Curtiss-Wright Congratulates Scientific Research Corporation on Receiving FAA STC for T6 Trainer Cockpit Voice Recorder/Flight Data Recorder

• Fortress® crash survivable recorder supports safety and training programs on T-6 Texan II aircraft used by U.S. Military

PARIS AIR SHOW, PARIS-LE BOURGET, FRANCE – JUNE 19, 2023 – Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division, a proven leading supplier of rugged avionics solutions, today congratulated Scientific Research Corporation (SRC) on receiving a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC SA00219MC) from the FAA for Curtiss-Wright’s Fortress flight recorder being used to upgrade the T-6 Texan II trainer aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army. Curtiss-Wright is providing SRC with a variant of its Fortress CVR25 flight recorder that combines a cockpit voice recorder (CVR), flight data recorder (FDR), integrated data acquisition, independent power supply and Secure Digital (SD) card based quick access recorder in a single lightweight and compact unit. Developed for use on military fixed wing and rotorcraft airborne platforms, the Fortress recorder’s ability to acquire additional data as customer needs evolve has helped further establish Curtiss-Wright as one of the leading suppliers of modern flight data recorders.

The Fortress flight recorder provides T-6 Texan II aircraft operators the ability to perform sophisticated flight data monitoring applications, including incident event investigation, crash investigation, military flight operations quality assurance (MFOQA), and structural load analysis. Following the successful completion of the FAA STC for the Fortress CVR25 recorder, Curtiss-Wright, in collaboration with SRC, is now ideally positioned to provide the flight recorder to T-6 Texan II aircraft operators around the globe seeking to modernize their existing flight recorder solution to take advantage of advanced features and capabilities.

Developing the Next Generation of Voice and Data Recorders
The custom Fortress recorder designed for SRC features a built-in quick access recorder that supports a removable solid-state drive (SSD) memory module. At under 11.5 lb (5.25 kg), including a 90-day underwater locator beacon (ULB) designed to TSO-C121B with integral battery to DO-227A, Fortress provides significantly more functionality and capability than the current system, with a lower ship set weight, providing operators with more data in support of training and long term operational objectives for the aircraft.

The recorder, which is a form-fit-function upgrade to the existing flight recording system on the T-6 Texan II, protects parametric flight data and 3 channels of voice communications along with an area microphone channel to crash conditions in accordance with ED-112A[1]. In addition to serving as a combined CVR/FDR flight recorder, Fortress will also support data acquisition and real time data processing, such as High-G event detection, used to produce the data for post-flight analysis. The data will also be used in flight safety and pilot training programs, including the U.S. Air Force’s Military Flight Operations Quality Assurance (MFOQA), Aircraft Structural Integrity (ASIP) and Aircraft Safety Program (ASAP) programs.