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United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

AC 20-160A - Onboard Recording of Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) In Crash Survivable Memory

Document Information

Number
20-160A
Title
Onboard Recording of Controller Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) In Crash Survivable Memory
Status
Active
Date issued
2016-09-28
Office of Primary Responsibility
AIR-130, Aviation Safety - Aircraft Certification Service, Aircraft Engineering Division
Description

This advisory circular (AC) provides guidance material for applicants seeking an airworthiness approval for aircraft with an installed Data Link Recording (DLR) system that records Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC). This AC describesan acceptable means, but not the only means, to gain design approval of your data link communication recording system. However, if you use the means described in the AC, you must follow it in its entirety.

In this AC, we focus on data to be recorded and logical recording point locations for storing CPDLC messages in onboard crash-survivable memory. These logical point locations, also called observation points, are physical locations within airborne avionic architectures deemed ideal for recording system data sources, as defined in Section 7.1 of this AC.

Content