Edwin Albert Link
Encyclopedia
Edwin Albert Link was a pioneer in aviation
, underwater archaeology
, and ocean engineering
. He is most remembered for inventing the flight simulator
, commercialized in 1929, called the "Blue Box" or "Link Trainer
", which started the now multi-billion dollar flight simulation industry. Prior to his death in 1981, he had accumulated more than 27 patents for aeronautics
, navigation
and oceanographic
equipment.
in 1904, the son of Edwin A. Link, Sr., and Katherine (Martin) Link. In 1910, he moved with his family to Binghamton, New York
. As a young man Edwin Link used apparatus from his father's automatic piano and organ factory to produce an advertising plane. A punched roll and pneumatic system from a player piano
controlled sequential lights on the lower surfaces of the wings to spell out messages like "ENDICOTT-JOHNSON SHOES". To attract more attention he added a set of small but loud organ pipes, also controlled by the roll. In the construction of the "Link Trainer" much of the pneumatic system was adapted directly from technology used in the organ factory: in the 1970s Link used parts scavenged from an inoperative trainer to help rebuild a Link pipe organ.
Together with his wife Marion Clayton Link, whom he had married in 1931, Edwin Link managed the very successful "Link Aviation, Inc." He contributed a great deal to the Binghamton, New York area, where he set up a production facility that at one time employed thousands of workers. The field on which Greater Binghamton Airport
lies is named after him, and there is an original "Blue Box" on display in the terminal.
Link was awarded the Howard N. Potts Medal in 1945 for developing training devices for aviators. In 1953, Edwin and Marion Link established The Link Foundation. The foundation continues to provide grants and fellowships in aeronautics
, simulation and training, ocean engineering, energy, and organizations of interest to the Links.
. To this end he designed several submersible decompression chambers. On August 28, 1962, at Villefranche-sur-Mer
on the Mediterranean Sea
, Link inaugurated his "Man in Sea" project by spending eight hours at a depth of sixty feet in his submersible decompression chamber (SDC), becoming the first diver to be completely saturated
with a mixture of oxygen
and helium
(Heliox
) while breathing underwater. This dive served as a test run for a dive the following month by Robert Sténuit
, who spent over 24 hours in the SDC at a depth of 200 feet and thus became the world's first aquanaut
. In June-July 1964, Link conducted his second Man in Sea experiment in the Berry Islands
(a chain in the Bahamas) with Sténuit and Jon Lindbergh, one of the sons of Charles Lindbergh
, who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic
. Sténuit and Lindbergh stayed in Link's SPID habitat
(Submersible, Portable, Inflatable Dwelling) for 49 hours underwater at a depth of 432 feet, breathing a helium-oxygen mixture. Dr. Joseph MacInnis participated in this dive as a life support
specialist.
designed for lockout diving, allowing divers to leave and enter the craft while underwater. Deep Diver carried out many scientific missions in 1967 and 1968, including a 430-foot lockout dive in 1967 (at the same location as the 1964 Sténuit-Lindbergh dive) and a 700-foot lockout dive near Great Stirrup Cay
in 1968. Dr. MacInnis participated in both of these dives as an observer in Deep Divers forward chamber.
Later in 1968, after Deep Diver had been requisitioned by the United States Navy
to help search for the lost submarine
USS Scorpion
, the Bureau of Ships
determined that Deep Diver was unsafe for use at great depths or in extremely cold temperatures because of the substitution of the wrong kind of steel, which became brittle in cold water, in some parts of the sub. Link proceeded to design a new lockout sub with a distinctive acrylic bubble as the forward pilot/observer compartment. In January 1971 the new sub was launched and commissioned to the Smithsonian Institution
. It was named the Johnson Sea Link
after its donors, Link and his friend John Seward Johnson I
.
destroyer, the Fred T. Berry
, which had been sunk to create an artificial reef
. The submersible's other two occupants survived. Over the next two years, Edwin Link designed an unmanned Cabled Observation and Rescue Device (CORD) that can free a trapped submersible.
Edwin Link died in his sleep on September 7, 1981. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer
.
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
, underwater archaeology
Underwater archaeology
Underwater archaeology is archaeology practised underwater. As with all other branches of archaeology it evolved from its roots in pre-history and in the classical era to include sites from the historical and industrial eras...
, and ocean engineering
Ocean engineering
Ocean engineering is an ambiguously defined term that may refer to:*Oceanographic engineering, also called marine electronics engineering, concerned with the design of electronic devices for use in the marine environment, such as the remote sensing systems used by oceanographers*Offshore...
. He is most remembered for inventing the flight simulator
Flight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
, commercialized in 1929, called the "Blue Box" or "Link Trainer
Link Trainer
The term Link Trainer, also known as the "Blue box" and "Pilot Trainer" is commonly used to refer to a series of flight simulators produced between the early 1930s and early 1950s by Ed Link, based on technology he pioneered in 1929 at his family's business in Binghamton, New York...
", which started the now multi-billion dollar flight simulation industry. Prior to his death in 1981, he had accumulated more than 27 patents for aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
, navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
and oceanographic
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
equipment.
Early life and career
Edwin Link was born in Huntington, IndianaHuntington, Indiana
Huntington, known as the "Lime City", is a small city in and the county seat of Huntington County, Indiana, United States. It is in Huntington Township and Union Township...
in 1904, the son of Edwin A. Link, Sr., and Katherine (Martin) Link. In 1910, he moved with his family to Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
. As a young man Edwin Link used apparatus from his father's automatic piano and organ factory to produce an advertising plane. A punched roll and pneumatic system from a player piano
Player piano
A player piano is a self-playing piano, containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism that operates the piano action via pre-programmed music perforated paper, or in rare instances, metallic rolls. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home in...
controlled sequential lights on the lower surfaces of the wings to spell out messages like "ENDICOTT-JOHNSON SHOES". To attract more attention he added a set of small but loud organ pipes, also controlled by the roll. In the construction of the "Link Trainer" much of the pneumatic system was adapted directly from technology used in the organ factory: in the 1970s Link used parts scavenged from an inoperative trainer to help rebuild a Link pipe organ.
Together with his wife Marion Clayton Link, whom he had married in 1931, Edwin Link managed the very successful "Link Aviation, Inc." He contributed a great deal to the Binghamton, New York area, where he set up a production facility that at one time employed thousands of workers. The field on which Greater Binghamton Airport
Greater Binghamton Airport
Greater Binghamton Airport is a medium-sized regional airport located in Maine, New York that serves the Southern Tier of New York, primarily Broome and Tioga counties....
lies is named after him, and there is an original "Blue Box" on display in the terminal.
Link was awarded the Howard N. Potts Medal in 1945 for developing training devices for aviators. In 1953, Edwin and Marion Link established The Link Foundation. The foundation continues to provide grants and fellowships in aeronautics
Aeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
, simulation and training, ocean engineering, energy, and organizations of interest to the Links.
Man-in-Sea project
After Link disposed of his company in 1954, he addressed himself to underwater archeology and underwater research. Link worked at developing equipment for deeper, longer lasting and more secure divingUnderwater diving
Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
. To this end he designed several submersible decompression chambers. On August 28, 1962, at Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
on the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, Link inaugurated his "Man in Sea" project by spending eight hours at a depth of sixty feet in his submersible decompression chamber (SDC), becoming the first diver to be completely saturated
Saturation diving
Saturation diving is a diving technique that allows divers to reduce the risk of decompression sickness when they work at great depth for long periods of time....
with a mixture of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
and helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
(Heliox
Heliox
Heliox is a breathing gas composed of a mixture of helium and oxygen .Heliox has been used medically since the 1930s, and although the medical community adopted it initially to alleviate symptoms of upper airway obstruction, its range of medical uses has since expanded greatly, mostly because of...
) while breathing underwater. This dive served as a test run for a dive the following month by Robert Sténuit
Robert Sténuit
Robert Pierre André Sténuit is a Belgian journalist, writer, and underwater archeologist. In 1962 he spent 24 hours on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea in the submersible "Link Cylinder" developed by Edwin Link, thus becoming the world's first aquanaut.- Early career :Sténuit began spelunking...
, who spent over 24 hours in the SDC at a depth of 200 feet and thus became the world's first aquanaut
Aquanaut
An Aquanaut is any individual who remains underwater, exposed to the ambient pressure, long enough to come into equilibrium with his or her breathing media. Usually this is done in an underwater habitat on the seafloor for a period equal to or greater than 24 continuous hours without returning to...
. In June-July 1964, Link conducted his second Man in Sea experiment in the Berry Islands
Berry Islands
The Berry Islands are a chain of islands and a district of the Bahamas, covering about thirty square miles of the north western part of the Out Islands...
(a chain in the Bahamas) with Sténuit and Jon Lindbergh, one of the sons of Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, who made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Sténuit and Lindbergh stayed in Link's SPID habitat
Underwater habitat
Underwater habitats are underwater structures in which people can live for extended periods and carry out most of the basic human functions of a 24-hour day, such as working, resting, eating, attending to personal hygiene, and sleeping...
(Submersible, Portable, Inflatable Dwelling) for 49 hours underwater at a depth of 432 feet, breathing a helium-oxygen mixture. Dr. Joseph MacInnis participated in this dive as a life support
Life support
Life support, in medicine is a broad term that applies to any therapy used to sustain a patient's life while they are critically ill or injured. There are many therapies and techniques that may be used by clinicians to achieve the goal of sustaining life...
specialist.
Submersibles
In March 1967, Link launched Deep Diver, the first small submersibleSubmersible
A submersible is a small vehicle designed to operate underwater. The term submersible is often used to differentiate from other underwater vehicles known as submarines, in that a submarine is a fully autonomous craft, capable of renewing its own power and breathing air, whereas a submersible is...
designed for lockout diving, allowing divers to leave and enter the craft while underwater. Deep Diver carried out many scientific missions in 1967 and 1968, including a 430-foot lockout dive in 1967 (at the same location as the 1964 Sténuit-Lindbergh dive) and a 700-foot lockout dive near Great Stirrup Cay
Great Stirrup Cay
Great Stirrup Cay is a small island that is part of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas. Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the island from Belcher Oil Company in 1977 and developed it into a private island for their cruise ship passengers....
in 1968. Dr. MacInnis participated in both of these dives as an observer in Deep Divers forward chamber.
Later in 1968, after Deep Diver had been requisitioned by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to help search for the lost submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
USS Scorpion
USS Scorpion (SSN-589)
USS Scorpion was a Skipjack-class nuclear submarine of the United States Navy, and the sixth ship of the U.S. Navy to carry that name. Scorpion was declared lost on 5 June 1968 with 99 crew members dying in the incident. The USS Scorpion is one of two nuclear submarines the U.S...
, the Bureau of Ships
Bureau of Ships
The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships was established by Congress on June 20, 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Engineering. The new Bureau was to be headed by a Chief and Deputy-Chief, one selected from the engineering...
determined that Deep Diver was unsafe for use at great depths or in extremely cold temperatures because of the substitution of the wrong kind of steel, which became brittle in cold water, in some parts of the sub. Link proceeded to design a new lockout sub with a distinctive acrylic bubble as the forward pilot/observer compartment. In January 1971 the new sub was launched and commissioned to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. It was named the Johnson Sea Link
Johnson Sea Link
Johnson Sea Link was the name of a deep-sea scientific research submersible built by Edwin Albert Link in 1971. Link built the submersible at the request of his friend Seward Johnson, founder of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution....
after its donors, Link and his friend John Seward Johnson I
John Seward Johnson I
John Seward Johnson I was one of the sons of Robert Wood Johnson I . He was also known as J. Seward Johnson, Sr. and Seward Johnson...
.
Death of Clayton Link
In June 1973 Link's 31-year-old son, Edwin Clayton Link, and another diver, 51-year-old Albert D. Stover, died after a seemingly routine dive off Key West, FL. They suffered carbon dioxide poisoning when the Johnson Sea Link became trapped in debris around a NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
destroyer, the Fred T. Berry
USS Fred T. Berry (DD-858)
USS Fred T. Berry was a of the United States Navy, named for Commander Fred T. Berry .Fred T. Berry was launched on 28 January 1945 by Bethlehem Steel Co., San Pedro, California; sponsored by Mrs. Fred T. Berry, widow of Commander Berry; and commissioned on 12 May 1945, Commander N. J...
, which had been sunk to create an artificial reef
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
. The submersible's other two occupants survived. Over the next two years, Edwin Link designed an unmanned Cabled Observation and Rescue Device (CORD) that can free a trapped submersible.
Edwin Link died in his sleep on September 7, 1981. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
External links
- Biography of Edwin A. Link, Binghamton University Libraries
- A biographical sketch of Edwin A. Link
- The Edwin A. Link and Marion Clayton Link Collections Finding Aids, Binghamton University
- Bibliography of The Edwin A. Link Collection of the Evans Library at Florida Institute of Technology
- The Link Foundation
- U.S. Coast Guard report on fatal Johnson Sea Link accident