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Giant Concrete Arrows Led The Way For Early Airmail Pilots

 
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Valued Member

United States
289 Posts
Posted 09/04/2013   8:10 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this topic Add EricBismarck to your friends list Get a Link to this Message
I found this interesting...

http://www.core77.com/blog/transpor...pe_25236.asp


Quote:
In the 1920s, America began coast-to-coast Airmail service, but the pioneer pilots had trouble navigating the route, since navigation charts of the day were fugazi and you couldn't exactly pull over to ask a farmer for directions. And traveling at night, when it would have been most efficient, or in bad weather was impossible. To solve this Congress then funded these gi-normous arrow-shaped Airmail Beacons, some up to 70 feet long, to trace a route across the country.
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
4648 Posts
Posted 09/05/2013   12:46 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add Bujutsu to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
Fantastic Eric

I really enjoy stories like this.

Chimo

Bujutsu
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Bedrock Of The Community
United States
12128 Posts
Posted 09/05/2013   1:33 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add wt1 to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
An interesting piece of history.

In fact, this story kind of goes along the same lines with it, but more specifically related to Pennsylvania's Allegheny Mountains, known by pilots in its day as the "Hell Stretch":

http://www.airmailpioneers.org/hist...abilia6.html
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United Kingdom
1187 Posts
Posted 09/05/2013   3:06 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add Terence Collins to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
Hi EricBismarck,

Thank you for posting that article. There is enough information and imagery in it and the links to make up a nice intro double page in my US Airmail album. Very much appreciated.

Terry
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Pillar Of The Community
Canada
4648 Posts
Posted 09/05/2013   3:39 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add Bujutsu to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
Thanks for this wt1

I am adding all this to my US postal history notes.

Chimo

Bujutsu
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United States
62 Posts
Posted 09/06/2013   2:13 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add sprtsracer to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
I had no clue that this was done! Thank you for the article! Gee...I wonder if any of them had "Burma Shave" signs painted on them? ;)
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Bedrock Of The Community
United States
12128 Posts
Posted 09/27/2013   9:03 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add wt1 to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
It is interesting to note that the USPS News Link has a brief article on this subject that just appeared on their web page yesterday:

https://liteblue.usps.gov/news/link...news27s2.htm
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Edited by wt1 - 09/27/2013 9:03 pm
Pillar Of The Community
United States
1495 Posts
Posted 09/27/2013   10:35 pm  Show Profile Bookmark this reply Add Trainwreck to your friends list  Get a Link to this Reply
Here is a concrete arrow with a double tail I found using Google Earth. The arrow points to Salt Lake City, Utah.



Cool topic.

Robert
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