Luis de Florez

In 1941, then Commander de Florez visited the United Kingdom and wrote what would become an influential report on British aircraft simulator techniques. It influenced the establishing of the Special Devices Division of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics (what would later become the NAWCTSD).[7] Later that year, Commander de Florez became head of the new Special Devices Desk in the Engineering Division of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics. De Florez championed the use of "synthetic training devices" and urged the Navy to undertake development of such devices to increase readiness. He also worked on the development of antisubmarine devices. De Florez has been credited with over sixty inventions.

During World War II, he was subsequently promoted to captain and then to Flag rank, becoming a rear admiral in 1944.

In 1944, de Florez was awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1943 for his work in training combat pilots and flight crews through the development of inexpensive synthetic devices.[8]

De Florez was awarded with the Legion of Merit in June 1945.[9]

In 1946, Tufts University awarded de Florez an honorary Doctor of Science degree at commencement.

Admiral de Florez was the first director of technical research at the CIA. In 1950, de Florez helped Robert Fulton get a contract with the Office of Naval Research to develop the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system. In 1954, as the CIA's chairman of research, de Florez argued against reprimanding those responsible for the then-secret but now controversial MKULTRA L.S.D. research program.[10]

In the mid-1950s, de Florez was the president of the Flight Safety Foundation. Presented since 1966, the Foundation's Admiral Luis de Florez Flight Safety Award is named after him.[11] It recognizes "outstanding individual contributions to aviation safety, through basic design, device or practice." De Florez established a trust to support the award that provides each recipient with $1,000.

De Florez worked as an aide to Navy Vice Admiral Harold G. Bowen, Sr., Director of Office of Research and Invention (ORI) (later named ONR).[12] He also once served as a director of Douglas Aircraft Corp.

Luis de Florez died in November 1962,[13] at the age of 73[3] in the cockpit of his airplane, which was ready for take-off at a Connecticut airport. The main building complex at the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Naval Support Activity Orlando, Florida, is named in his honor.