MOCKBA Posted January 27, 2004 Share Posted January 27, 2004 Anybody knows what to expect with PORCUPINE PK AIR BCN PROP TYPE? There is no description of this station on gc.com, but I remember that people had extensive discussions of air beacons in the old forums, and I hope that someone can expound on this? Thanks a lot! Quote Link to comment
+GEO*Trailblazer 1 Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 PROP: A rigid support,as a beam or stake,or pole placed under or against a structure or part there of. A small tower say. PROP: short also for propeller. My guess from the ones that I have recovered from about that era are, a small tower with a rotating beacon atop flashing alternate white,green. Quote Link to comment
+California Bear Posted January 28, 2004 Share Posted January 28, 2004 In the early days of aviation before radio navigation and GPS, night flying was problematic if not bordering on impossible. To solve this problem, specifically for air-mail delivery, flight paths (known as airways) between key cities were delineated by a series of rotating light beacons set up about every 10 miles. These beacons were bright enough to be seen from up to 40 miles on a clear night so all a pilot had to do was follow the string of lights. In addition, the airway beacon stations had a large concrete arrow built flat on the ground that pointed toward the next highest number station in the airway to facilitate daytime navigation. The FAA has a good article on early night navigation, including the beacons, at http://www.ama500.jccbi.gov/afss/History/NightNav.htm. There is also a picture of a standard airway beacon station. I would imagine that most of these stations are gone now, most likely torn down for scrap metal, but the concrete arrows may still be in place. Quote Link to comment
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