Black Boxes

[silver-eagle]

I would bet the "BLACK BOX" never EVER meant the box was black. In fact, many use "BLACK BOX" to mean "we really don't know what's inside that [device, software, idea] and we really don't care either". Why, your car has numerous black boxes, some recording, some futzing with settings, some just taking up space. I'm pretty sure that aren't all black!
Why in God's name does every anchor have to point out every freaking time they open their yapper that the black boxes aren't black?
"You have here an example of the black box, which isn't really black."
And while I am P&M'ng, let me add that those same anchors keep referring to 10 and 20 year old accidents like they were yesterday's news.

 

[kgruber]

They have to have something to say between,"a witness heard the engine sputtering" and 'no flight plan was filed."

 

[Norman]

It's just the mainstream media showing their ignorance and stupidity.

 

[flyingron]

The current "black boxes" are indeed orange. In the past I've seen them black and yellow striped and just plain black crinkle paint. But you are right "black" applies not to their physical color but to their "mysterious" contents.

 

[Busflyer]

They have to have something to say between,"a witness heard the engine sputtering" and 'no flight plan was filed."

Don't forget "it was on fire before it hit."

 

[Geico266]

The current "black boxes" are indeed orange. In the past I've seen them black and yellow striped and just plain black crinkle paint. But you are right "black" applies not to their physical color but to their "mysterious" contents.

I use to work at Sundstrand Aviation in Rockford, IL, now Hamilton Standard. Sunstrand designed and made the "black box". It gots its name from all of the fire testing they did. It was truly black when the testing was done.

 

[Geico266]

The current "black boxes" are indeed orange. In the past I've seen them black and yellow striped and just plain black crinkle paint. But you are right "black" applies not to their physical color but to their "mysterious" contents.

Yep, the first ones I remember were black and yellow in the late 70s.

 

[Piloto]

Yep, the first ones I remember were black and yellow in the late 70s.

Wouldn't the search be easier if the boxes could float with a strobe light attached instead of a pinger?

The Titanic search took decades to find and it was bigger than the boxes and at half the depth (10,000ft) and we knew the exact location where it sanks

José