Forum: F-16 Procedures

How much information (minutes of flight) does the Crash Survivable Flight Data Recorder (CSFDR) contain?
Can one view the information using the EDNA?
Is the information erased when applying power to the aircraft?
Is EDNA and Viper the same thing?

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The following answers are for CSFDR Type 1 (mishap) data:
1. Minutes of data recorded from ground or flight ops are variable depending on the type of system components installed and the level of activity of the aircraft. Early CSFDR systems that are still in use may store as little as 5 minutes of data for a highly active flight segment. Newer systems can store multiple hours of data.
2. Yes for Type 1 data; no for other data types.
3. Depends on the type of power applied. Just turning on the aircraft battery won't cause stored data to be overwritten with new data; however, running the engine or applying external power will cause new data to be stored and possibly overwrite older data of interest. This is a common problem if the CSFDR is not downloaded after an event of interest before maintenance troubleshooting begins.
4. I think Viper is a newer version of EDNA; but, don't quote me on it as I was more involved with CSFDR data analysis.

You are correct, Larry, the VIPER MLV replaced the EDNA, although there are plenty of EDNAs still in use.

Labrador, everything you need to know about the CSFDR is in the tech orders.

Best Regards,

JoeSambor wrote:

You are correct, Larry, the VIPER MLV replaced the EDNA, Labrador, everything you need to know about the CSFDR is in the tech orders.

I see the downloading procedure in the 27FI, but fail to see a warning/caution against applying power (main power switch). Am I looking in the wrong TO?

I no longer have access to tech orders; but, I remember the CSFDR system was covered in the 31 series.

If you're looking in the 27FI for information on downloading CSFDR, you're looking in the wrong place. 31JG has download instructions. 31GS tells you about the CSFDR system and the signals it receives. 1F-16()-38 tells you about how the ASIP program works, and is F-16 specific.

You must have aircraft power on to download the CSFDR.

Best Regards,