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.
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 - Australian Institute of Energy Medal
- 2000
- Award - Hartnett Medal, Royal Society of the Arts, United Kingdom
- 2001
- Award - Lawrence Hargrave Award, Royal Aeronautical Society, United Kingdom
- 2001
- Award - Centenary Medal for service to Australian society in the aviation industry
- 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
Related entries
Sibling
Published resources
Books
- Witham, Janice Peterson, Black Box: David Warren and the Creation of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (South Melbourne: Lothian, 2005), 215 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Genocchio, Edward., 'Safety features for aircraft.', Engineers Australia, 81 (10) (2009), 34, https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.816944010005312. Details
- Peake, Owen, 'The black box flight recorder', Engineering Heritage Australia magazine, 3 (2) (2019), 16-9. Details
Resources
- 'Warren, David R.', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1476908. Details
See also
- Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_w.html. Details
Rosanne Walker
Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 14 August 2019
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