Forrest Bird
Encyclopedia
Forrest M. Bird is an American aviator
, inventor and biomedical engineer
. He is best known for creating some of the first reliable mass-produced
mechanical ventilators for acute and chronic cardiopulmonary care.
. Bird became a pilot
at an early age due to the encouragement of his father, a World War I
pilot, and from meeting Orville Wright at an early age. He performed his first solo flight at age 14; by age 16, he was working to obtain multiple major pilot certifications
.
Bird enlisted with the United States Army Air Corps
, and entered active duty in 1941 as a technical air training officer due to his advanced qualifications. This rank, combined with the onset of World War II
, gave him the opportunity to pilot almost every aircraft
in service, including early jet aircraft
and helicopter
s.
The newest models of aircraft were capable of exceeding altitude
s at which humans can breathe normally, introducing the risk of altitude sickness
.
In 1967, Bird developed the Bird Innovator
, a conversion of the Consolidated PBY Catalina
amphibian aircraft. His company was Bird Oxygen Breathing Equipment Inc, later renamed Bird Corporation, the aircraft being based at Palm Springs
until 1976.
Bird currently resides in Sagle, Idaho
, close to the U.S. / Canadian border which is where his home, production facilities, museum and farm are located. Dr. Bird collects and restores old planes, old cars, and motorcycles.
July 7, 2007 marked the opening of the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center with Patty Wagstaff cutting the ribbon at the end of the runway while flying. Forrest and Pamela Bird are founders and owners with Bird's aircraft and inventions on display.
On December 10, 2008, Bird received the Presidential Citizens Medal
from President George Bush. The United States honored him for his groundbreaking contributions and for his work to keep America at the forefront of discovery. On October 7, 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Bird the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, a recognition of his "outstanding contributions to the promotion of technology for the improvement of the economic, environmental or social well-being of the United States."
by participating in the development of the VDR, a ventilator that permits management of the most challenging patients including ARDS, Trauma and inhalation injury. In 1995, Bird was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
; he is still working with their research teams. He was named "Inventor of the Week" by MIT
in February 2001.
1971: Bird introduces first infant ventilator.
1978: Bird sells his namesake company to 3M
, which took it public.
1984: 3M sells Bird Products to the management group of a competitor, Bird Medical Technologies Inc.
1987: The Bird 6400ST is released, the first new-generation ventilator.
1990: Bird Medical Technologies goes public, and is traded on NASDAQ
under the ticker, BMTI.
1992: Bird Medical, reporting $36.5 million in sales in 1991, lays off 21 of 211 workers, citing poor economic conditions and falling sales. Despite the downturn, construction of its new, 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) building at 1111 Bird Drive, its present site, continues.
1995: Thermo Electron Corp., which acquired Bird in a $67 million buyout of Bird stock, moves a Riverside
-based subsidiary into the Palm Springs location. That year, Dr. Bird is inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
.
2002: Through acquisition and consolation, the venture becomes a part of VIASYS Respiratory Care.
2009: Cardinal Health Inc., a Fortune 20 company based in Dublin, Ohio
, is spun from its parent company to the wholly owned subsidiary, CareFusion Corp. The year before, Cardinal Health relocated three sister companies to the Palm Springs operation: Bear Medical of Riverside, SensorMedics Corp. of Yorba Linda and EME Medical of Brighton, England.
2010: Meg Whitman
makes a campaign stop at CareFusion in Palm Springs and tells employees the state lags behind other states in business friendliness.
July 13: Employees are told the plant will close in phases over about 18 months. The first phase is January 2012.
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, inventor and biomedical engineer
Biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology. This field seeks to close the gap between engineering and medicine: It combines the design and problem solving skills of engineering with medical and biological sciences to improve...
. He is best known for creating some of the first reliable mass-produced
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
mechanical ventilators for acute and chronic cardiopulmonary care.
Biography
Bird was born in Stoughton, MassachusettsStoughton, Massachusetts
Stoughton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,962 at the 2010 census. The town is located approximately from Boston, from Providence, and from Cape Cod.-History:...
. Bird became a pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
at an early age due to the encouragement of his father, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
pilot, and from meeting Orville Wright at an early age. He performed his first solo flight at age 14; by age 16, he was working to obtain multiple major pilot certifications
Pilot licensing and certification
Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits to fly aircraft that are issued by the National Aviation Authority in each country, establishing that the holder has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements. This includes taking a flying test. The certified pilot can then...
.
Bird enlisted with the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, and entered active duty in 1941 as a technical air training officer due to his advanced qualifications. This rank, combined with the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, gave him the opportunity to pilot almost every aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
in service, including early jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
and helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s.
The newest models of aircraft were capable of exceeding altitude
Altitude
Altitude or height is defined based on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The reference datum also often varies according to the context...
s at which humans can breathe normally, introducing the risk of altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
.
In 1967, Bird developed the Bird Innovator
Bird Innovator
-References:*Legg, David . Consolidated PBY Catalina: The Peacetime Record. UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1840372761-See also:...
, a conversion of the Consolidated PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
amphibian aircraft. His company was Bird Oxygen Breathing Equipment Inc, later renamed Bird Corporation, the aircraft being based at Palm Springs
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is a desert city in CaliforniaPalm Springs may also refer to:* Palm Springs, Florida* Palm Springs, Hong Kong, a residential development in Yuen Long, Hong Kong* Coachella Valley, also known as the Palm Springs area...
until 1976.
Bird currently resides in Sagle, Idaho
Sagle, Idaho
Sagle is an unincorporated community in Bonner County, Idaho, United States. Sagle is south of Sandpoint. Sagle has a post office with ZIP code 83860....
, close to the U.S. / Canadian border which is where his home, production facilities, museum and farm are located. Dr. Bird collects and restores old planes, old cars, and motorcycles.
July 7, 2007 marked the opening of the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center with Patty Wagstaff cutting the ribbon at the end of the runway while flying. Forrest and Pamela Bird are founders and owners with Bird's aircraft and inventions on display.
On December 10, 2008, Bird received the Presidential Citizens Medal
Presidential Citizens Medal
The Presidential Citizens Medal is the second highest civilian award in the United States, second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is awarded by the President of the United States, and may be given posthumously....
from President George Bush. The United States honored him for his groundbreaking contributions and for his work to keep America at the forefront of discovery. On October 7, 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Bird the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, a recognition of his "outstanding contributions to the promotion of technology for the improvement of the economic, environmental or social well-being of the United States."
The first "Bird" units
Bird created a prototype ventilator unit which was tested on seriously ill patients with limited success. His first prototype consisted of strawberry shortcake tins and a doorknob. Most of these first units were sold to the Army, in the original format of tins and the doorknob. Further revision resulted in the 1955 release of the "Bird Universal Medical Respirator" (sold as the Bird Mark 7 Respirator and informally called the "Bird"), a small green box that became familiar to hospital patients soon after its introduction. The Bird Mark 8 added the capabilities of NEEP (Negative End Expiratory Pressure) This was frequently used to power a set of fluidic servos (sort of relays.) He subsequently made a ventilator for infants, nicknamed the "Babybird." This device was one of several devices that appeared on the market designed to effectvely ventilate small children and infants. These devices played a significant role in reducing the rate of breathing-related infant mortality from 70% to 10%. The Bird Mark 7 Respirator is still in use around the world. In addition he produced the Fluid Control Device. Bird is still working on medical devices today to help people around the world.Subsequent developments
Bird won the Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award in 1985 and received another one in September 2005. He continues to contribute to the field of pulmonary scienceLung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
by participating in the development of the VDR, a ventilator that permits management of the most challenging patients including ARDS, Trauma and inhalation injury. In 1995, Bird was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
; he is still working with their research teams. He was named "Inventor of the Week" by MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in February 2001.
History of Bird Corp.
1965: First factory assembly line rolls out a medical respirator for home health, the Mark III.1971: Bird introduces first infant ventilator.
1978: Bird sells his namesake company to 3M
3M
3M Company , formerly known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation based in Maplewood, Minnesota, United States....
, which took it public.
1984: 3M sells Bird Products to the management group of a competitor, Bird Medical Technologies Inc.
1987: The Bird 6400ST is released, the first new-generation ventilator.
1990: Bird Medical Technologies goes public, and is traded on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
under the ticker, BMTI.
1992: Bird Medical, reporting $36.5 million in sales in 1991, lays off 21 of 211 workers, citing poor economic conditions and falling sales. Despite the downturn, construction of its new, 120000 square feet (11,148.4 m²) building at 1111 Bird Drive, its present site, continues.
1995: Thermo Electron Corp., which acquired Bird in a $67 million buyout of Bird stock, moves a Riverside
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
-based subsidiary into the Palm Springs location. That year, Dr. Bird is inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame
The National Inventors Hall of Fame is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging invention and creativity through the administration of its programs. The Hall of Fame honors the men and women responsible for the great technological advances that make human,...
.
2002: Through acquisition and consolation, the venture becomes a part of VIASYS Respiratory Care.
2009: Cardinal Health Inc., a Fortune 20 company based in Dublin, Ohio
Dublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 41,751 at the 2010 census. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Approximately 57,000 people live within the Dublin school district....
, is spun from its parent company to the wholly owned subsidiary, CareFusion Corp. The year before, Cardinal Health relocated three sister companies to the Palm Springs operation: Bear Medical of Riverside, SensorMedics Corp. of Yorba Linda and EME Medical of Brighton, England.
2010: Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman
Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman is an American business executive. She is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard. A native of Long Island, New York, she is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School...
makes a campaign stop at CareFusion in Palm Springs and tells employees the state lags behind other states in business friendliness.
July 13: Employees are told the plant will close in phases over about 18 months. The first phase is January 2012.