GM2 NCC.GEN.145(b) Handling of flight recorder recordings: preservation, production, protection and use    

CAA ORS9 Decision No. 1

MONITORING AND CHECKING THE PROPER OPERATION OF FLIGHT RECORDERS – EXPLANATION OF TERMS

For the understanding of the terms used in AMC1 NCC.GEN.145(b):

(a) ‘operational check of the flight recorder’ means a check of the flight recorder for proper operation. It is not a check of the quality of the recording and, therefore, it is not equivalent to an inspection of the recording. This check can be carried out by the flight crew or through a maintenance task.

(b) ‘aural or visual means for preflight checking the flight recorders for proper operation’ means an aural or visual means for the flight crew to check before the flight the results of an automatically or manually initiated test of the flight recorders for proper operation. Such a means provides for an operational check that can be performed by the flight crew.

(c) ‘flight recorder system’ means the flight recorder, its dedicated sensors and transducers, as well as its dedicated acquisition and processing equipment.

(d) ‘continuous monitoring for proper operation’ means for a flight recorder system, a combination of system monitors and/or built-in test functions which operates continuously in order to detect the following:

(1) loss of electrical power to the flight recorder system;

(2) failure of the equipment performing acquisition and processing;

(3) failure of the recording medium and/or drive mechanism; and

(4) failure of the recorder to store the data in the recording medium as shown by checks of the recorded data including, as reasonably practicable for the storage medium concerned, correct correspondence with the input data.

However, detections by the continuous monitoring for proper operation do not need to be automatically reported to the flight crew compartment.