19 Facts About Forrest Bird

Forrest Morton Bird was an American aviator, inventor, and biomedical engineer.

Forrest Bird is best known for having created some of the first reliable mass-produced mechanical ventilators for acute and chronic cardiopulmonary care.

Forrest 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.

Forrest Bird discovered an oxygen regulator in a crashed German bomber he was ferrying to the US for study seemed to contain a pressure breathing circuit.

Forrest Bird took the oxygen regulator home, studied it, and made it more functional.

In 1967, Forrest Bird developed the Forrest Bird Innovator, a conversion of the Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibian aircraft, the aircraft being based at Palm Springs until 1976.

Forrest Bird's company was Bird Oxygen Breathing Equipment Inc, later renamed Bird Corporation.

Forrest Bird collected and restored old planes, old cars, and motorcycles.

Forrest and Pamela Bird opened the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center in July 2007, with aviator Patty Wagstaff cutting a ceremonial ribbon at the end of the runway while flying.

The Forrest Bird's are the founders and owners of the museum, which showcases Forrest Bird's various aircraft and inventions.

On December 10,2008, Forrest Bird received the Presidential Citizens Medal from President George Bush.

Forrest Bird died at the age of 94 of natural causes at his Sagle, Idaho home on August 2,2015.

All of Forrest Bird's ventilators were contained in transparent plastic cases.

Forrest Bird's rationale for see-through encasements for his machines was a stroke of genius: he thought if people could see the inner workings of mechanical devices, they would understand them better, and be able to use, fix, and apply them better in the real world.

Forrest Bird created a car unit which was tested on seriously ill patients with limited success.

Forrest Bird was awarded the Lifetime Scientific Achievement Award in 1985 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, receiving a second award in September 2005.

Forrest Bird continued to contribute to the field of pulmonary science 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, Forrest Bird was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Forrest Bird was named "Inventor of the Week" by MIT in February 2001.