Thu, Jul 22, 2010
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."
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