Story ID: 
Universal CVFDR Gains TSO, STC Approvals
By: Stephen Pope
Caption: The FAA last month issued an STC applicable to the King Air series for Universal Avionics’ new cockpit voice recorder, which is part of a lineup of five mo
Word Count: 157
The FAA last month issued an STC applicable to the King Air series for Universal Avionics’ new cockpit voice recorder, which is part of a lineup of five model options ranging from a basic CVR to a combined CVR and flight-data recorder (CVFDR), available with or without internal recorder independent power supply (Rips). Universal said the CVFDR’s internal Rips option is unique in the data recorder market. The Rips function provides a backup power source in the event of a main power failure. According to a proposed FAA rule, all forward-fit CVR installations in aircraft with more than 10 seats must have Rips capabilities by March. The Universal CVFDR’s internal Rips option allows aircraft operators to meet the Rips requirement without the additional weight of an external Rips unit, the manufacturer said. The CVFDR records 120 minutes of cockpit audio, stores 120 minutes of datalink messages, supports 25 hours of flight data recording and interfaces with data downloading tools.