Rather, it's a certification issue, and the certification process itself is so expensive that you don't simply upgrade every black box every 4 years as storage gets cheaper.
Rather, it's a certification issue, and the certification process itself is so expensive that you don't simply upgrade every black box every 4 years as storage gets cheaper.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has asked for the installation of cockpit image recorders in large transport aircraft to provide information that would supplement existing CVR and FDR data in accident investigations. They also recommended image recorders be placed into smaller aircraft that are not required to have a CVR or FDR.[4]
Such systems, estimated to cost less than $8,000 installed, typically consist of a camera and microphone located in the cockpit to continuously record cockpit instrumentation, the outside viewing area, engine sounds, radio communications, and ambient cockpit sounds. As with conventional CVRs and FDRs, data from such a system is stored in a crash-protected unit to ensure survivability.[4]
"Revisions to Cockpit Voice Recorder and Digital Flight Data Recorder Regulations" [1]
The FAA proposed that all CVRs be able to retain the last two hours of cockpit audio. Both the NTSB and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada noted that the short duration of available cockpit audio hindered the investigation of several accidents.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) did not support the proposal to increase CVR recording time because the FAA did not propose any increase in the privacy protections regarding the access and use of information recorded on a CVR. The ALPA stated that existing protections are inadequate despite years of its attempts to change the standard.
[1] http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2008-03-07/pdf/E8-3949.pdf