In a major boost for airline accident investigations, two aviation leaders, Honeywell and Curtiss-Wright, have partnered to develop an entirely new way for airlines to monitor and analyze flight data. Honeywell and Curtiss-Wright will use real-time connectivity to reinvent the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder — commonly referred to as “black boxes” — for the commercial airline, cargo transport and business jet markets.
The companies have signed an agreement to develop the next generation of mandate-compliant Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVRs) and Flight Data Recorders (FDRs), essential equipment in helping accident investigators, regulatory agencies, aircraft manufacturers and airlines determine the cause of an accident and making aviation safer. As part of the new agreement, Curtiss-Wright will be the exclusive supplier for Honeywell’s next-generation recorders for the air transport and business aviation markets.
The new recorder will serve as a “black box in the sky,” meaning owners, operators and manufacturers will have the option to always access the critical aircraft data, resulting in the potential for improving maintenance and operational insight through data analytics. In addition, in the event of an emergency, the data on board will be quickly and more easily accessible to investigators.
The companies will jointly develop the hardware for the new black boxes, and Honeywell will modernize the software capabilities for easier access to real-time data during flight. This will provide owners, operators and aircraft manufacturers with new cockpit voice and flight data recording options to help decrease aircraft downtime and, in the event of an emergency, help with the accompanying investigation. Operators will benefit from real-time information streaming and server storage 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.