Plane modder uses iPod white box as black-box flight-recorder

[Bob Crabtree]

Apparently, they mod aeroplanes, too, and one US plane modder, LoPresti Speed Merchants, is planning to fit iPods to some of the light aircraft it soups up.

However, the idea isn't to add in-flight entertainment options - accompanied by great big speakers and furry carpets - but, instead, to use Apple's iconic white box as a black-box flight-recorder.

Find out more, then let us know what other scary, wild or practical alternative uses an iPod can be put to.

[Steve B]

i take it this is a 5.5G model? not a nano or anything?
if so, they better outfit it with some titanium shielding

[MrP]

the ipod nano is flash based isnt it, no moving parts to worry about and plenty of space on the 8gb model i would think

[Steve B]

that would seem like a better option, imagine the impact damage of a small plane crash that the read/write heads would have on the HDD.

[nichomach]

Agreed; 8GB would surely be enough (on a continuous overwrite) to capture the details of any critical event such as a crash, and the events leading up to it - that's got to be a LOT more than the continuously spooling tape in traditional FDRs, I'd have thought.

[DragonStar]

other uses? hmmm, paperweight? door stop, obviously its not heavy enough to so stop a door moving, but if you really jam it under the door... what else? a new olympic event? ipod chucking?

[moby_matt]

It might help sort out a wonky table...