Honeywell Helps Airlines Prepare for New 25-Hour Cockpit Voice Recorder Mandate

The cockpit voice recorder (CVR), one of aviation’s two essential “black boxes,” is a vital source of information for accident investigations. Today, newly manufactured air transport aircraft are rolling off assembly lines with 25-hour CVRs, now mandated by aviation authorities in the United States, European Union, and other jurisdictions. 

And there’s more change ahead:  under the 2024 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Bill, airlines will be required to retrofit in-service aircraft with 25-hour CVRs. 

These 25-hour recorders replace current-generation CVRs, which record just two hours of flight crew conversations, radio transmissions and other cockpit sounds. Since 2018, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reports at least 14 accident investigations have been compromised because critical audio was overwritten before the CVR was powered down.

Innovation That’s Ready Now: The Honeywell HCR-25

Honeywell is ready today to help airlines meet the new 25-hour CVR mandates. Our newest flight recorder innovation, the Honeywell Connected Recorder-25 (HCR-25), complies with FAA and EASA 25-hour CVR mandates and is an easy drop-in replacement for current recorders.  

We have delivered more than 1,000 units to Boeing and airline customers so far. The HCR-25 was developed in partnership with Curtiss-Wright, another industry pioneer.

The HCR-25 range includes flight data recorder (FDR) features that meet the latest regulatory requirements and provide enhanced data recording capabilities. It can record up to 25 hours of flight data to cover extended flights. Airlines can access recorded data anytime, which can provide operational insights and support maintenance activities

What Makes the HCR-25 a Connected Recorder

The HCR-25 breaks new ground as the first connected recorder capable of streaming FDR information over a cyber-secure connection to a data center on the ground. Using satellite communications capabilities, the connected recorder can stream flight data over a 24/7 cyber-secure connection to a data center. That means investigators can access critical data in near real-time — no need to wait for recovery of the physical unit, which can take months to years after accidents over water or in remote areas. The HCR-25 essentially becomes a “black box in the sky.”