ATC IssuesA place where pilots may enter the 'lions den' that is Air Traffic Control in complete safety and find out the answers to all those obscure topics which you always wanted to know the answer to but were afraid to ask.
I live about 2 miles from Southend airport and when we moved in, many years ago, a rotating green/white beacon was clearly visible on most nights.
Now it's not there anymore, and hasn't been for some time. Is this a general airport thing, perhaps as a result of improved navaids, or are there still some in use elsewhere?
If it has gone it almost certainly won't be replaced for the reasons you state -improved nav aids on the ground and also improved technology in aeroplanes, they're also very costly to repair.
Very few civil airports have them now, although I believe the military do keep them going at some airfields where the based aircraft aren't grey, pointy and go everywhere at 400kts.
For civil airports, an 'Aerodrome Beacon' is either flashing alternate white/green OR may be a white strobe light where there is no risk of confusion between airports (s'funny but both Blackbushe and Fairoaks have white strobes and they're not too far apart as the Cessna flys) whilst an 'Identification Beacon' flashes the code letters for the airfield (not necessarily the ICAO letters)in morse code and is coloured green only. A list of these is published in the AIP. At Military airfields the ident beacon flashes red.
I believe the green "LH" beacon, located on Beacon Road, south of the old intersection between 05R and 33L, has long gone. One of the past DCATCOs at Heathrow always used to ask about it during Aerodrome validation boards... "You've driven round the airfield?".. "Yes".... did you notice anything particular on the southside?".. "Er.... the green beacon flashing LH?" "Ah yes.... very good". Tick!
Location: Wivenhoe, not too far from the Clacton VOR
Posts: 311
Years ago Stansted had a white rotating jobber. A pain in the eyeballs when trying to get some kip on a night shift. I remember a Channel Airways Comet (that dates me) calling up for the weather and reporting "Field in sight". As he wasn't due for some time I asked where he was. "Overhead Zurich, FL360" or some such high level. To which I replied, "Report downwind lefthand for 23". It was a crystal clear winters night. Apparently he could also see the Cambridge beacon. Happy days.
At civilian airfields, the ident beacon will flash the morse for the predominat instrument approach facility, i.e. if the airfield has an ILS the beacon will flash I - xx, if has an NDB it will flash the code for that e.g for Southend "SND", if there is no instrument approach it will broadcast the ICAO three letter code, i.e HUY.
As I said, these things are incredibly ancient and inefficient, most are a mass of flurescent tubes and very expensive to maintain, consequently when they conk out they go to wherever they go to die.
Southends beacon is very much old, but alive and kicking. Its located on the Northern boundary next to the Golf course. It can be seen mid-channel on a good day/night.
Niknak you're talking rubbish! Ident beacons whether civil or miltary ONLY flash a 2-letter morse ident which in many cases bears no relationship to the 4-letter ICAO code OR the 3-letter IATA code OR the iap facility code! However, the ident beacon will flash the same letters as the two in the airfield signals square.
The information from Barnaby prompted me to spend several minutes last night looking for a beacon, but nothing seen. I'm roughly NW of the field at around 2 miles, so thought it should be visible.
I can recall showing a group of civilian visitors around ATC at RAF Linton-On-Ouse one evening in the mid seventies. Explaining the purpose of the red "Pundit", I mentioned how it flashed LO, LO, LO.
One lady in the group was heard to comment "Oh how friendly!"
frostbite, the beacon is below the tree line, so from the North/Northwest on the ground it would be difficult to see. From the air it is very visible. On Hazy/misty evenings you can see the glow from the rotating beacon.
OK, I'll bite. at all the UK civil airfields I've worked at (four) all the ident beacons flashed the 3 letter ident code for the ILS or NDB or VOR. I didn't mention any four letter codes.
Now get out yer bath chair, it's time for a warm cup of Horlicks and bed for you, if you behave nurse will give you an extra spoonful of cod liver oil in the morning.
