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Old Thu Feb 24, 2005, 08:47am
bob jenkins bob jenkins is offline
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Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 18,019
Quote:
Originally posted by Forksref


If the black box survives the plane crashes, why don't they make the whole plane out of that material?
I've never really understood that joke -- the first possibilities that come to my mind:

1) The box doesn't always "survive" (that is, the data in the box might be lost.

2) It would make the plane too heavy.

3) The metal has different characteristics from aircraft-grade aluminum that make it unsuitable for other parts of the aircraft.

4) It's too expensive.

5) Sometimes it's better for the plane to "break apart" in a crash to absorb some of the energy
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