AIR BEACONS
Whilst Sydney’s suggested air beacon is certainly a step in the right* direction, it cannot be considered remarkable compared to existing beacons in Europe and America. For example, there are at least seven powerful beacons between Croydon and Paris, carefully arranged so that by right, at least one of them Is visible anywhere along the route. Paris, as a matter of fact, radiates air beacons in all directions. In addition to the London to Paris route, beacons stretch in a north-easterly direction through Belgium and Holland to Copenhagen in Denmark. Due east the night pilot looking down for those important pin-points of light, Is guided to far-off Strasburg on the borders of Germany. Southwards, these street lamps of the air reach down to the warm shores of the Mediterranean as far as Nice. In the United States there are thousands of miles of carefully lighted air routes. It was soon realised that much of the advantage of high speed would he lost if aeroplanes lay idle all 1 night From New York to Rock Springs, to take only one instance, there are strings of 500,000,000 candle-power beacons every twenty or thirty miles. Smaller automatic acetylene beacons are placed every three or four miles at temporary landing sites in case of trouble.
But the most powerful beacons in America are feeble indeed compared to a monster at Dijon in the centre of France, reputed to be the most powerful in the world.. This aerial lighthouse, with its billion candle-power light, is designed to furnish a night landmark throughout practically the whole of France. On a clear night its revolving beam can be seen at a distance of 240 miles, roughly from the Mediterranean to the English Channel, and eastwards into Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany. The actual lighthouse, some forty feet high, stands on an elevation known as Mont Afrique, nearly two thousand feet high. The entire projection apparatus is a marvel of ingenuity being controlled entirely from a room below. So far, no really satisfactory system has been discoverd for lighting aerodromes, once the beacons have guided the pilot to his destination, but fairly successful experiments have been carried out at Croydon with neon lamps. It has been discovered that these lamps can be seen further by night, particularly in misty weather, than any other known source of light. Lines of these neon lights, wide enough apart for an air liner to alight between them, are installed in concrete troughs sunk level with the aerodome and covered with thick glass. Pilots describe these brilliant lines of red lights as appearing from the air like lanes of fire plainly marking the landing area without dazzle.
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 140, 9 March 1929, Page 30
Word Count
446AIR BEACONS Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 140, 9 March 1929, Page 30
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