340:. Montana was the last state to officially maintain airway beacons, through the state's Aviation Division. In 2017, the decision was made by Aeronautics Division to discontinue their maintenance of the system, due to the system's obsolete nature and budgetary concerns. The system was to be shut down entirely by December 31, 2021. In spring of 2018, fourteen of the seventeen beacons were shut down by MDT. The Montana Department of Transportation's Communications Bureau took over care of beacons at St. Regis and Lookout Pass. Six beacons are now in the care of the owners of the land they were erected on, six are in the care of a non-profit, Idaho Aviation Heritage, and four are in the care of local governments. Due to their historical significance in the state, the beacons at Homestake Pass, Canyon Resort, MacDonald Pass, Silver Bow, Spokane, Lookout Pass, St. Regis, Whitetail are in the process of being listed on the
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Approximately 1,500 airway beacons were constructed to guide pilots from city to city, covering 18,000 miles (29,000 km). Today, most of the beacons have been removed, but the State of
Montana continues to maintain several as navigation aids in mountainous terrain. One beacon is preserved for
284:
To help remember the letters and their sequence number, pilots memorized the following: "When
Undertaking Very Hard Routes, Keep Direction By Good Methods." The beacons are depicted on navigation charts along with their number and Morse code pattern. For example, beacon number 15 would have a code
280:
ID of one of 10 letters: W, U, V, H, R, K, D, B, G or M. The letters represent the digits of 1 through 10 (W = 1, ..., M = 10). The course lights turn on for 0.5 second for a dot, 1.5 second for a dash with a 0.5 second between each dot or dash. A pause of 1.5 seconds separates each letter.
262:
and a 110-volt, 1 kilowatt lamp. spinning at 6 rpm, creating a quick one-tenth second flash every ten seconds. In clear weather they could be seen for 40 miles (64 km). Montana took steps to modernize their beacons, encasing newer light systems in clear domes.
762:
Today, Montana is the only state that still utilizes part of this historic network through our rugged western mountains. Division personnel climb and maintain approximately 19 of these beacons on a regular schedule, also providing ownership and ground leases for their
271:
Just below the white beacon, a set of red or green course lights point along each airway route. Red lights denote an airway beacon between landing fields while green denotes a beacon adjacent or upon a landing field. These course lights flash a
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1193:
242:
A large concrete slab, in the shape of an arrow, was located near the base of each beacon. Many of these arrows remain today, some of which are visible from satellite pictures, even in urban settings.
250:
An airway beacon has two distinct light characteristics: A revolving narrow white light beam about 5 degrees wide in azimuth and a set of fixed colored course lights of about 15 degrees width.
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711:
1294:
344:. The strawberry Mountain beacon was demolished in the summer of 2021. MDT's Aeronautics Division removed the beacon and donated it to the Montana Historical Society.
325:
system began to replace this visual system in 1929. The last visual airway beacon was supposedly shut down in 1973, but a few airway beacons are still operating in
276:
letter identifying the beacon to the pilot. Each beacon is identified with a sequential number along the airway, and flash the red or green course lights with the
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1324:
404:
1309:
158:
1289:
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1304:
1165:
476:
450:
883:
719:
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306:
220:
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1284:
662:
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142:(distance measuring equipment). The last operational aerial lighthouse in the United Kingdom is on top of the cupola over the
71:(UK and Europe) was a rotating light assembly mounted atop a tower. These were once used extensively in the United States for
1299:
858:
664:
Airway
Beacons, an Integral Part of Montana's Night VFR Navigational System: Past History, Present Service and Present Value
802:
745:
341:
318:
798:
528:
741:
32:
Illustration of Airway beacon, showing designated number. In this example, for units digit "1", Morse code should be "
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305:, built in 1929 and restored in the 1990s. It sits on top of a 110-foot (34 m) steel tower in
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1109:
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All of our airway beacons and the associated code are listed on any current Great Falls sectional
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878:
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since 1929, though it was officially decommissioned during the 1960s. Recently, the beacon at
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was restored for historic preservation, using original items found at other nearby sites.
8:
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were painted with an arrow pointing north and two letters identifying their location.
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405:"LIGHTHOUSE FOR AIRSHIPS.; One Already Installed at Spandau for German Army Flights"
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during the 1920s and 1930s. Use of the lighthouses has declined with the advent of
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337:
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119:
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227:. A rotating airway beacon has been in continuous operation at the summit of
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1007:
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191:
183:
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973:
670:. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. p. 21. Archived from
1037:
963:
210:, with concrete arrow indicating the direction to the next beacon
57:
28:
1062:
636:"The Evolution of Airway Lights and Electronic Navigation Aids"
123:
83:
49:
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53:
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At least one beacon to be fully restored as a local museum.
82:. In Europe, they were used to guide aircraft with lighted
832:"Arrows Across America; Transcontinental Air Mail Routes"
103:
The last operational aerial lighthouse in the UK, at the
712:"Beacon House was part of changes in air transportation"
118:
A network of aerial lighthouses was established in the
638:. U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission. Archived from
443:
585:
Aviation
Navigation Arrows in Washington County, Utah
258:
The rotating beacon 24 inch (610 mm)
1194:
1295:Transportation infrastructure in the United States
793:
791:
789:
469:
313:Airway beacons in the US were constructed by the
1271:
285:digit of 5 (the unit's digit), hence the letter
786:
734:
495:
1204:International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
522:
520:
852:
266:
16:Rotating light assembly mounted atop a tower
654:
517:
859:
845:
689:
1325:Communication towers in the United States
630:
628:
626:
624:
531:. University of Minnesota. Archived from
1310:1923 establishments in the United States
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296:
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201:
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157:
98:
43:
27:
697:FAA Advisory Circular Number 170/6850-1
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598:
596:
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289:, and Morse code: "dit dah dit" (·−·).
1272:
709:
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333:. Those in Montana are charted on the
1290:Aviation history of the United States
840:
774:
768:
555:44.94608378510258, -93.05781483650216
1305:United States Department of Commerce
1234:
1166:Lighthouses by century of completion
803:Montana Department of Transportation
746:Montana Department of Transportation
589:
529:"Indian Mounds Park "Airway" Beacon"
477:"Airway Beacons List - Western U.S."
342:National Register of Historic Places
73:visual navigation by airplane pilots
1254:
799:"Airway Beacons -The End of an Era"
13:
501:
451:"Airway Beacons List - Eastern US"
138:(VHF omnidirectional ranging) and
14:
1336:
1171:Lighthouses by year of completion
825:
94:
1253:
1243:
1233:
1224:
1223:
1199:Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society
1161:Lighthouses by heritage register
991:
714:. Oak Ridge, TN: OakRidger.com.
604:
197:
89:
48:An aerial lighthouse located in
1285:Aeronautical navigation systems
866:
710:Majors, Beverly (7 July 2009).
703:
578:
559:
547:
527:Cosimini, Greg (9 July 1999).
453:. Roger Barnes. Archived from
417:
397:
372:
359:Transcontinental Airway System
153:
1:
365:
1300:United States Postal Service
1189:General lighthouse authority
479:Roger Barnes. Archived from
7:
884:Conservation of lighthouses
347:
321:between 1923 and 1933. The
223:on a bluff overlooking the
170:(designated by the letters
10:
1341:
354:Index of aviation articles
292:
267:Red or green course lights
134:(non-directional beacon),
18:
1219:
1179:
1148:
1102:
1071:
1000:
989:
956:
904:
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323:Low Frequency Radio Range
19:Not to be confused with
775:Rogan, Michael (2011).
661:Spivey, Brenda (1993).
380:"The Aerial Lighthouse"
215:historical purposes in
1018:Automatic lamp changer
879:History of lighthouses
777:Airway Support Officer
319:Department of Commerce
310:
211:
187:
175:
115:
60:
41:
303:Saint Paul, Minnesota
300:
254:White rotating beacon
246:Light characteristics
217:Saint Paul, Minnesota
205:
181:
161:
102:
47:
31:
1058:Light characteristic
957:Navigational purpose
722:on 28 September 2011
642:on 30 September 2007
431:on 22 September 2021
425:"Aerial Lighthouses"
301:An airway beacon in
190:In the Netherlands,
1315:Air traffic control
1156:Lighthouse builders
809:on 2 September 2022
677:on 25 November 2013
572:2013-09-30 at the
535:on 24 January 2008
483:on 30 January 2012
457:on 30 January 2012
410:The New York Times
311:
307:Indian Mounds Park
237:Grants, New Mexico
221:Indian Mounds Park
212:
188:
182:Two gasholders in
176:
116:
75:along a specified
61:
42:
1267:
1266:
1210:Lighthouse Digest
1023:Bird-cage lantern
987:
986:
225:Mississippi River
107:main building at
69:aerial lighthouse
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1227:
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995:
902:
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805:. Archived from
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748:. Archived from
742:"Airway Beacons"
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732:
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718:. Archived from
716:Associated Press
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567:beacon buildings
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553:Coordinates are
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504:"Airway Beacons"
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427:. Archived from
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327:Portland, Oregon
260:parabolic mirror
233:Portland, Oregon
208:St. George, Utah
128:radio navigation
21:Aerodrome beacon
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605:Wood, Charles.
603:
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583:
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574:Wayback Machine
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502:Savage, Jason.
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361:(United States)
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338:sectional chart
331:Western Montana
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969:Leading lights
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942:Skeletal tower
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826:External links
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752:on 1 June 2011
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620:
609:. Charles Wood
607:"How it Began"
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413:. 5 June 1910.
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174:) in the 1930s
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120:United Kingdom
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1182:organizations
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1140:South America
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1130:North America
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198:United States
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146:main hall at
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130:aids such as
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90:UK and Europe
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65:airway beacon
59:
55:
51:
46:
39:
35:
30:
26:
22:
1208:
1089:Pharologists
1048:Lens lantern
1043:Fresnel lens
979:Sector light
905:Construction
811:. Retrieved
807:the original
780:
776:
770:
761:
754:. Retrieved
750:the original
736:
724:. Retrieved
720:the original
705:
699:. FAA. 1968.
696:
691:
679:. Retrieved
672:the original
663:
656:
644:. Retrieved
640:the original
611:. Retrieved
580:
561:
549:
537:. Retrieved
533:the original
507:. Retrieved
497:
485:. Retrieved
481:the original
471:
459:. Retrieved
455:the original
445:
433:. Retrieved
429:the original
419:
408:
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387:. Retrieved
383:
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171:
163:
148:RAF Cranwell
117:
113:Lincolnshire
109:RAF Cranwell
68:
64:
62:
37:
33:
25:
1320:Lighthouses
1259:WikiProject
1072:Maintenance
1033:Dalén light
1028:Carcel lamp
1013:Argand lamp
868:Lighthouses
756:21 February
726:21 February
389:29 November
335:Great Falls
315:Post Office
229:Rocky Butte
192:gas holders
162:Gas holder
154:Netherlands
144:RAF College
105:RAF College
1274:Categories
1249:Wiktionary
1149:Categories
1115:Antarctica
1084:Light dues
1053:Lewis lamp
1008:Aerobeacon
937:Screw-pile
813:22 January
763:operation.
366:References
278:Morse code
274:Morse code
184:Leeuwarden
86:at night.
1103:Locations
646:28 August
539:28 August
168:Eindhoven
1229:Category
1001:Fixtures
974:Sea mark
949:(acting)
927:Integral
570:Archived
435:15 March
348:See also
317:and the
80:corridor
67:(US) or
1280:Beacons
1239:Commons
1135:Oceania
1079:Keepers
1038:Foghorn
964:Daymark
917:Caisson
889:Museums
681:5 April
613:4 April
509:5 April
487:4 April
461:4 April
293:History
219:at the
164:Goliath
84:beacons
58:Finland
1180:Global
1125:Europe
1110:Africa
1094:Tender
1063:VRB-25
947:Vessel
912:Aerial
384:Flight
124:Europe
77:airway
50:Pansio
898:Types
675:(PDF)
668:(PDF)
54:Turku
1120:Asia
932:Pile
922:Crib
815:2023
758:2012
728:2012
683:2012
648:2007
615:2012
541:2007
511:2012
489:2012
463:2012
437:2021
391:2011
329:and
122:and
231:in
166:in
140:DME
136:VOR
132:NDB
111:in
63:An
36:" (
34:.--
1276::
801:.
788:^
779:.
760:.
744:.
623:^
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519:^
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287:R
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
