Universal Avionics and Textron Aviation have signed a contract for the avionics manufacturer to supply 25-hour cockpit voice recorders (CVRs) for the Cessna Citation Longitude, Latitude, Ascend, and CJ4 Gen 2. The FAA has proposed rulemaking to increase the CVR recording time from the existing two hours to 25 hours, which the NTSB has long recommended.

The contract calls for Universal Avionics to supply its Kapture cockpit voice recorder/flight data recorder (CVR/FDR), which in addition to recording flight crew communications for 25 hours can also capture more than 100 hours of flight data. The data is available for later analysis as part of flight data monitoring programs.

Kapture CVR/FDRs are fitted with 90-day underwater locator beacons with non-lithium batteries. They can record more than 25 hours of non-audio content such as rotor speed and datalink messages, as well as 90 hours of Arinc 717 data and at least 25 hours of Arinc 429 data.

“This contract showcases the trust aircraft owners and manufacturers place in Kapture to meet evolving regulatory requirements and enhance data collection,” said Universal Avionics CEO Dror Yahav. “The Kapture system's compliance with the latest mandates combined with its robust features and data analysis capabilities make it a compelling choice for discerning operators.”