Page created by: Asher McCaslin

If you are big on aviation, or like to fly, you should know about Don Bateman. Don was the inventor of Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS,) and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS.) GPWS and EGPWS are crucial to aviation safety. They work in conjunction with the aircraft's computer and GPS to compare the aircraft's location to a database of the Earth's terrain. If the aircraft is too close to the terrain or has an abnormally high sink rate, EGPWS will trigger a warning.


This innovation drastically decreased the number of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents, and still keeps the skies safer to this day. Bill Vos of the Flight Safety Foundation once said, "It's accepted within the industry that Don Bateman has probably saved more lives than any single person in the history of aviation." Don was truly a remarkable man.


The most important part is that he did this out of humility, not for fame. He was a father figure to his team, and Bob Champion, his team's manager once said, "He was extremely compassionate, a loving man.”


Don Bateman sadly passed away last year on May 21, surrounded by his family, after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. He is survived by his wife, his five children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.


I was lucky enough to be one of the eight grandchildren, and I will forever cherish the time I spent with him, talking for hours about engineering, aviation, and how to give back more than you took.




-Asher McCaslin,
Don's grandson