PRELIMS
BLACK BOX
What is a Black Box?
A flight recorder that helps investigators understand the cause of aircraft accidents.
Types of Black Boxes:
- Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR): Records pilot conversations, engine sounds, and cockpit audio.
- Flight Data Recorder (FDR):
Logs over 80 parameters like altitude, airspeed, autopilot status, pitch, roll, etc.
Design & Location:
- Built with titanium or steel, heat-insulated, waterproof.
- Usually located at the tail section of aircraft (least impact during crash).
- Equipped with underwater locator beacons that emit signals for 30 days.
Origin:
- Concept by Dr. David Warren (Australia, 1953).
- Became mandatory in Australia in 1963.
- Now compulsory on all commercial aircraft worldwide.
Why Called “Black Box”?
- Despite the name, it is orange in colour for visibility.
- The term originated from early devices that needed light-proof casings (from the photographic era).
Evolution:
- From metal strips → magnetic tapes → solid-state memory chips.
GOLDEN HOUR (Medicine)
Golden Hour (Definition):
The first 60 minutes after a traumatic injury, during which prompt medical treatment can significantly improve survival rates.
Key Facts:
Average Ambulance Response Time in India:
- Urban: 25–30 minutes
- Rural: Often longer
- Delhi (2021): 17+ minutes
- Karnataka CAG Report (2021): ~90,000 crash victims missed timely care due to ambulance delay.
Technological Interventions:
- GPS Integration: Enables real-time ambulance tracking, dynamic route optimisation, and advance hospital alerts.
- In Chennai & Kolkata: Reduced response times by 12–15%.
- Signal Pre-emption Systems: Allow ambulances to trigger green signals automatically.
- Issue: <20% of urban signals support this.
Bike Ambulances:
- Example: Under Karnataka’s Platinum Ten Minutes initiative, bike ambulances arrived in under 6 minutes, covering 1/3rd of trauma cases in Bengaluru.
Barriers:
- Poor digital infrastructure at traffic signals.
- Tech issues: GPS loss, dead batteries, software glitches.
Public apathy:
- 62% of ambulance drivers report non-cooperation from motorists.
- 45% manually request right of way weekly.
EXERCISE SHAKTI
What: A joint military exercise between India and France.
Edition: 8th edition of the biennial exercise.
When and Where: Held from June 18, 2025, at La Cavalerie, France.
Frequency: Conducted biennially, alternately in India and France.
Last Held: The 7th edition was held in India.
Objective: To enhance joint military capability for Multi-Domain Operations in a Sub-Conventional Scenario.
Focus Areas:
- Interoperability
- Sharing best practices
- Tactics, techniques, and procedures
- Building camaraderie and mutual trust
Other India–France Joint Exercises:
- Exercise Varuna – Naval
- Exercise Garuda – Air Force
- Exercise Desert Knight – Air Force
SHIPKI LA
Location: In Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, on the India–China border.
Altitude: 3,930 metres — one of the highest motorable passes in India.
Border Role:
- Serves as a boundary post between India and China.
- Lies along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- Manned by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
River Connection: The Sutlej River enters India through this pass.
(Known as Langqen Zangbo in Tibet.)
Historical Trade Route: An ancient India–Tibet trade corridor.
Old Names: Previously known as Pema La or Shared Gate / Shared Pass.
Recent Development:
- Opened to domestic tourists in 2025.
- Part of a strategy to boost tourism and economic activity in Kinnaur and Lahaul–Spiti (bordering China for ~240 km).
