Ground-Based Aircraft Recorders: Requirements, Challenges, Implementations, and Future Perspectives

The aviation industry's commitment to safety spans across civilian, commercial, and military sectors, with continuous efforts to improve aircraft safety. Despite advancements, fatal accidents still occur, and reliance on the flight data and cockpit voice recorder (FDR/CVR), commonly called the black box, has limitations. This article examines an innovative approach involving the real-time transmission of critical aircraft data to ground-based stations. It introduces the traditional black box, highlights some incidents where it was not beneficial, and then emphasizes the advantages of ground-based recorders over traditional ones, discussing system requirements and challenges. The article evaluates the potential of very high-frequency digital link (VDL) and Iridium satellite systems in handling comprehensive aircraft data in various scenarios. Additionally, it explores employing emerging low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations to facilitate FDR/CVR data streaming. The article highlights promising research areas for improving ground-based FDR/CVR systems.