Wilbur R. Franks

Wilbur Rounding Franks (March 4, 1901-January 4, 1986) was a scientist, born in Weston, Ontario, Canada on March 4, 1901. He was a medical graduate at the University of Toronto. There is a Wilbur R. Franks Award that is handed out from the Canadian Society of Aviation Medicine for contributions to aviation medicine.

As a cancer researcher at the Banting and Best Medical Research Institute at University of Toronto, Franks developed an idea that resulted in the world's first "anti-gravity suit" or G-suit. Franks had noted in his cancer research that his test tubes often broke when subjected to severe centrifugal force. He had solved the problem by first inserting them in larger and stronger liquid-filled bottles.

In 1940, the anti gravity suit was first invented under the name "Franks Flying Suit" by Wilbur R. Franks and his colleagues at the Banting and Best Medical Research Institute at the University of Toronto. The suit was made with rubber and water-filled pads. It counteracted the effects of high G forces on aircraft pilots, which otherwise would cause them to black out; Franks Flying Suit was the first G-suit. These suits were used during World War II and all G-Suits worn by airforce pilots as well as astronauts and cosmonauts around the world are based on his original designs. When testing his first prototype, Franks stated:

"The suit had been cut to fit me perfectly, standing up. . . . In the airplane I was sitting down, and when the pressure hit I thought it was going to cut me in two. The idea became practical only when we realized that great areas of the body could be left outside the fluid system." Wilbur Rounding Franks quoted these words after testing the g-suit. The g-suit is the best suit in Canada,but you can't use it!

Awards

Wilbur Franks received the OBE for his work in early 1944 for giving "the Allied forces a tremendous tactical advantage" and "saving the lives of thousands of Allied fighter pilots." With this invention, over five times more pilots survived then they would've without the G-suit. In 1984, Wilbur Franks was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. Franks work was also noticed in the United States where he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Theodore C. Lyster Award and the Eric Lilencrantz Award.

=External links=

* [http://www.utoronto.ca/bantresf/HallofFame/Franks.html Banting Research Foundation]
* [http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/200/301/ic/can_digital_collections/aviation/m105.htm Library and Archives Canada]