Flight Data Recorder, red, labelled: ‘4469’

Flight Data Recorder, or 'Black Box', Model FB-542 by Sundstrand Data Control Inc, Redmond, Washington. Red, labelled: ‘4469’, 1970-1989

This device recorded 5 flight parameters from instruments that embossed marks directly onto foil tape, with the ability to record up to 400 hours of data. The parameters were heading, altitude, airspeed, vertical acceleration, and time.

The box was designed to withstand a wreck. The foil tape is made from a material called ‘Inconel’, specifically designed to withstand extreme conditions: it is corrosion resistant and can resist up to 3,000 Gs and up to 1,000 degrees Celsius. The recorder’s bright orange shade was intended to make the box easier to locate. The recordings can be interpreted in order to try and build a picture of the plane’s final movements in the event of an accident.

More recent ‘black boxes’ can record a much larger range of flight parameters, as well as voice recordings from the cockpit.