Photos by Jack Bell and Department of Commerce (DoC), courtesy of his son – Bill Bell
Historical Photo Background
The 2nd transcontinental airway was established across the country from New York to Los Angeles in mid 1929.. . However, not all the beacons were completed by July 1929. Transcontinental Air Transport (C. Lindbergh) established the route as a plane-and-train service coast-to-coast. They partnered with Pennsylvania and Santa Fe Railroads for night travel where beacons were not ready. Result – coast-to-coast in 48 hrs.
Charles Lindbergh – was on staff as the Technical Committee Chairman for the entire T.A.T airline venture. He was also a stockholder and the face of T.A.T., of course a household name in 1927 onward. (a plus for getting investors on board and for marketing the air service).
Service began July 1929. Sept 1929 was the first crash. This occurred west of Albuquerque at Mt. Taylor. By the time the western New Mexico beacons were all in place, the four-course radio navigation range was being deployed. Also, post-crash(es), moving the beacons south of the New Mexico mountains in a shorter air-line was desired, and the Department of Commerce forces (including Jack Bell who worked for the DoC from 1930-1932) did most of the work on relocation’s.
Per the photos, no challenge was too great for these crews. Removing the beacon towers left concrete arrows behind at many of the sites, but when re-installed in 1930-31 (mostly) the arrows were non-critical due to radio navigation signals, voice radios, enclosed cockpits, and better sectional charts. Only rarely across the US were arrows em-placed as of 1932. These were mainly the rare 1930’s metal arrows but were not always on airfield sites.
Relocating beacon sites was probably routine for these crews, but the obstacles were unique. Still, the technology was simple and reliable. One has to view these photos through a 1929 lens.
Corrections and historical information provided by Steve Owens and Dave DuPree.
1927 Windmill Light, West Coast. This is a GE cluster beacon to be installed on a windmill-type tower, (not a standard 51-foot tower). The GE “cluster beacon” is actually composed of four standard Ford Model A headlights. Even the brackets are straight from the Model A. These are known to have been installed at special locations on the federal airways in 1926-27. Apparently, they were initially procured by the Post Office (POD), but the Department of Commerce (DoC) continued, for a short time, to install them after the transition.
Beacon tower, location unknown
GE cluster beacon tower, location unknown
Fox Mountain, Elevation 9,997 feet. 34° 4’40.59″N 108°42’17.74″W
Armed men at unknown site were Department of Commerce (DoC) construction crew and inspectors/supervisors
Generator Hut, LA-A Site 62, Bonita Canyon, New Mexico. The hut was being relocated 1930 from the 1929 Gallup route, to straighten the airway beacon line for radio navigation and safety in mountains. This Los Angeles-Amarillo (LA-A) Beacon 62 was 600 feet up and east, on the rim of San Rafael Mesa. This power shed 62 is now a key feature of the aviation museum in Milan (Western New Mexico Airways Heritage Museum).
LA-A Light Line Site 62, Bonita Canyon, New Mexico
Aircraft view, Possibly Mesa Gigante, New Mexico
Power line survey at Mesa Gigante, New Mexico for LA-A 66. Rim-view NW. Name unknown
Power line survey at Mesa Gigante, New Mexico for LA-A 66. Rim-view NW. Name unknown
Tribal land access road (permit required) to Site 66, below Mesa Gigante, New Mexico to relocate beacon 66 (previously site 74) to a location west of Mesa Gigante. Mesa Gigante in on right side of photo.
Generator House in transit (1930-31) across tribal lands (permit required) from Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) site 74 (Suwanee) to west side of Mesa Gigante as LA-A Beacon 66.
Relocation of former Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) Generator House 74 as LA-A Beacon 66, sited below west rim of Mesa Gigante, New Mexico.
Relocation of former Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) Generator House 74 across tribal lands (permit required) as LA-A Beacon 66, sited below west rim of Mesa Gigante, New Mexico.
Relocation of former Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) Generator House 74 across tribal lands (permit required) as LA-A Beacon 66, sited below west rim of Mesa Gigante, New Mexico. 1929-1930 Ford Model AA’s.
Re-establishment of LA-A 74 Generator House by Department of Commerce (DoC) crews to become LA-A 66, Mesa Gigante (names unknown). 1929-1930 Ford Model AA’s.
View from Mesa Gigante, New Mexico down the new power line to Generator Shed LA-A 66, *Traces of possible metal arrow were located on the rim mesa here.
TAT Site 74 being demobilized to the north and reconstructed as LA-A Beacon 66 located 3/4 mile north of abandoned Route 66. 1929-1930 Ford Model AA’s.
Lower power house generator and fuel tanks for LA-A site 61, Oso Ridge, New Mexico. Established on the Continental Divide.
Jack and Dean, unknown location
Department of Commerce (DoC) power line lighting crew. Site unknown. 1929-30 Ford Model AA’s.
Department of Commerce (DoC) power line lighting crew. Site unknown. 1929-30 Ford Model AA’s.
Department of Commerce (DoC) power line lighting crew East of Grants, New Mexico. Ford Model AA’s. Site unknown
Department of Commerce 1929-30 Ford Model AA’s work truck with a load of power poles, Main Street, Grants, New Mexico. Background sign on right reads “Swastika Cottage Camp” (motor court).
LA-A Site 60 Light Line, El Morro, New Mexico
LA-A Site 60 Beacon Tower, El Morro, New Mexico. The tower is barely visibly on outcrop at rim of the mesa,. Photo taken from the standard Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) beacon generator hut at El Morro Village, New Mexico.
Lineman
Lineman
Lineman
Lineman
Lineman
Beacon Light, possibly located at Acomita Department of Commerce (DoC) / Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) intermediate airfield, New Mexico
Mt Taylor in distant background possibly looking from Acomita, New Mexico
Both Steve Ownes and Dave DuPree have sought out unique beacon sites searching in Arizona for a concrete arrows and in New Mexico for a metal arrow other than airfield locations. So far, neither search has paid off for them. Metal arrows were easy to remove when a beacon site was shut down. They salvaged and restored the metal route arrow above for LA-A 59B, El Morro emergency field. Donated by the landowners at El Morro, this restored arrow is one key asset of their museum at Grants, New Mexico.
Four-Course Radio Range, Whitmore, CA, 2019 Located 5 miles west of Whitmore, California, this is one of the few remaining four-course radio range locations. Wooden poles were used instead of steel antennas because metal would have interfered with the pattern created by the loop antennas. Eventually, these were replaced by the VOR.
40°37’30.88″N 121°59’48.60″W
Early low-frequency radio station (such as the above photo) based on crossed loop antennas; later installations used Adcock antennas for improved performance.
Fort Jones, California, 2019
Four of five Four-Course Radio Range towers were still in existence in 2019. Located about two miles south of Scott Valley Airport, California.
41°31’38.26″N 122°51’37.55″W
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Mobile FSS, 2006
As part of our FSS history, sometimes a portable FSS was setup for special events such as Oshkosh where pilots would come in for a briefing.
The above photo was operated by the Kankakee AFSS at the World Freefall Convention in Rantoul IL in 2006. The trailer was based in the midwest, and this mobile FSS contained a remoted version of the Oasis operating system.
