May Be Re-Designed To Allow For More Time To Transmit Locator Signals

The Flight Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders that were recovered nearly two years after they sank in 13,000 feet of water when AF Flight 447 went down may lead to a re-thinking of the life of such devices following an accident.

The units are designed to emanate a locating signal for about 28 days after they are activated. But the full recovery of the data from the AF447 recorders set a new benchmark for survivability of the devices, according to a Honeywell executive at the Paris Air Show. He told CNN in an interview that the battery life and pinging signal are likely to be increased now that they know the recorders can withstand lengthy periods underwater following an accident.

John Bolton is president of the company's air transport and regional strategic business unit. He said that experts were frankly surprised that the watertight integrity of the recorders remained intact after so long as that extreme depth and pressure. He said the primary focus will be on extending the battery life on the units to give searchers more time to locate them in the future.

FMI: www.honeywell.com