @captainfarrell2620
    @captainfarrell2620 2 роки тому

    I thought this form of recording went out with quill pen and oil lamp. How about revisiting past videos to see how technology has moved on. I'm still wading through all the vids on `engineeringuy` brilliant content.

  • @jackbotman
    @jackbotman 4 роки тому

    Geez man, that the thing about smart people, can't quite grasp how smart they are until you look at one of these things

  • @error404m
    @error404m 7 років тому

    i find the clunking and clicking of this highly satisfying.

  • @ScottDLR
    @ScottDLR 7 років тому +11

    That FDR is crazy old and bears no resemblance to anything made in the last 20 years.
    United Control (now HoneyWell) hasn't existed in ages.

    • @engineerguyvideo
      @engineerguyvideo  7 років тому +9

      Indeed ... it was from a Delta 727 if I remember.

  • @masmankola
    @masmankola 8 років тому +2

    Very very short !!! Why didn't you explain the voice recorder also ?

    • @kahlzun
      @kahlzun 8 років тому +1

      I don't think that existed at the time of this black box. Modern ones definitely had it, but this one only seemed to store 5 things

    • @BadWebDiver
      @BadWebDiver 6 років тому +1

      Voice records are separate, and he probably doesn't have one. I imagine they use the same basic mechanics though, except recording sound waves.

  • @cacaw_0
    @cacaw_0 12 років тому

    awesome video. but that box over there was not "black" in any sense! how did the phrase emerge?

  • @Darieee
    @Darieee 13 років тому

    I would have liked a more in-depth insight into this device ... GREAT videos though !

  • @hawkeman
    @hawkeman 14 років тому

    @engineerguyvideo I understand that all too well. I had to overcome "Southern Americanese" all of my life. I'm an engineer as well and I make the odd mistake, too (for pronounced more like "fur") but try to keep it to a minimum when called upon to present (to Corp. or Customer). That particular non-word is just a major pet peeve of mine that happened to catch me on a Monday. No big deal, interesting spot of video. Keep it up!

  • @goneutt
    @goneutt 8 років тому

    Of course, we've progressed so far beyond that

  • @alphabeets
    @alphabeets 14 років тому

    Cool!

  • @edwardnigma9756
    @edwardnigma9756 7 років тому

    Out of curiosity, why did they make the black box a rectangular prism? I would have thought that a cylinder would be better as the edges wouldn't be weak points.

  • @Jeffrey314159
    @Jeffrey314159 7 років тому

    1:08 Its proper name should be: Foil Graphophonic Multichannel Recorder.
    This device is very similar to Edison's invention.

  • @RamLaska
    @RamLaska 4 роки тому

    Judging by color alone, his shirt is more likely to get rescued than the "black" box ;)

    • @engineerguyvideo
      @engineerguyvideo  4 роки тому +2

      Ha!

    • @RamLaska
      @RamLaska 4 роки тому

      2020 may be a total turdblossom, but I made the @@engineerguyvideo laugh, so there's that. ;)
      Hope all is well with you and yours... and anyone else reading this. I lift a toast to you. It's just water, but it counts.

    • @engineerguyvideo
      @engineerguyvideo  4 роки тому +2

      A toast to you too!

  • @edgarinv
    @edgarinv 14 років тому

    THANKS

  • @jcs56
    @jcs56 14 років тому

    My brother designs these things.. He told me planes usually have 2... one near the cockpit and one in the tail.. the ones in the tail are typically the only ones ever retrieved. Do you know which this one would have been?

  • @laniakea1541
    @laniakea1541 4 роки тому

    This is a Black Box. This is one component. Im Bill Hammack, the Engineer Guy.

  • @Jeffrey314159
    @Jeffrey314159 7 років тому

    It records flight data like a Edison phonograph, but with steel foil instead of tin?

  • @legitbeans9078
    @legitbeans9078 2 роки тому

    Also is this FDR from the 70s or something? It looks ancient. I'm sure we've got more modern digital solid state stuff nowadays?

  • @geometricart7851
    @geometricart7851 5 років тому

    I thought he was going to do a complete teardown until I saw it was only a 2 minute video...:(

  • @spacepope-1
    @spacepope-1 4 роки тому

    I wonder if airlines nowadays use servers as their data recorders, or is it a requirement to have an on board "black box"?

  • @johnaugsburger6192
    @johnaugsburger6192 Рік тому

    Thanks

  • @HebaruSan
    @HebaruSan 8 років тому

    What did they do with the old tape if the plane failed to crash after 400 hours? Store it? Melt it down and make new tape?

  • @Gold_Tail
    @Gold_Tail 9 років тому +2

    So does that mean they have to switch out boxes every 400 hours of flight time?

    • @BadWebDiver
      @BadWebDiver 6 років тому +2

      I guess so. It would be part of a perscribed maintenance schedule.

  • @RMJ1984
    @RMJ1984 8 років тому +8

    As cool as black boxes are. Why dont planes of today not also upload data directly to the cloud somewhere.

    • @scottplumer3668
      @scottplumer3668 7 років тому +19

      My guess is that so there would never be a connectivity issue. It would be nice for backup, but the data need to be unsusceptible to loss from a cloud snafu. Also, if it's not networked, it can't be hacked.

    • @thefacelessmen2101
      @thefacelessmen2101 7 років тому +5

      Rolls Royce monitors their engines in real time.

    • @samsignorelli
      @samsignorelli 6 років тому +3

      @@thefacelessmen2101 Yes.... but a modern black box measure far more parameters than just the engine-related stuff.

    • @Redbikemaster
      @Redbikemaster 5 років тому

      @@thefacelessmen2101 On a much smaller scale, Detroit Diesel does too. I had a check engine light come on in my semi truck once, and my company was calling me within a couple minutes to discuss it with me.

  • @lucaskellermann4740
    @lucaskellermann4740 4 роки тому

    Maybe when the Starlink web will be done, airplanes could stream telemetry audio em text parameters in real time.