[jimworcs]

Sinbad,

. In fact everything that is said in the cockpit is heard by the control tower.

I am afraid you are wrong about cockpit conversations. This is absolutely not true, and indeed most communications are recorded only in the last 30 minutes by the CVR.

It is time this was changed. The whole concept of a "black box" needs to be revisited following the AF crash in the South Atlantic. Flight data and conversations should be sent automatically digitally during the flight and recorded remotely, covering the entire flight. This would also enable proper investigation of incidents such as the recent NWA/Delta over-flight event. Privacy concerns can easily be addressed by making it available only to national investigating authorities such as the FAA, JAA or CAA following an incident.