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companies had praised his The patent is for a ‘Abnormal
invention. condition sequence indicating
device’ and was submitted
United Airlines, American to the US Patent Office (now
Airlines, Pan American World the US Patent and Trademark
Airlines and Trans-World Office) on 3 October 1956
Airlines had also shown “great as application 613,670 and
interest”. granted patent 3,074,065 on
15 January 1963.
But sadly Mr. Orgill’s trusting
nature was to be his undoing.
However, Dr Warren rightly
When he returned to Perth in pointed out that a number of
the early 1960s he told friends simple black box recorders
that the “bastards in America preceded his and these in fact
had taken the invention from date back to the 1930s.
him.”
The Warren black box was
Close friend Leon Carboni told developed while he worked
The West Australian in 1998 at the Melbourne-based
that Mr Orgill was “a totally Aeronautical Research
different person, in a world of Laboratories (ARL), an arm of
his own.” the Defence Department.
Part of the Orgill Patent.
“He gave me all the drawings
[for the sphere] and asked me Dr Warren conceived the idea
to take them home. He said: recorder at Melbourne airport of a black box flight recorder
‘The only person in the world in 1957 - the year before the in 1953 when he was part of
I can trust is you. Look after Warren prototype appeared. the investigation team into the
them for me.’ series of Comet jet crashes.
That was about a month Yet when challenged about In the early 1960s the Warren
before his death.” press reports at the time Mr device, which recorded both
Warren said that he may have detailed flight data and cockpit
Mr Carboni said he believed met Mr Orgill. conversations, was embraced
his naive friend was feted and by the British and production
entertained until his invention Now a photo has emerged- rights were given to the British
was inveigled from him and from the Australian National firm Davall and Sons.
then was discarded. Archives that shows Mr
Warren pointing at Mr Orgill
In 1998 The West Australian and his black box before Australia was the first country
contacted the official black box thetest flight in 1957. to mandate black boxes and
inventor Dr David Warren who while some of the circum-
did not accept that Mr Orgill’s Also Mr Warren in the 1998 stances around the first black
device was the original black interview asked to see any box remain clouded there
box. record of patents for Mr Orgill’s is one indisputable fact and
black box but at the time none that is Mr Orgill was the first
Dr Warren, who passed away was known to exist. person in Australia to success-
in 2010 after a distinguished fully test a working black box.
scientific career, said that he Now, a US patent has been
was unaware the WA inven- found by Australian researcher His name deserves official
tor had demonstrated a flight Peter Hobbins. recognition.•
32 | OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/AAA
