UAM.IDE.MVCA.185 Cockpit voice recorder (CVR)

(a)A VCA with an MCTOM of more than 5 700 kg shall be equipped with a CVR.

(b)The CVR shall be capable of retaining the data recorded during at least the preceding 2 hours.

(c)The CVR shall record with reference to a timescale on means other than magnetic tape or magnetic wire:

(1)voice communications transmitted from or received in the flight crew compartment by radio;

(2)crew members’ voice communications using the interphone system and the public address system (PAS), if installed;

(3)the aural environment of the flight crew compartment, including the audio signals received from the flight crew microphone;

(4)voice or audio signals identifying navigation or approach aids introduced into a headset or a speaker.

(d)The CVR shall, depending on the availability of electrical power, record as early as possible during the cockpit checks at the beginning of the flight prior to the VCA being capable of moving under its own power until the cockpit checks immediately following lift and thrust units powering off at the end of the flight. In any case, the CVR shall automatically start to record prior to the aircraft moving under its own power and shall continue to record until the termination of the flight.

(e)A function to modify CVR recordings shall be at the disposal of the PIC so that recordings made prior to the operation of that function cannot be retrieved using normal replay or copying techniques.

(f)If the CVR is not deployable, it shall have a device to assist in locating it under water with a minimum underwater transmission time of 90 days. If the CVR is deployable, it shall have an automatic emergency locator transmitter (ELT).