Flight data recorder, red

Flight data recorder, or 'Black Box', red, by Fairchild Industrial Products, 1970-1987

This device was designed to record a number of flight parameters, including altitude, airspeed, vertical acceleration, and time. Any data recorded can be interpreted in order to try and build a picture of the plane’s final movements in the event of an accident.

Flight recorders are designed to withstand a wreck, and its bright orange shade was intended to make the box easier to locate. It is fitted with an underwater locator beacon that will emit an electronic pulse repeatedly to assist location if a plane lands in water.

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