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Aircraft 'black box' inventor dies in Australia

ejaz007

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Aircraft 'black box' inventor dies in Australia
Updated at: 1025 PST, Wednesday, July 21, 2010

SYDNEY: The Australian inventor of the "black box" flight data recorder, a crucial component of plane crash investigations, has died aged 85, officials said Wednesday.

David Warren came up with the idea after probing the crash of the world's first commercial jet, the Comet, in 1953. He died on Monday, Australia's defence department said.

"Dr. Warren's flight data recorder has made an invaluable contribution to safety in world aviation," the department said in a statement. Warren was an aeronautical researcher based in Melbourne when he worked on the mysterious Comet disaster, and realised that a cockpit recording of voices and data would have helped the investigation.

He built the prototype "black box" in 1956. It was able to store four hours of voice recordings and instrument readings. Warren, who was born in 1925 in a remote part of north-eastern Australia, is survived by his wife, four children and seven grandchildren.

Aircraft 'black box' inventor dies in Australia
 
"Aircraft 'black box' inventor dies in Australia"

@ ejaz007
Thanks for posting. This invention is one of the biggest boons to 'Transportation Safety' not just aviation safety. The 'black box' concept percolated down from aviation to the marine transportation industry (albeit after a long time and accidents). Now it is sought to be introduced in rail transportation. This is has been a 'very important' tool for accident/incident analysis and subsequently for 'accident prevention' measures.
 
And he was fittingly interned in one of his creation...

flight_rec_red.jpg


Just kidding...Just kidding...

The FDR is not black in color as most people believed. The bright orange aid in locating the device. It is (mis)called the 'black box' simply because of its mysterious operations, which really is no mystery.
 
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