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Airway Beacon... Found One


jeff35080

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Posted

Yesterday, my brother (Readymixer) and I found an old abandoned airway beacon tower that is a benchmark... well actually the light on top of the tower is the benchmark. Although it's not one of the old concrete arrows, it was still a neat find. You can see pictures of the tower, complete with Readymixer climbing the tower here:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.asp?PID=DH2457

 

Jeff

http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com

http://www.NotAChance.com

If you hide it, they will come....

Posted

We also have an old Airway beacon near where I live. I am going to look for sometime this summer, hearing that you found one gives me a little kick in the butt to get out and go find it.

mustanglx

Posted

Questions for Rodger.....

 

1)While checking the NGS datasheets, I've read that even the NGS has managed to update some sites, listing them as DESTROYED. Is it worth STILL going to try to locate these sites?

(remembering the two I went to, now houses)

 

2) Can we get the GEOCACHING database updated, some of the sites in the NGS database ARE not in the GEOCACHING Benchmark database???

 

Next hunt for me, the one near Villa Rica Georgia...the airstrip is STILL visible from the satelite photos, I believe that the foundation for the beacon may be in the grove of trees nearby; why would the farmer nearby avoid that area???

 

Thank you for your guidance, as always,

 

Strip Mining PREVENTS Forest Fires!

Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Vexorg_EPPD:

Questions for Rodger.....

 

1)While checking the NGS datasheets, I've read that even the NGS has managed to update some sites, listing them as DESTROYED. Is it worth STILL going to try to locate these sites?

(remembering the two I went to, now houses)

 

2) Can we get the GEOCACHING database updated, some of the sites in the NGS database ARE not in the GEOCACHING Benchmark database???

 

Next hunt for me, the one near Villa Rica Georgia...the airstrip is STILL visible from the satelite photos, I believe that the foundation for the beacon may be in the grove of trees nearby; why would the farmer nearby avoid that area???


First, it's Roger, not Rodger. icon_smile.gif

 

Some airway beacons are listed as destroyed. Are they worth trying to locate? I don't think I would bother. But someone else might. Since the beacon was the benchmark, there could easily be some footings remaining even though the beacon itself is torn down. Finding the footings would be kinda neat.

 

Jeremy has said the getting the benchmarks updated from the NGS is a priority when he gets to work on the benchmarking section of GC. Right now, he is busy with log in problems, getting the main caching section moved over to the new code base (whatever that means) and getting the new maps up and running. We need to be patient and when Jeremy starts to work on the BM section, I think we will see a lot of improvements.

Posted

I went to look for two beacons located less than ten miles from me today.

 

One was once in what is now a plowed cabbage field. I was approx 500ft away from where it should have been, but its private property.

NB2027

 

Another is in a NY DEC Wildlife Management Area.

There is a small, shallow pond right at the coords. No sign of a foundation or anything within view from the coords.

NB2024

 

They are both obviously destroyed, but I will log NB2024 as not found. I know who owns the property NB2027 is on, and will ask for permission to stand on the coords and look around.

 

I also tried about 6 other BM's, all of which look to be destroyed... icon_frown.gif

 

Art

 

www.yankeetoys.org

www.BudBuilt.com

www.pirate4x4.com

Posted

Dear ROGer.....

 

Thanks again for your guidance in all matters pertaining to Benchmarking......I defer to your good wisdom as always icon_smile.gif

 

Now, where ARE those pads/footing??? icon_rolleyes.gif

 

Strip Mining PREVENTS Forest Fires!

Posted

Okay, went a huntin for DG3171...its not there anymore, the park historian told me, that it was torn down sometime in the late 1970's. Got pictures and posted them. At least the view was nice that day! icon_smile.gif

 

DG3171

 

Strip Mining PREVENTS Forest Fires!

Posted

Well Jeff, looking at some of the NGS datasheets from other beacon sites, it appears that the NGS does not consider the beacon destroyed IF they can find the footings or base of the orginal tower......

 

The NGS datasheets can tell you a lot, not exactly interesting reading, though....but, it will tell you on some of them IF the beacon site was totally obliterated from the land.

 

I myself am at least hoping I can find one here in Georgia, that at least has the concrete arrow.... icon_razz.gif

 

Strip Mining PREVENTS Forest Fires!

Posted

quote:
Originally posted by Vexorg_EPPD:

Well Jeff, looking at some of the NGS datasheets from other beacon sites, it appears that the NGS does not consider the beacon destroyed IF they can find the footings or base of the orginal tower......


 

Which is something that puzzles me. If all you need is accuracy to a few feet, then the footings are useful. If you need accuracy to a fraction of an inch, then you’re making too many assumptions about the tower’s construction to reproduce the location from the foundation – the marker is effectively destroyed.

 

I wonder if the current status of these stations has more to do with confusion within the ranks of the professionals or even “the path of least paperwork” then being an accurate status. Depending on how things were filed in the pre-computer era, the actual status may not have been as important as it is now where a wrong status with either exclude usable marks or include a lot of “trash”.

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