Avionics
Black Box in the Sky Captures Data on the Fly
Honeywell also seeks solutions for GPS jamming, pilot fatigue, and more
Black Box in the Sky Honeywell
Honeywell is working on a concept for a new generation flight data recorder called the Black Box in the Sky. © Honeywell Aerospace

Honeywell Aerospace is trying to overcome the limitations of legacy hardware-focused flight data recorders with the development of a system it calls “Black Box in the Sky” (BBITS), a digitally connected solution that can stream flight data in near real-time. The intention is to deliver more than just the mandatory data that aircraft operators are currently required to store.

This work was prompted in part by the upcoming international Timely Recovery of Flight Data mandate, which is expected to take effect by the end of the decade. The project is being driven by Honeywell’s facility in Brno, Czech Republic, which holds design authority for all of the company’s in-production recorders.