Airmail Beacons

[Ben]

I'd never heard of these before. It would be interesting to visit what's left of some of them.

http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/what_are_these_giant_concrete_arrows_across_the_american_landscape_25236.asp

[French G.]

Well, they obviously worked to direct the aliens to Cali.

[Doggy Daddy]

Took a bit of Googling: 35.166513°N 107.898221°W

[Jamisjockey]

Cool!!!!

[BobR]

The resolution in google/ google earth isn't good enough to make out the sites very well. A lot are around existing airfields or on top of the local high spot.

The concrete arrow is still very visible at this site  41° 16' 5" N, 105° 26' 2" W (google earth).

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.aspx?guid=3d40071d-8c89-4c35-97b7-d8db5dc008ad

It looks like these sites littered the landscape at one time.

Thanks for posting this, I had heard of the beacons, but didn't realize there were so many, nor still visible in some cases.


bob

[K Frame]

One of the beacon lights from around Bellfonte, Pennsylvania, is on display at the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg.

[charby]

A few municipal airports in small town Iowa use the old airmail beacons for their airport light. At night if you can get on a small hill out away from city lights you can pick out the airports with the old brighter navigation beacons.

[K Frame]

You know, I was really wondering how a plane flying at night could pick something like this up from altitude...

Then it dawned one me light polution at that time was a scant fraction of what it is now. The electric grid was hardly outside of the cities in many areas, and the cities weren't lit nearly to the extent that they are today.

I bet those arrows showed up like crazy.

[Ben]

You know, I was really wondering how a plane flying at night could pick something like this up from altitude...

Then it dawned one me light polution at that time was a scant fraction of what it is now. The electric grid was hardly outside of the cities in many areas, and the cities weren't lit nearly to the extent that they are today.

I bet those arrows showed up like crazy.

From what I've read, a lot of the early guys also flew pretty darn low. Wouldn't be surprised if during the day they were using street signs for directions. 

[Boomhauer]

You know, I was really wondering how a plane flying at night could pick something like this up from altitude...

Then it dawned one me light polution at that time was a scant fraction of what it is now. The electric grid was hardly outside of the cities in many areas, and the cities weren't lit nearly to the extent that they are today.

I bet those arrows showed up like crazy.

They each had a light tower with them


Hell speaking of extinct navigation methods the NDB which replaced the visual markers is going that way too

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-directional_beacon

[K Frame]

"Wouldn't be surprised if during the day they were using street signs for directions."

At one time town and city names were painted on the roofs of buildings like barns and such.

[Fly320s]

"Wouldn't be surprised if during the day they were using street signs for directions."

At one time town and city names were painted on the roofs of buildings like barns and such.

And water towers. Some airports paint their names on the taxiway or ramp.

[K Frame]

Yep, forgot the water towers.

At one time, when the first generation "interstates" like the Pennsylvania Turnpike were being built there were plans for airstrips every 50 miles or so along the road, with larger airports every so often.

It was believed that pilots would be naturally inclined to follow these roads, thus creating highways in the sky.

[Ben]

It was believed that pilots would be naturally inclined to follow these roads, thus creating highways in the sky.

They do, hence IFR flight rules. I Follow Roads. 

[charby]

"Wouldn't be surprised if during the day they were using street signs for directions."

At one time town and city names were painted on the roofs of buildings like barns and such.

Here you go Mike!

http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/rooftop.html

[K Frame]

Yep. Knew they had been marked out over large portions of the country during World War II.

Afterwards, with the development of radar, most were never repainted.

[Tallpine]

Yep, forgot the water towers.

At one time, when the first generation "interstates" like the Pennsylvania Turnpike were being built there were plans for airstrips every 50 miles or so along the road, with larger airports every so often.

It was believed that pilots would be naturally inclined to follow these roads, thus creating highways in the sky.

Driving through northern BC, we came across a straight stretch of road and a sign that said:

"Emergency Landing Strip / Watch for Airplanes"

 

[Fly320s]

Was the US Interstate system designed to have sections of the roads used as emergency strips, or is that just rumor? Or another country?

[Angel Eyes]

Was the US Interstate system designed to have sections of the roads used as emergency strips, or is that just rumor? Or another country?

If memory serves, South Korea does/did that.

[erictank]

Was the US Interstate system designed to have sections of the roads used as emergency strips, or is that just rumor? Or another country?

Sweden, IIRC, designed one or more of their planes so that it could use their roadways as runways at need. Looks like the old Viggen (the one I remembered reading about forever ago; it is now retired) and the Gripen were both designed to permit dispersed basing on special roads/highways.

[Marnoot]

Was the US Interstate system designed to have sections of the roads used as emergency strips, or is that just rumor? Or another country?

Sounds like there may be a couple countries that do that, but it was never part of the US interstate system. I guess the original rumor was 1 in every five miles of freeway had to be straight and level to act as a runway. Page debunking that myth here:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/00mayjun/onemileinfive.cfm

[Regolith]

"Wouldn't be surprised if during the day they were using street signs for directions."

At one time town and city names were painted on the roofs of buildings like barns and such.

Yep. Knew they had been marked out over large portions of the country during World War II.

Afterwards, with the development of radar, most were never repainted.

Out west, they put them on the side of hills and mountains. Most towns in the Northern Nevada and the surrounding area still have them; usually the high school seniors or a similar groups will go out and repaint them every once in a while.

Here's the one from my home town:

[Doggy Daddy]

Out west, they put them on the side of hills and mountains. Most towns in the Northern Nevada and the surrounding area still have them; usually the high school seniors or a similar groups will go out and repaint them every once in a while.

Here's the one from my home town:

"Bowel Movement?"   

[Regolith]

"Bowel Movement?"   

 

Battle Mountain (named after a battle that likely never happened).

[Azrael256]

"Bowel Movement?"   

I thought the same thing.  Big brown pile, "BM" written on it...   

Driving through northern BC, we came across a straight stretch of road and a sign that said:

"Emergency Landing Strip / Watch for Airplanes"

Wife's late Grandmother's Gentleman Friend hit one the other day.  Knocked the rearview mirror off his passenger side.