David Warren (inventor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Warren
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Warren with a prototype of a black box
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| Born |
David Ronald de Mey Warren
20 March 1925 Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory, Australia
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| Died | 19 July 2010 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney Imperial College London University of Melbourne |
| Known for | Flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder, "the black box" |
| Family | Grace Warren (sister) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Defence Science and Technology Organisation |
David Ronald de Mey Warren (20 March 1925 – 19 July 2010) was a clever Australian scientist. He is most famous for inventing and developing the "black box." This important device records what happens during a flight. It includes the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.
Contents
David Warren's Early Life
David Warren was born on a remote mission station called Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory of Australia. He was born on March 20, 1925. He was the first European child born on that island. David had three siblings.
He went to school at Launceston Church Grammar School and Trinity Grammar School, New South Wales. When David was nine years old, his father died in a plane crash in 1934. This sad event later inspired David's most famous invention.
David studied at several universities. He earned a science degree from the University of Sydney. He also got a PhD from Imperial College London and a teaching diploma from the University of Melbourne.
David Warren's Career and Inventions
David Warren worked as a research scientist in Melbourne, Australia, from 1952 to 1983. He worked at the Aeronautical Research Laboratories, which is now part of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.
His big idea for the black box came after a plane crash in 1953. He was investigating the crash of the world's first commercial jet, the Comet. At a trade show, he saw a small voice recorder. This gave him an idea.
He thought, "If we had a recorder in the plane, we could find it after a crash. Then we would know what happened!" He realized that sounds in the cockpit could give important clues.
Before David's invention, some devices recorded flight information. But they didn't record voices and couldn't be reused. David's invention used magnetic tape. This meant it could be easily erased and recorded over. This made it practical for every flight.
His invention, the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), added a new way to investigate accidents. It records sounds and conversations in the cockpit. This has been extremely helpful in figuring out why planes crash. Sometimes, even sounds like alarms or strange noises, not just voices, have helped solve mysteries.
Awards and Recognition for David Warren
David Warren received many awards for his important work. These include:
- The Australian Institute of Energy Medal (1999)
- The Hartnett Medal of the Royal Society of the Arts (2000)
- The Centenary Medal (2001)
- The Lawrence Hargrave Award (2001)
- Being named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) (2002)
- The ICAO Edward Warner Award (2016)
Honoring David Warren's Legacy
People continued to honor David Warren even after his death.
- In 2008, Qantas, an Australian airline, named one of their large Airbus A380 planes after him. This was to celebrate his contributions to aviation.
- David Warren passed away on July 19, 2010, at the age of 85. He was buried in a special casket. It had a label that playfully said, "Flight Recorder Inventor; Do Not Open." This was a nod to the "DO NOT OPEN" labels on his black boxes.
- In 2012, a road in Canberra, Australia, was named David Warren Road.
- He was added to the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2013.
- In 2014, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation renamed their main building in Canberra the "David Warren Building."
- On his 96th birthday in 2021, Google honored him with a special Google Doodle on its homepage in some countries.
