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Anyone have some Airway Beacon pics?


27E_20

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I logged a mark as destroyed today- GC2535. There was nothing there, dont get me wrong- I think I'd notice a 60 foot tower with the location adjusted. I'd like to see some examples of airway beacons in good condition, though. Just curious- what was the purpose of these and are they a thing of the past, or are they still used?

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OZ1010, my aircraft beacon find. There are links to the history of these. I'm not organised enough to come up with them but someone will. Meanwhile my log will give you a clue. It seems that these were mostly installed around the 1930s. Most had stationary beacons facing the directions of travel and a rotating beacon with a controlled rotation rate which helped the aviator with identification. Around 1930 most seem to have been equipped with radio transmitters too.

 

Oh good, here is a link to a thread with links to good info.

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this type was probably one of my favs, and I hope to one day find another. A few days ago I went to find the other one in my county - it was long gone - 30 years ago.

 

Keep looking for em - I hope you find one! And enjoy the history behind them.

 

And while on the subject - what agency and dept. would have the records of these towers no (FAA, Dept of Commerce, etc)? I am looking for as much detail about the one I found as possible.

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GU3358 is the only one I've found. It is located at the Madera airport in Madera, California, and is still in relatively good condition.

55091_100.jpg

GU1086 is set in the wall of the control building for the tower. Interestingly, the 1958 description for GU1086 states that it is set on '...AN ABANDONED CONTROL TOWER BUILDING...' (the white building at the lower right of the photo). I would imagine that if the building was no longer in use in 1958, the tower was not being used either.

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There is one near me at the Oregon Aviation Historical Society in Creswell Oregon. It was removed from nearby Creswell Butte and stored for years. Then it was restored and erected in 2004-05 at the museum headquarters near the airport. The project was completed when they added a concrete base and arrow in October 2005. They are pretty impressive. I've only seen one other beacon tower from a distance and haven't had a chance to actually go to one in the wild so to speak. The one I did look for has long been gone. I wonder if the history museum would like a copy of the NGS data sheet for this tower and if they know its significance other than as a airway beacon. It is still in the database and has not been declared destroyed as of yet....I May need to visit them again soon.

Edited by TheBeanTeam
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