2-839-669 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Airways Beacon Light, last one operational in USA. A 24" rotating beacon light, with coded red signal light and control units. Night flying presented special hazards for air mail pilots. In the 1920s, the US Post Office established a system of lighted airways marked by powerful rotating beacons. Placed 16 km (10 mi) apart, they rotated every 10 seconds and were visible 60 km (40 mi) away. Top five feet of tower included. Removed from Crestline, Whitewater, California (near Palm Springs).