Brian Armstrong (diver)
Encyclopedia
Brian Matthew Armstrong (born May 12, 1973) is an American
technical diver and founding board member of the non-profit Rubicon Foundation
.
. His family moved to North Carolina
where he eventually attended Parkwood High School
and graduated in 1991. He then attended the North Carolina State University
(NCSU), graduating in 1995 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering
. After college, Armstrong worked as an engineer for Nortel
before leaving to take a position as an engineer contracted to the United States Postal Service
.
Armstrong was first certified in scuba diving by H. Larry Brown at NCSU in 1994. Following this first class, he began assisting the diving classes while continuing his diving education. Armstrong was certified as a cave diver and NAUI
instructor in 1995. In 2002, Armstrong joined with divers James Wagner and Gene Hobbs in the formation of the Rubicon Foundation to further diving education, research and conservation efforts. In 2006, Brian began diving a rebreather
having completed his training with Gregg Stanton.
Armstrong met his wife Heather while working on a diving project and they were married in October 2006. They currently reside in Pensacola, Florida
Armstrong appeared with his wife on the cover of Florida Scuba News in 2008 and has made several television
appearances.
bomber was ditched on 4 April 1943 and remained 45 metres (147.6 ft) below the surface of Lake Murray (South Carolina)
for 60 years. The recovery effort was headed by Dr. Robert Seigler and supervised by Gary Larkins of the Air Pirates. Armstrong participated in the recovery effort with divers from Association of Underwater Explorers (AUE), the Rubicon Foundation, and Woodville Karst Plain Project
in 2005. The project was documented by the History Channel and televised on their show Mega Movers
. The plane is being preserved by the Southern Museum of Flight
in Birmingham, Alabama
.
Michael C. Barnette
's recovery of Oculina varicosa
from the Gulf of Mexico
in 2006 allowed researchers to confirm this species of concern
's existence in abundance in the Gulf. In 2009, Armstrong assisted Barnette in collecting coral samples for testing that identified the species is genetically identical to Oculina varicosa found off the eastern coast of Florida.
When the Eagle's Nest cave
system needed new guidelines
in 2007, Armstrong and other AUE divers took on the task replacing the old line as well as removing unnecessary lines.
In 2009, Armstrong participated in a search for missing Women Airforce Service Pilots
(WASP) Gertrude Tompkins Silver with Divers, explorers and aviation archaeologists
from the Missing Aircraft Search Team (MAST). Silver was the last WASP to go missing in World War II. She made a flight from Mines Field (currently LAX) to Palm Springs on October 26, 1944, intending to fly a P-51 Mustang
on to New Jersey, but never arrived in Palm Springs. The search for Silver's aircraft continues.
Armstrong also served as a member of the "Oversight Committee" for the 2009 "Tahoe Benchmark" testing of diver propulsion vehicle
s.
In 2010, Armstrong again assisted Barnett in the filming of a television special for The Learning Channel
on the Bermuda Triangle
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
technical diver and founding board member of the non-profit Rubicon Foundation
Rubicon Foundation
Rubicon Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization devoted to contributing to the interdependent dynamic between research, exploration, science and education. The foundation, started in 2002, is located in Durham, North Carolina and is primarily supported by donations and grants. Funding has...
.
Background
Armstrong was born on May 12, 1973 in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. His family moved to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
where he eventually attended Parkwood High School
Parkwood High School
Parkwood High School is a high school located in Monroe, North Carolina. It opened in August 1961. It is adjacent to Parkwood Middle School with feeder elementary schools Prospect Elementary School, Waxhaw Elementary School, and Western Union Elementary School. The principal is Jan Hollis...
and graduated in 1991. He then attended the North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
(NCSU), graduating in 1995 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
. After college, Armstrong worked as an engineer for Nortel
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
before leaving to take a position as an engineer contracted to the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
.
Armstrong was first certified in scuba diving by H. Larry Brown at NCSU in 1994. Following this first class, he began assisting the diving classes while continuing his diving education. Armstrong was certified as a cave diver and NAUI
National Association of Underwater Instructors
The National Association of Underwater Instructors is a non-profit 501 association of SCUBA instructors. It was officially CE and ISO certified in May 2007 in all three diver levels and both instructor levels.-History:...
instructor in 1995. In 2002, Armstrong joined with divers James Wagner and Gene Hobbs in the formation of the Rubicon Foundation to further diving education, research and conservation efforts. In 2006, Brian began diving a rebreather
Rebreather
A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycled exhaled gas. This recycling reduces the volume of breathing gas used, making a rebreather lighter and more compact than an open-circuit breathing set for the same duration in environments where...
having completed his training with Gregg Stanton.
Armstrong met his wife Heather while working on a diving project and they were married in October 2006. They currently reside in Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
Armstrong appeared with his wife on the cover of Florida Scuba News in 2008 and has made several television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearances.
Expeditions and projects
The B-25c MitchellB-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
bomber was ditched on 4 April 1943 and remained 45 metres (147.6 ft) below the surface of Lake Murray (South Carolina)
Lake Murray (South Carolina)
Lake Murray is a reservoir in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is approximately 50,000 acres in size, and has roughly 500 miles of shoreline. It was impounded in the late 1920s to provide hydroelectric power to the state of South Carolina. Lake Murray is fed by the Saluda River, which flows...
for 60 years. The recovery effort was headed by Dr. Robert Seigler and supervised by Gary Larkins of the Air Pirates. Armstrong participated in the recovery effort with divers from Association of Underwater Explorers (AUE), the Rubicon Foundation, and Woodville Karst Plain Project
Woodville Karst Plain Project
The Woodville Karst Plain Project or WKPP, grew out of a cave diving research and exploration group established in 1985 and incorporated in 1990 to map the underwater cave systems underlying the Woodville Karst Plain, a area...
in 2005. The project was documented by the History Channel and televised on their show Mega Movers
Mega Movers
Mega Movers is a television program on The History Channel. It first aired on April 18, 2006.The program details the preparations and inside problems and details of large moves, such as historical buildings being relocated to new sites miles away , oil derricks and such like difficult moves Mega...
. The plane is being preserved by the Southern Museum of Flight
Southern Museum of Flight
The Southern Museum of Flight is an aviation museum located three blocks east of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Alabama. It features a valuable collection of aviation artifacts spanning the 20th century in the various areas of aviation. It explores eight decades...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
Michael C. Barnette
Michael C. Barnette
Michael C. Barnette is an accomplished diver, author, photographer founder of the Association of Underwater Explorers.-Background:Barnette was born on September 7, 1971 in Fredericksburg, VA. He attended Stafford Senior High School where he graduated in 1989...
's recovery of Oculina varicosa
Ivory Bush Coral
The ivory bush coral is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service species of concern. Species of concern are those species about which the U.S...
from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
in 2006 allowed researchers to confirm this species of concern
Species of Concern
In wildlife conservation, Species of Concern is an informal term, not defined in the federal Endangered Species Act. The term commonly refers to species that are declining or appear to be in need of concentrated conservation actions. Many agencies and organizations maintain lists of these at-risk...
's existence in abundance in the Gulf. In 2009, Armstrong assisted Barnette in collecting coral samples for testing that identified the species is genetically identical to Oculina varicosa found off the eastern coast of Florida.
When the Eagle's Nest cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
system needed new guidelines
Distance line
A distance line, penetration line or guideline is an item of diving equipment used by SCUBA divers as a means of returning to a safe starting point in conditions of low visibility, water currents or where pilotage is difficult...
in 2007, Armstrong and other AUE divers took on the task replacing the old line as well as removing unnecessary lines.
In 2009, Armstrong participated in a search for missing Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women Airforce Service Pilots
The Women Airforce Service Pilots and its predecessor groups the Women's Flying Training Detachment and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron were pioneering organizations of civilian female pilots employed to fly military aircraft under the direction of the United States Army Air Forces...
(WASP) Gertrude Tompkins Silver with Divers, explorers and aviation archaeologists
Aviation archaeology
Aviation archaeology is a recognized sub-discipline within archaeology and underwater archaeology as a whole. It is an activity practiced by both enthusiasts and academics in pursuit of finding, documenting, recovering, and preserving sites important in aviation history...
from the Missing Aircraft Search Team (MAST). Silver was the last WASP to go missing in World War II. She made a flight from Mines Field (currently LAX) to Palm Springs on October 26, 1944, intending to fly a P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
on to New Jersey, but never arrived in Palm Springs. The search for Silver's aircraft continues.
Armstrong also served as a member of the "Oversight Committee" for the 2009 "Tahoe Benchmark" testing of diver propulsion vehicle
Diver Propulsion Vehicle
A diver propulsion vehicle is an item of diving equipment used by scuba and rebreather divers to increase range underwater...
s.
In 2010, Armstrong again assisted Barnett in the filming of a television special for The Learning Channel
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
on the Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
.
External links
- Dark Side Diving - Armstrong's website