5 ms·

Don Bateman, inventor of the GPWS, has died

105 points by cf100clunk 3y ago

cf100clunk 3y ago
Obituary at the Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/don-bateman-saved-more-lives-than-anyone-in-aviation-history/ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/don-bateman-saved-more... Previous HN discussion of his GPWS system: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12261578 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12261578 Wikipedia article on Ground Proximity Warning System: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_syste...
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  C. Donald Bateman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Donald_Bateman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Donald_Bateman
- canucker2016 3y ago
  from the Seattle Times obit: "When he handed in his piece, she told him: “You sure can’t spell. You’re going to be an engineer.”" "...Bateman’s attitude was always to get some new technology up and running, even if it was only 60% of the solution. “His approach was, let’s get it done and fill in the other 40% as we gain experience over time,” Ishihara said." Obit mentions he ran in long distance races. A search of athlinks.com for "Donald Bateman" born in 1932 shows mostly races around the turn of the 21st century with one result from a 1982 Mercer Island half marathon in 1:37:11. see https://www.athlinks.com/search/unclaimed?category=unclaimed&filters=%7B%22birthDateFilter%22%3A%7B%22enabled%22%3Atrue%2C%22value%22%3A%221932%22%7D%2C%22locationFilter%22%3A%7B%22enabled%22%3Afalse%2C%22value%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%7D&term=Donald%20Bateman https://www.athlinks.com/search/unclaimed?category=unclaimed...
  - moffkalast 3y ago
    > "You sure can’t spell." Bateman: "Let's see Paul Allen's spelling."
- wolverine876 3y ago
  The Seattle Times obit probably should be the OP. The current OP in the AV Herald is a few paragraphs.
Wiki39366 3y ago
[flagged]
ethbr0 3y ago
Some direct link context on ground proximity warning system (GPWS) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_system#History https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_sys... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrain_awareness_and_warning_system#History https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrain_awareness_and_warnin... Or, to provide an excerpt: >> "Prior to the development of GPWS, large passenger aircraft were involved in 3.5 fatal [controlled flight into terrain] accidents per year, falling to 2 per year in the mid-1970s. A 2006 report stated that from 1974, when the U.S. FAA made it a requirement for large aircraft to carry such equipment, until the time of the report, there had not been a single passenger fatality in a [controlled flight into terrain] crash by a large jet in U.S. airspace." Preventing 2 aircraft accidents per year is a very impressive legacy. >> Note: "After 1974, there were still some CFIT accidents that GPWS was unable to help prevent, due to the "blind spot" of those early GPWS systems. More advanced systems were developed." (i.e. flying into a vertical feature that a down-looking radar altimeter can't see)
- techwizrd 3y ago
  TAWS and GPWS have made a tremendous impact on aviation safety. Beyond providing information to the pilots, I've found GPWS alerting rates very useful in identifying potential safety issues. While I know not everyone is a fan of our strict rules regarding inclusion of TAWS, TCAS, GPWS, ADS-B, etc., bringing together all that safety data [0] has really helped us run effective Safety Management Systems [1]. 0: https://portal.asias.aero/ https://portal.asias.aero/ 1: https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/sms https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/sms
seabass-labrax 3y ago
RIP; Don Bateman has performed the ultimate terrain escape manoeuvre now.
danielschonfeld 3y ago
Ground Proximity Warning System …for those who aren’t into aviation
cyberax 3y ago
Pull up! Pull up!
- moffkalast 3y ago
  T E R R A I N
  - sacnoradhq 3y ago
    T O O L O W, T E R R A I N
- FL410 3y ago
  And if you're really into it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FwwBYzU2gE& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FwwBYzU2gE&
  - kayodelycaon 3y ago
    https://youtu.be/4qsFI9l0bJk https://youtu.be/4qsFI9l0bJk I’ll do one better, here’s a video explaining the system and shows how to escape dangerous terrain in a flight simulator. :)
- delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
  R E T A R D R E T A R D
  - sacnoradhq 3y ago
    You must be an Airbus who insults its pilots and only allows them to offer suggested inputs rather than direct-direct law.
    - moffkalast 3y ago
      Well it's half French, so the pilots are lucky that's the only thing they get called.
- 3y ago
djmips 3y ago
Retired at 84 in 2016!
kunwon1 3y ago
[1] is the story of American Airlines flight 965, one of the flights that originally spurred adoption of the EGPWS. They say regulations are written in blood, and the stories of the development of a lot of airborne safety equipment are similar. The original GPWS was implemented, in large part, because of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 [2] The first citation is from Admiral Cloudberg, an excellent writer who focuses on articles about aircraft accidents. Each is a 15-30 minute read and I've enjoyed them all. [1] https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/children-of-the-magenta-the-crash-of-american-airlines-flight-965-b16f57c34cfe https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/children-of-the-magenta-... [2] https://www.juneauempire.com/news/the-disaster-that-taught-us-to-fly-safely-45-years-after-flight-1866/ https://www.juneauempire.com/news/the-disaster-that-taught-u...
jpgvm 3y ago
One of the greatest engineers to ever live. RIP Don.

105 points by cf100clunk 3y ago

Obituary at the Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/don-bateman-saved-more-lives-than-anyone-in-aviation-history/ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/don-bateman-saved-more... Previous HN discussion of his GPWS system: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12261578 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12261578 Wikipedia article on Ground Proximity Warning System: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_syste...

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
toomuchtodo 3y ago
C. Donald Bateman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Donald_Bateman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Donald_Bateman
canucker2016 3y ago
from the Seattle Times obit: "When he handed in his piece, she told him: “You sure can’t spell. You’re going to be an engineer.”" "...Bateman’s attitude was always to get some new technology up and running, even if it was only 60% of the solution. “His approach was, let’s get it done and fill in the other 40% as we gain experience over time,” Ishihara said." Obit mentions he ran in long distance races. A search of athlinks.com for "Donald Bateman" born in 1932 shows mostly races around the turn of the 21st century with one result from a 1982 Mercer Island half marathon in 1:37:11. see https://www.athlinks.com/search/unclaimed?category=unclaimed&filters=%7B%22birthDateFilter%22%3A%7B%22enabled%22%3Atrue%2C%22value%22%3A%221932%22%7D%2C%22locationFilter%22%3A%7B%22enabled%22%3Afalse%2C%22value%22%3A%5B%5D%7D%7D&term=Donald%20Bateman https://www.athlinks.com/search/unclaimed?category=unclaimed...
- moffkalast 3y ago
  > "You sure can’t spell." Bateman: "Let's see Paul Allen's spelling."
wolverine876 3y ago
The Seattle Times obit probably should be the OP. The current OP in the AV Herald is a few paragraphs.

Wiki39366 3y ago

[flagged]

ethbr0 3y ago

Some direct link context on ground proximity warning system (GPWS) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_system#History https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_proximity_warning_sys... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrain_awareness_and_warning_system#History https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrain_awareness_and_warnin... Or, to provide an excerpt: >> "Prior to the development of GPWS, large passenger aircraft were involved in 3.5 fatal [controlled flight into terrain] accidents per year, falling to 2 per year in the mid-1970s. A 2006 report stated that from 1974, when the U.S. FAA made it a requirement for large aircraft to carry such equipment, until the time of the report, there had not been a single passenger fatality in a [controlled flight into terrain] crash by a large jet in U.S. airspace." Preventing 2 aircraft accidents per year is a very impressive legacy. >> Note: "After 1974, there were still some CFIT accidents that GPWS was unable to help prevent, due to the "blind spot" of those early GPWS systems. More advanced systems were developed." (i.e. flying into a vertical feature that a down-looking radar altimeter can't see)

techwizrd 3y ago
TAWS and GPWS have made a tremendous impact on aviation safety. Beyond providing information to the pilots, I've found GPWS alerting rates very useful in identifying potential safety issues. While I know not everyone is a fan of our strict rules regarding inclusion of TAWS, TCAS, GPWS, ADS-B, etc., bringing together all that safety data [0] has really helped us run effective Safety Management Systems [1]. 0: https://portal.asias.aero/ https://portal.asias.aero/ 1: https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/sms https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/sms

seabass-labrax 3y ago

RIP; Don Bateman has performed the ultimate terrain escape manoeuvre now.

danielschonfeld 3y ago

Ground Proximity Warning System …for those who aren’t into aviation

cyberax 3y ago

Pull up! Pull up!

moffkalast 3y ago
T E R R A I N
- sacnoradhq 3y ago
  T O O L O W, T E R R A I N
FL410 3y ago
And if you're really into it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FwwBYzU2gE& https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FwwBYzU2gE&
- kayodelycaon 3y ago
  https://youtu.be/4qsFI9l0bJk https://youtu.be/4qsFI9l0bJk I’ll do one better, here’s a video explaining the system and shows how to escape dangerous terrain in a flight simulator. :)
delta_p_delta_x 3y ago
R E T A R D R E T A R D
- sacnoradhq 3y ago
  You must be an Airbus who insults its pilots and only allows them to offer suggested inputs rather than direct-direct law.
  - moffkalast 3y ago
    Well it's half French, so the pilots are lucky that's the only thing they get called.
3y ago

djmips 3y ago

Retired at 84 in 2016!

kunwon1 3y ago

[1] is the story of American Airlines flight 965, one of the flights that originally spurred adoption of the EGPWS. They say regulations are written in blood, and the stories of the development of a lot of airborne safety equipment are similar. The original GPWS was implemented, in large part, because of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 [2] The first citation is from Admiral Cloudberg, an excellent writer who focuses on articles about aircraft accidents. Each is a 15-30 minute read and I've enjoyed them all. [1] https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/children-of-the-magenta-the-crash-of-american-airlines-flight-965-b16f57c34cfe https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/children-of-the-magenta-... [2] https://www.juneauempire.com/news/the-disaster-that-taught-us-to-fly-safely-45-years-after-flight-1866/ https://www.juneauempire.com/news/the-disaster-that-taught-u...

jpgvm 3y ago

One of the greatest engineers to ever live. RIP Don.