Originally Posted by
Arclite01
My Dad remembers a guy from GEC who had worked on Rebecca in Civvie street. Once they found that out, he spent his whole 18 months at Luqa in the small Rebecca hut at the end of the runway, no requirement to attend parades or anything else............. beacon serviceable 100% of the time.
No idea what happened after he left.................
Arc
The small hut at the end of the runway contained the BABS* transponder; this was interrogated by the Rebecca equipment in aircraft.
The 'BABS hut' was usually at the end of the main runway, there were also 'BABS Vans', that were used at the end of other than main runways. These were based on a Standard 9 van and had a fold out reflector system around the aerial. The vans were driven into a ramp that was edged with something akin to railway lines to line the van up with the runway.
It wasn't normal practice to have the BABS hut/van manned, it was only visited in the morning for its 'daily inspection, and in the case of a runway change, or a navigator snagging it.
With Rebecca MkIV, the navigator could see the signal and detect any deteriation in signal quality, so they could inform the tower who would call ARSF.
The Lindholme BABS Van was the 1st motor vehicle I ever drove.
*Blind Approach Beacon System.