Photo Album - The Foundation
- Air Mail Pioneers
- MacCracken and the Aeronautics Branch
- Safety Certification Begins
- Building the Airways
- Airway Communications
- Aeronautics Branch Aircraft
- Vidal and the Bureau of Air Commerce
Building the Airways
Enthusiasm for the new aerial highways was reflected in the 5 cent air mail stamp of 1928. One of the light beacons used to mark the airways is shown on the stamp and in the photo below. |
![]() The tower usually stood in the center of a concrete arrow 70 feet long. A generator shed, where required, stood at the "feather" end of the arrow. |
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Another feature of the early airways were intermediate landing fields. Federal authorities established these facilities where needed to ensure that pilots could land safely at intervals of approximately 50 miles along their route. The fields were usually colocated with light beacons, as shown in this scene from the late 1920s or early '30s. The conical object at left is a boundary marker light. (National Archives photo) |
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![]() In this 1931 photo, the "Lighthouse" designation appears above the door of the airway station at Elko, Nevada. |
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![]() By comparing two coded signals generated by an LFR, pilots could tell whether they were drifting to the left or right of an airway. For those flying on course, the two signals merged into a single tone. The range shown above, at Northway, Alaska, was the last LFR to continue in operation. (National Archives photo) |
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