His Father Died In An Airplane Crash In 1934

The Australian who is credited with coming up with the idea for the Flight Data and Cockpit Voice Recorders ... known simply as the "Black Boxes", passed away in Australia on Monday at the age of 85.

David Warren's father was aboard the mail plane "Miss Hobart" when it went down in 1934 without a trace over the southern Bass Strait in Australia. David was then only 9, but as an adult, working as a research scientist at the Aeronautical Research Laboratories in Melbourne investigating the 1953 crash of a de Havilland Comet airliner, he hit on an idea that would revolutionize aviation.

Warren had seen a miniature pocket recorder at a trade fair, and during the investigation he thought to himself that if someone had been using such a device on the airplane when it went down, it could possibly be found in the wreckage. The recording could give clues to what might have happened on board.

The international news service AFP reports that Warren built a prototype in 1956 that could capture four hours of both voice recordings and instrument readings. The Australian Department of Civil Aviation told him that his "instrument has little immediate direct use in civil aviation."  The Air Force said it was likely to record "more expletives than explanations."

Warren eventually demonstrated his invention over lunch to a British official visiting Australia in 1958, and from that meeting, the "black box" was born.

AFP reports that it was 10 years before the devices were common in Australian aircraft. The are now, of course, standard equipment on all commercial airliners. In a statement on his death, the Australian Defense Department, in a 180 degree turnaround from 1956, said "Dr. Warren's flight data recorder has made an invaluable contribution to safety in world aviation."

FMI: http://www.ntsb.gov/Aviation/Manuals/FDR_Handbook.pdf