Washington ham nominated to
National Inventors Hall of Fame

Congratulations to ARRL member Don Bateman, KK7UT, of Bellevue, Washington,who will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May.

A Honeywell engineer, Bateman invented the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) in the 1970s and the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS)
in the 1990s. The EGPWS is now required in all US turbine aircraft with at least six passenger seats. Other countries have implemented similar requirements.

As a result of EGPWS, aircraft accident rates have declined
dramatically. Should a pilot of an under-control aircraft unknowingly fly into terrain, a computerized voice in the cockpit repeats the warning, "Terrain ahead. Pull up! Terrain ahead. Pull up!"

One of Bateman's most recent aircraft safety innovations comprises a real-time map display to make pilots aware of surrounding terrain when visibility is bad.

The National Inventors Hall of Fame honors "men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human, social and economic progress possible."

Ben Schupack, NW7DX

Source: ARRL Letter - courtesy of The American Radio Relay League

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