Person

Warren, David Ronald (1925 - 2010)

Born
20 March 1925
Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia
Died
19 July 2010
Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Engineer

Summary

David R. Warren, of Aeronautical Research Laboratories, developed the prototype of the black box flight recorder in 1954. The idea was rejected by the Australian Department of Civil Aviation and the Royal Australian Air Force and the product was commercialised by an American company. The flight recorder unit is now standard equipment on all commercial airlines and in many military aircraft throughout the world.

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Details

Chronology

1944 - 1946
Career position - Teacher of mathematics and chemistry, Geelong Grammar School, Victoria
1947 - 1948
Career position - Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Sydney
1948 - 1951
Career position - Scientific Officer, Woomera Rocket Range and Imperial College, London
1952 - 1983
Career position - Principal Research Scientist, Aeronautical Research Laboratories, Melbourne
1958 - 1983
Career position - Chairman, Australian and New Zealand Section, Combustion Institute
1981 - 1982
Career position - Scientific Advisor (Energy) to the Victorian Government
1999
Award - AIE Medal, Australian Institute of Energy
2000
Award - Hartnett Medal, Royal Society of the Arts, United Kingdom
1 Jan 2001
Award - Centenary Medal - for service to Australian society in the aviation industry
2001
Award - Lawrence Hargrave Award, Royal Aeronautical Society, United Kingdom
2002
Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to the aviation industry, particularly through the early conceptual work and prototype development of the 'Black Box' flight data recorder

Published resources

Books

  • Knight, Linsay and Cheng, Christopher, Australia's Greatest Inventions and Innovations (North Sydney, N.S.W.: Random House Australia, 2012), 184 pp. Pages 158-160 (Black box flight recorder 157-160). Details
  • Witham, Janice Peterson, Black Box: David Warren and the Creation of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (South Melbourne: Lothian, 2005), 215 pp. Details

Journal Articles

Resources

See also

Rosanne Walker

Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 14 August 2019

EOAS ID: biogs/P004047b.htm

This Edition: 2026 February - 1926 Centenaries
Kooyang - Gariwerd calendar - Late summer: late January to late March - season of eels
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