Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

IMAGINE yourself in an airplane getting ready for landing. You look through the cabin window and see the lights of the city of Los Angeles below you. As the plane descends slowly towards the runway, the pilot follows the airport’s precision approach path indicator (PAPI), a light system positioned beside the runway. The PAPI consists of boxes of lights that provide a visual indication of an aircraft’s position on the glide path for the associated runway. Suddenly, the lights go out. Blackout! Can you imagine the horror that would be for the pilot to land without any lights on the runway to guide him?

To ensure that this would not happen, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses an innovative high reliability critical power distribution systems using state-of-the-art power monitoring and control systems. This breakthrough invention has been implemented in fi ve major US terminal radar approach control facilities in Atlanta, Boston, Honolulu, Southern California and St. Louis, and virtually eliminated system power outages. And the inventor and designer of the system who has integrated it for the FAA is a Filipino from Washington, Engineer Nilo Villarin.

Villarin was granted a US patent for the switching device that detects failure in series connected lamps and automatically restores power to the remaining lamps for visual guidance of landing aircrafts. The Federal Aviation Administration has been successfully using Villarin’s invention for their precision approach path indicator, deemed essential for ensuring aircraft safety when landing.

The FAA is not the only agency of the Federal government that has benefited from Villarin’s inventions. Another is the US Bureau of Census with its mission-critical data centers with computer mainframes dedicated to generating data for the Federal government. Engineer Villarin’s another invention was used to make sure there is no power interruption in service, regardless of weather conditions, outside power quality, or building equipment. Villarin holds a US patent for a transfer switch that is used to provide redundant sources of electrical power to computerbased equipment. Many computer servers offer the option of redundant power supplies so that in the event of power supply failure, one or more other power supplies can power the load.

In 2006, 600 of Villarin’s transfer switches were installed at the US Census Bureau Computer. Since then, the facility had not experienced any unscheduled downtime of their computers. He also developed a maintenance bypass switch for uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The device allows complete isolation of UPS that provide continuous electric service to computer loads so that maintenance or replacement can be made without computer service interruption.

In recognition of exemplifying Filipino excellence in his field of expertise and profession, Engineer Nilo Villarin was honored by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacanang last December 2008 and was awarded the ‘Pamana ng Pilipino’ Award.

Villarin was one of seven overseas Filipino awardees who, in exemplifying the talent and industry of the Filipino, have brought honor and recognition through excellence and distinction in the pursuit of their work or profession. Arroyo praised the awardees "who gave the best of their lives to their calling... for their exceptional contribution to Philippine progress and development as well as their commitment to serve the Filipino people".

In conferring the Pamana ng Pilipino Award to Villarin, the President recognizes his noteworthy inventions in the fields of computer and aviation, and his entrepreneurship for establishing a consulting engineering firm and power systems manufacturing company in the US.