European Flight School Adds ‘Black Boxes’ to 35 Training Aircraft

A European flight school is adding flight data recorders to 35 training aircraft to improve flight tracking, safety analysis and student debriefs.

Amelia Walsh

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 03:40 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Matt Ryan

FlyBy Aviation Academy

Key Takeaways:

FlyBy Aviation Academy, a Spanish flight school, is equipping 35 training aircraft with advanced flight data recorders from FlyData.io, a pioneering move in European flight training.
The installed flight data recorders track real-time performance metrics like position, altitude, airspeed, pitch, bank, G-loads, vibration, and cabin conditions, enabling 3D flight reconstruction.
This technology significantly enhances post-flight debriefing for students and instructors with objective data, moving beyond subjective recollection.
The system also bolsters fleet safety by providing high-frequency data for identifying risks and supporting incident investigations for the academy's operations and safety teams.

See a mistake? Contact us.

A Spanish flight school is equipping 35 training aircraft with flight data recorders that can track and record aircraft performance in real time.

FlyBy Aviation Academy has signed an agreement with FlyData.io to install the company’s flight data recorders across part of its fleet. Installation began this month, according to the companies.

The equipment is designed to function much like a flight data recorder on an airliner, although it is intended for general aviation aircraft. It records data including position, altitude, airspeed, pitch, bank angle, G-loads and vibration. The system also records sound and cabin carbon monoxide levels and provides live aircraft tracking.

The recorded information can be used after a flight to review the aircraft’s flight path and performance. FlyData.io says its system can reconstruct an abnormal flight or incident in three dimensions within minutes.

For flight training, the data gives instructors another tool for post-flight debriefing. Instead of relying only on a student’s recollection of a maneuver or flight, instructors can review recorded flight-path and performance information with the student.

FlyBy said the system will also give its operations and safety teams more information about the fleet. The academy’s safety manager said access to high-frequency flight data can help identify risks and support incident investigations.

The installation makes FlyBy the first flight training organization in Spain, and one of the first in Europe, to deploy the technology across a fleet at this scale, according to the company. It is also the largest contract by aircraft count for FlyData.io to date.

FlyBy operates a fleet of more than 45 aircraft, including Cessna 172s, Piper PA-28s, Tecnam P2008s, P2006Ts and other training aircraft. The academy is based in Spain and provides EASA-approved pilot training.

Continue discussion - Visit the forum

Replies: 1

jerryzezas says:

October 1, 2026

I’m curious as to why the media, yourselves included, continue to call flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders “black boxes” and then having to correct yourselves with the proper name for these devices. No one else calls them “black boxes” but the media, but you continue to act as if we won’t know what you’re talking about unless you refer to them by the only name you seem to think that we’ll understand. You’re treating your readers like idiots. Please stop.