C. Donald Bateman obituary

C. Donald Bateman obituary – Charles Donald Bateman, also known as Don Bateman, was a Canadian electrical engineer best known as the creator of the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), a device responsible for a significant decrease in controlled flight into terrain accidents such as the Mount Erebus Disaster with Air New Zealand Flight 901.

Bateman was born on March 8, 1932, and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in electrical engineering before beginning his work at Sundstrand Corporation (later Honeywell).

Bateman spent most of his career at Honeywell as Chief Engineer, Flight Safety Avionics.

Throughout his career, Bateman created revolutionary, cost-effective avionic flight technologies.

His most notable achievement, however, was inventing the initial Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) in the late 1960s.

The GPWS is so important to safety that the United States currently requires its installation on turbine aircraft carrying six or more passengers.

Bateman improved the GPWS into the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS), which addressed the inadequacies of the GPWS by incorporating GPS into its terrain analysis.

The EGPWS can currently forecast the aircraft’s route and the terrain ahead of the aircraft for several miles. Computerized terrain maps with dangerous obstructions and features alert the pilot when it is time to pull up.

Additionally, with EGPWS, landing does not inhibit the performance of the system. In fact, the main focus now is making landing and departure safer, as they are the most dangerous aspects of flying.

Bateman died on 21 May 2023 at age 91.

Surprisingly, there is no information about his wife or children, making it difficult to determine who he leaves behind.