Don Bateman - EGPWS Inventor Retires
 

Some of us wouldn't be here if not for his efforts :ok:

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2...safety-device/

Than you Don.

Most will never know.

To paraphrase RR...

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. Don doesn't have that problem.”

Fair winds and a following sea, enjoy retirement, you've earned it.

it would be interesting to read about the purchase of data from the former Soviet Union. I think a book could be written about that aspect alone of his extraordinary work.

That is an interesting point. At some stages his ideas were considered "crazy" , ( ie getting the terrain data from Russia). If it was all happening now I imagine he would have been stone-walled at several different stages along the way. Progress?

If you do not have a billionaire like Elon Musk or private investors willing to take losses for an eventual pay-off you have many government programs which are today very underfunded because of budget cuts. This is what happens when taxes on those that can pay them, are so very low.

Ah yes, the aircraft manufacturers and the airlines: The Tombstone Imperative: The Truth about Air SafetyBook by Andrew Weir. Yet this invention has saved them countless millions of dollars and prevented some from going out of business! But when everyone tells you are crazy - you must be on to something.

I think what makes this more remarkable is the persistence and resolution he showed to solve a problem that the industry hadn't started looking for a solution to yet. He was working against the industry status quo. A much greater achievement than had there been a grant and competitive processes to find the solution.

Only retired that's great, thought you were going to say he'd died.

Obviously a smart cookie that man.

When he does finally pass away and they lower him into the grave, it'd be rather wonderful if within the casket they had a device which halfway down blurted out "Too Low Terrain Too Low Terrain"

Pretty sure he's been retired (he's 84) for all intents and purposes for a while, having handed the 'baton' to Yasuo Ishihari.

framer:

Government fiat moved first GPWS and subsequently EGPWS. Don was always ahead of the "power curve" but the airlines wanted no part of GPWS. (pretty much the same inertia then as today.)

Then TWA 514 plowed into a speck of a hill west of Dulles on December 1, 1974. Within a short period of time then-FAA Administrator Butterfield (of Nixon fame) mandated GPWS. (Most airlines went for GPS, however.)

But, GPWS didn't save AAL 965 from plowing into the mountains north of Cali, Colombia. Some thought if could have, had the crew retracted the speed brakes. But, they didn't so they just missed clearing a ridge line. By the time of this crash (12-20-1995) GPS was operational and Don already had a working model of his EGPWS.

Having worked with Don on TWA 514 I was invited to see the beta model of the EGPWS in his unit's King Air. I was impressed. So were the regulatory movers and shakers.

Unbelievable at the time, the FAA didn't mandate GPS be used as the positioning engine for EGPWS because some airlines complained (whined) that their airplanes were IRU/DME/DME RNAV and they didn't want to shell out an additional $1,500 per old RNAV airplane. So the FAA let them use IRU/DME/DME as the positioning engine.

212man:

He went to work for a normal work day right up to the announcement.

Don will never retire because he has a passion for saving life. He takes every CFIT accident personally, like it was his fault, not as a failure but a challenge to do even better.
I have had the honour to have known Don as a professional and friend, and in a very very small way within industry to have worked with him.
As a systems designer Don's great attributes revolve around openness and listening; to pilots, operators, and engineers, all based on an endless desire to do better. New ideas and equipment first sought operational assessment and comment. He sponsored local demonstrations, regional meetings, safety forums, and reinforced a vast list of individual contacts.

Every CFIT accident was a personal challenge to learn everything that could be discovered about it to prevent similar events. Even after the successes of EGPWS, every CFIT incident or near miss was used an opportunity to learn and improve the systems; a fantastic role model for aviation safety.

In engineering, Don did not take 'no', or 'unable' lightly, and revelled in the challenge of FAA certification (he didn't suffer 'these' fools gladly).

Although it's some years since we met, the memory of his drive, energy, and passion will remain for ever.

Alf I was just about to say the same thing in that He will never retire.

I remember a 2011 conference paper, "Some Thoughts on Reducing the Risk of Aircraft Loss of Control", where Bateman described some of his ideas for further improving flight safety. I'd say that on a "revolutionary" (or "controversial") scale from 1 to 10, he covered the whole range. Examples include:

• Use GPS data to detect when the aircraft is lining up for takeoff, then warn about flaps if necessary.
• Improved guidance for upset recovery: In an unusual attitude a big curved arrow appears on the PFD, meaning "roll this way to level wings".
• The speed tape on today's EFIS is wrong, it should be flipped upside down, to prevent pilots from intuitively pitching down in an overspeed situation. [1]
• Let EGPWS overrule the pilot (a bit like Airbus normal law already does for AoA protection), so that the plane cannot make ground contact anywhere except on a runway included in the database. [2]

http://www.skybrary.aero/bookshelf/books/1372.pdf

[1] To be fair, he admits that this design detail has been discussed and settled back in the 1980s, and changing it might cause confusion of its own.
[2] No, I'm not making this up. It's there, on page 13 in the conference paper. And Honeywell has already demonstrated, in a real airplane, automatic recoveries from near-CFIT situations.

noske, all correct. I was at that meeting or similar, and was able to discussed some of the issues with Don.

• GPS is implemented, as and when fitted as a nav position sensor, or with the option of GPS within EGPWS.
• Upset recovery was progressed, but AFAIR the manufactures/operators did not not want to pay without a mandate; they and the regulators believed (still do) that pilots can be trained for the unexpected.
• Speed Tape, so right as ever. There was a reluctance to change after Gulfstream and Airbus has designs approved, even though the option to 'invert' the tape was available in several other types (737 / Avro RJ).
• Auto pull-up was flown and tested as part of the US mil programme post 9/11. The civil development suffered 'lawyer fright', the risk of being sued in the event of a malfunction and hurting unrestrained passengers. The latter, in comparison with other risks and that of EGPWS reliability, has been shown to be unfounded. A FD version was considered, but again manufactures/operators were reluctance to invest in safety without a mandate.