Curtiss-Wright Fortress compact flight data recorders receive ETSO approval from EASA

ASHBURN, Va. -Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division recently announced it has been granted European Technical Standard Order (ETSO) approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for its Fortress family of flight data recorders, commonly referred to as “black boxes.”

The Fortress family is the newest range of flight data recorders on the market, and includes combination Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) that will surpass the requirements of the upcoming 2021 EASA minimum 25-hour cockpit voice recording mandate. These units deliver longer recording time, supporting the recently introduced EUROCAE classes 4, 5 and 6 Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR).

Believed to be the industry’s first to meet the demanding requirements of EUROCAE ED-112A, these CVR/FDRs enable the aircraft data to be used for more efficient operations, allowing for additional predictive maintenance and real-time playback of data and voice communications. The compact and lightweight Fortress product line is designed to meet all current and anticipated regulations. The EASA certifications include ETSO-C123c, ETSO-C124c, ETSO-C176a and ETSO-C177a.

The Fortress range combines a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), Flight Data Recorder (FDR), DataLink Recorder (DLR), and Airborne Image Recorder (AIR) in a single unit and can be rapidly modified to meet customization requirements for particular aircraft needs. The recorder can support expansion, making it easier and more cost-effective to add new functionality within the unit, such as MIL-STD-1553 data links, integrated acquisition and health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS), all while reducing aircraft LRU count and overall system weight.

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