rw2 wrote:

robw56 wrote:http://surveymarks.planetzhanna.com/airway-beacons-list-western-u-s/

Here you go guys this link has a whole bunch of them plus the coordinates...

I couldn't get the coordinates to work well in google maps. e.g. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark ... Box=DX4140

Anyone know how to take those coordinates and get them to point at the arrow that aforementioned site claims is there?

You need to take the parentheses off of the N and the W. For example:

64 50 21.64813(N) 147 38 32.20024(W) should be 64 50 21.64813N 147 38 32.20024W then it will work

From the looks of it I'm not the only one who has or is going to lose HOURS on this subject (thanks Svanarts I was nearly late for work today researching this) Very cool combo of history archaeology and aviation, my top three, I'm hosed. It would be neat to see a compiled map of them all and be able to follow some of the routes.

On mountain top rotating beacons... There is one on a mountain west of Missoula, MT, just north of I-90. Or at least there was the last time I went through there at night a few years ago.

After hearing about it for years from the cowboys who graze their cattle in the area, who know I have a prop collection, I hiked into the Big Onion Grazing Area and found the prop in question. I had been told only that it was an airplane prop, but I instantly realized it was a large, 12" dia., wind turbine blade. There was no sign of habitation ever being there, no cabin remnants etc., and a prop this big would have been for poweringa good sized house not a crude little cabin. Then we saw the tower foundations, and that was all that ever seemed to be there, no other structures.

Once back home I got the SLC chart out and bingo, the site was exactly on course if your were a pilot flying from Poky to SLC, about 30 miles out. This prop is now hanging on my wall along with many others, but it is the most valued one though I got it free. From the 20's or 30's is my best guess judging by it's mode on construction.

The concrete arrows thing is news to me, wow that is an interesting bit of history! Think of these arrows and lighted beacons the next time you casually set your course on your moving map touch screen GPS!

Very cool thread!

Not sure if it was mentioned or asked. But those Concrete Arrows should be saved as a National Historical Sites. Even if they are on private property, they should be preserved.

I'd like to follow at least part of that route myself, someday.

I've tried several of the ones marked as "Concrete" in the spreadsheet and so far haven't found one. Anyone having better luck?

The old fire lookouts had lat and long painted on the roof for pilots to ID where they were. probably none left with the markings still on the roof.

The old fire lookouts had lat and long painted on the roof for pilots to ID where they were.

Very cool info! Brings back memories....
My dad used to enjoy taking his young family (1950s) then driving and hiking where necessary (if not too far) to these lookout towers. We loved the views! We would ask permission and it would always be granted to come up into the cab. I had no idea anything might be painted on top..... We observed the bottom quite a bit while climbing the (often) long stairs to the typically under door/floor door of the cab or walkway.
There used to be a LOT more of these in the PNW. Now just a handfull....

Thx again for the post!
lc

My dad used to enjoy taking his young family (1950s) then driving and hiking where necessary (if not too far) to these lookout towers.

This one is Little Bald Mountain on the Naches Ranger District. Tom Bigley was on Little Bald in 1958 and several others on the Naches dist. and for the DNR in the Ahtanum before that. He later became a Navy Pilot and flew over little Bald often. The picture I posted was in 1972 and the lookout is my wife. Here's Tom's web site about his work on lookouts in the 50's you may have been to some of them. All long gone now.
http://bigleytl.com/littlebald/

edited: I found the edit button so you can disregard this post.

I can't find the edit function, but anyhow, my post above should have sai that Tom Biggley was on Little Bald in 1958, not "He was..."

rw2 wrote:I've tried several of the ones marked as "Concrete" in the spreadsheet and so far haven't found one. Anyone having better luck?

Maybe they are covered with brush, trees, dirt from years of no maintenance?

It would be fun to try and find them and clean the area up around them so they can be seen again (if most of them still exist). But gaining access to some might be a challenge if they are on Wilderness or Private Property.

58Skylane wrote:It would be fun to try and find them and clean the area up around them so they can be seen again (if most of them still exist). But gaining access to some might be a challenge if they are on Wilderness or Private Property.

Twisted minds think alike. I was thinking it would be awesome to figure out what paint was used back in the day and do a little guerrilla restoration project.

Here's a link to an old chart which shows the beacon locations along a section of one of the routes http://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/historicals/preview/image/133-06-1935 and here's a link to the main search page. BE WARNED, you might be there a while having family members inquiring as to how you can be soooo interested in some old funky map. They dont know it's a treasure map.
http://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/historicals/search_attributes

SD

And here I didn't think anyone would be interested. I'm not much for reading history books but I love to go visit history first hand.

robw56 wrote:On a Google search I found this one...


I searched Lake Point, UT on Google Earth and started looking around and it didn't take long to find it. People have even posted pictures of it on there. Here are the coordinates: 40°42'16.31"N 112°15'13.00"W

You got better eyes than me Rob. I was looking for that one for 45 minutes yesterday and never found it. There should be a couple north of I-15 between Las Vegas and Mesquite. I couldn't find those either. They are depicted on the old airway map that was posted above. I was trying to cross reference that map with Google maps to try to find a couple of the arrows. No luck.

If anyone is interested. I started a Google map starting with Rob's find above. There are a couple more that I know of in Utah that I'm going to add in. Anyone, feel free to add arrows that you know about to the map. I also think it would be a total blast to do an arrow tour some time. Almost like a treasure hunt from the air.

Here is the link to the map: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=21 ... gplus-ogsb

svanarts wrote:

robw56 wrote:On a Google search I found this one...


I searched Lake Point, UT on Google Earth and started looking around and it didn't take long to find it. People have even posted pictures of it on there. Here are the coordinates: 40°42'16.31"N 112°15'13.00"W

You got better eyes than me Rob. I was looking for that one for 45 minutes yesterday and never found it. There should be a couple north of I-15 between Las Vegas and Mesquite. I couldn't find those either. They are depicted on the old airway map that was posted above. I was trying to cross reference that map with Google maps to try to find a couple of the arrows. No luck.

If anyone is interested. I started a Google map starting with Rob's find above. There are a couple more that I know of in Utah that I'm going to add in. Anyone, feel free to add arrows that you know about to the map. I also think it would be a total blast to do an arrow tour some time. Almost like a treasure hunt from the air.

Here is the link to the map: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=21 ... gplus-ogsb

I couldn't figure out how to add it to the map, but there is one at 40.925091°, -117.398051°, if you want to add it. It is near Golconda Nevada. I don't have any other information on it.

I found an Air and Space article about the early days of the CAA Airway Marking Program, which in a way is associated with this Forum topic:

http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-f ... oftop.html

Some of the famous female pilots of the 1930's, such as Blanche Noyes and Louise Thaden, participated in this program. Another participant was Nancy Harkness (later Love), who later became the Commander of the
Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), which in turn became the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS).



EDIT: One other little tidbit about Nancy Harkness Love; in 1937 and 1938, as a test pilot for the Bureau of Air Commerce, Love tested a new landing gear design... one that, even today, creates impassioned debate amongst BCP members; the Tricycle Landing Gear.

I added it Blackrock, thanks!

Airway beacons through Banning Pass -- 1945

This website has some great info on the old air mail routes: http://www.airmailpioneers.org/

Including this :
PILOTS' DIRECTIONS

NEW YORK-SAN FRANCISCO ROUTE

DISTANCES, LANDMARKS, COMPASS

COURSE, EMERGENCY AND REGULAR

LANDING FIELDS, WITH SERVICE AND

COMMUNICATION FACILITIES AT

PRINCIPAL POINTS ON ROUTE