"Wilbur Rounding Franks invention of the Franks Flying Suit and the Human Centrifuge, which have been accepted throughout the aerospace industry, and his significant contributions to research in aerospace medicine have been of outstanding benefit to Canadian aviation." Wilbur Franks became involved in the aviation field because of his medical research. Commissioned into the Royal Canadian Air Medical Corp, he began active medical research into solving the problems related to pilot blackout from acceleration in high G-manoeuvres.

He eventually designed the Franks Flying Suit, which he personally tested, and was the first person to be successfully protected from radial acceleration in an aircraft. He also helped design the RCAF human centrifuge which was used to reproduce various G-forces at high speeds, simulating the effects of manoeuvres in combat aircraft.

Born: 4 Mar 1901, Weston, ON
Died: 4 jan 1986
Awards: OBE, CD