You know the black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?

Question

You know the black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?

Answer 1

Because the plane would be so heavy it couldn't fly. The black box is made of reinforced metal alloy and because it is quite small, the walls can be extremely thick relative to the box size. As you increase the size of an object, the mass increases proportionally, and by the time you get to the size of a 747, the whole thing would be too heavy to support itself, much less fly.

Answer 2

The simplest reason is that its not a good material to use in aircraft construction.

Most aircraft  airframes are made out of either an aluminum or titanium alloy that allows for good electrical conductance and weight.  The reason the black box is made of that heat-treated steel alloy is that is is the most strongest, structurally sound material to protect the flight recorder. in the event that the airplane goes down, the NTSB needs to know what happened to the flight and if the data recorder is lost, then they cannot correct a problem on future/ existing aircraft.

Additionally, you may not know this, but the black box material is not as good an electrical conductor as aluminum. the reason you want an aluminum airframe is so that when the plane is hit by lightning, it does not absorb the strike. aluminum conducts the strike from one point to another and allows for the charge to escape. this makes the aircraft safer. not to mention lighter.

Answer 3

Too heavy.

Answer 4

Actually, there are many "black boxes," on modern aircraft.  It's a term many people in aviation, and others, use to describe something that has workings inside that few people understand.  Most radio's, for instance, would be called black boxes.  Of course, you are probably talking about the FDR and CVR, aka the Flight Data Recorder, or Cockpit Voice Recorder.  These are the two items that the NTSB uses to find out the probable cause of any accident.  

Trivia question...Do you know what color they really are?  Orange!  That's to make it easier to find them after an accident.  They also have a radio beacon so they can be found in the forest or under water.

Answer 5

If you cut and paste this question into the SEARCH FOR QUESTIONS box above you will find 34 pages with ten or so on each page where this same question  was asked before.  It has become a joke here at yahoo answers that people keep asking that same frankly ridiculous question.

Answer 6

jessica the substance is not possesing magical features, the structure is simply sturdy and bulky. making a plane out of that material /steel, mostly/ would turn the plane into an armor. Common knowledge is that armors do not fly. thats why.

Answer 7

This is one of the most frequently asked questions.  It was funny the first 2-3 times but has gotten boring after 4,782 repetitions.

Please use the "search for questions" box at the top of the screen to find previous cases of the same question.  Save time and trouble for you and for us.

Thanks.

Answer 8

then you would be flying around in a black box

planes are made from aluminum so they are lightweight

Answer 9

*yawn*

Answer 10

Too Heavy.....

Answer 11

Jessica, with enough impact organisms (even in a 100% indestructable container) die.