Pilot/Controller Glossary

FLIGHT RECORDER

This reproduces published FAA reference text for study. It does not replace the current official FAA publication or regulation.

A general term applied to any instrument or device that records information about the performance of an aircraft in flight or about conditions encountered in flight. Flight recorders may make records of airspeed, outside air temperature, vertical acceleration, engine RPM, manifold pressure, and other pertinent variables for a given flight.

Retrieved from ecfr.gov on July 18, 2026.