Page 25: of Marine News Magazine (August 2023)

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treme altitudes, the vacuum of space, or in the realms asso- ciated with high-G ? ight,” said Dan Barry, Vice President/

Director of Research & Development at David Clark Com- pany. “Mr. Clark recognized that the unique capabilities and expertise developed by his company represented a true,

National asset, the preservation and advancement of which remains a core focus of our operations 88 years later.”

Hearing protection headsets

In 1952, David Clark was invited to be a guest on a ? ve-day training cruise on the F.D.R. aircraft carrier (the largest in the Navy ? eet at the time) by Dr. Ralph Chris- ty, a navy friend of the then ‘Clark Company’, who was charged with Pilot and Flight Crew Protection. That invi- tation and the ? ve days that ensued proved to be a major turning point for the company. David Clark was stunned by the volume of noise on the carrier ? ight deck with jets taking off and landing. At a decibel rate far exceeding the threshold that can cause permanent hearing damage, Clark observed some men were also subjected to confusion by