EASA Technical Standard Order awarded to new flight data recorder that records and stores more than 3,500 hours of data
ASHBURN, Va. – May 26, 2021 – Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division and Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) today announced that their 25-hour Flight Data Recorder (FDR) developed for the air transport market has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification. In addition to the mandatory FDR functionality, the HCR-25’s partitioned design supports the Honeywell-developed Real-Time Access Recorder (RTAR), which enables flight data to be streamed from the recorder in support of Honeywell’s “Black Box In The Sky” connected recorder concept.
The new HCR-25 FDR variant of the Honeywell Connected Recorder-25 (HCR-25) is based on Curtiss-Wright’s compact, lightweight Fortress® technology. The unit surpasses the requirements of each of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defined flight recorder types and adds real-time data streaming to support the ICAO Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety (GADSS) initiative. The HCR-25 can record and store more than 3,500 hours of data in crash-protected memory before needing to overwrite the oldest data collected[1].
“The partnership of Honeywell and Curtiss-Wright continues our shared legacy as pioneers and innovators of crash-protected recorders, with both companies taking leadership roles in providing flight recorders to the industry for over 60 years,” said Chris Wiltsey, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions division. “We are proud to work closely with Honeywell to bring extended operation and greater survivability for flight data recorders to the aviation market, enhancing these critical technologies with next-generation features such as real-time streaming connectivity and new levels of performance.”
“The new regulatory requirement provided a great opportunity to strengthen our recorder technology and provide our customers with solutions that fit their needs,” said Amanda King, vice president and general manager, Connected Secure Solutions, Honeywell Aerospace. “We worked alongside Curtiss-Wright to design and develop a new generation of recorders that leverages our full hardware and software expertise to meet the 25-hour requirement, and identify the right information and make it available to accident investigation agencies when it’s most needed.”
Developed for customers that require flight data recorders, the HCR-25 FDR is ideal for both new installations and retrofit applications. This backward-compatible recorder solution provides class-leading record capability. The unit’s ability to store more than 3,500 hours of data and secure streaming to remote ground stations reduces dependency on recorder recovery while also providing a real-time source of airplane condition indicators and flight operations data. The FDR weighs less than 10.5 pounds (4.75 kilograms) and includes a 90-day underwater locator beacon.
About the HCR-25 Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
In January 2021, Curtiss-Wright Corporation and Honeywell announced that their 25-hour Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) developed for the air transport market received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification. Based on Fortress® CVR technology, the Honeywell Connected Recorder-25 CVR (HCR-25 CVR) surpasses the requirements of the upcoming EASA minimum 25-hour cockpit voice recording mandate for aircraft weighing over 27,000 kilograms.
Developing the Next Generation of Voice and Data Recorders
In 2019, Curtiss-Wright and Honeywell announced a partnership to develop a new way for airlines to monitor and analyze flight data. The companies signed an agreement to develop the next generation of mandate-compliant voice and data recorders, using real-time connectivity. This means the aircraft data can be used for more efficient operations, allowing for additional predictive maintenance and real-time playback of data and voice communications. Along with added connectivity, these next-generation recorders provide an easy upgrade that saves installation time and lowers costs due to being form-fit replacements for Honeywell’s HFR-5 series Cockpit Voice and Flight Data Recorders (FDR).
As a source of critical aircraft data, “black boxes” passively collect large amounts of information from multiple sources during each flight. This ensures that in an accident, investigators can use the data to learn more about the chain of events leading up to it. This new recorder will serve as a “Black Box in the Sky”, meaning owners, operators, and manufacturers can access the data at all times, resulting in the potential for better maintenance predictability and operational insight through data analytics. In addition, in an emergency, the data on board will be quickly accessible to investigators.
As part of the development of the new recorders, Honeywell will offer the product in several variants, including as a standalone CVR, as a standalone FDR, or as a combined voice and flight data recorder.
About Curtiss-Wright Corporation
Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW) is a global innovative company that delivers highly engineered, critical function products and services to the Aerospace and Defense markets, and to the Commercial markets including Power, Process, and General Industrial. Building on the heritage of Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers, Curtiss-Wright has a long tradition of providing reliable solutions through trusted customer relationships. The company employs approximately 8,200 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.curtisswright.com.
About Honeywell
Honeywell (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom.
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[1] Record capacity function of received data rate