Last Surviving Air Mail Beacon in US

[mscard88]

Last surviving Air Mail Beacon in U.S., Evergreen

According to RuralSWAlabama, the Kelly Act established U.S. Air Mail. In 1927, Civil Air Mail Route 23 was established between New Orleans and Atlanta and modified in 1931, leading to the construction of an emergency landing field midway between New Orleans and Atlanta.” A tower had a rotating beacon to serve as a route marker. “This old beacon is believed to be the last remaining beacon for CAM-23 and possibly the last of the original Civil Air Mail route marker beacons remaining in the United States.”

 

[Zeldman]

I have found 5 arrows in NM, and now of at least two more in AZ. Just the arrows, all the rest of the equipment is gone except for the 0ne in Milan, NM

http://www.cibolahistory.org/airway-heritage-museum.html

 

[MtnMarcus]

I don't about that. During my flight review last spring my CFI asked me about some obscure symbol on a sectional that I had no idea what it was. He said it was a mail beacon. Seemed like it was around the Yellowstone area.

 

[Brad Z]

Aren't there still a few in operation that are maintained by the state, in Montana, Wyoming or Idaho?

 

[Zeldman]

Aren't there still a few in operation that are maintained by the state, in Montana, Wyoming or Idaho?

I think, but not 100% sure that it is in Montana.

 

[TRocket]

Thanks for sharing. I think this kind of thing is really cool.

 

[MtnMarcus]

Aren't there still a few in operation that are maintained by the state, in Montana, Wyoming or Idaho?

Yes these are the ones I am talking about

 

[topgun260]

Last surviving Air Mail Beacon in U.S., Evergreen

According to RuralSWAlabama, the Kelly Act established U.S. Air Mail. In 1927, Civil Air Mail Route 23 was established between New Orleans and Atlanta and modified in 1931, leading to the construction of an emergency landing field midway between New Orleans and Atlanta.” A tower had a rotating beacon to serve as a route marker. “This old beacon is believed to be the last remaining beacon for CAM-23 and possibly the last of the original Civil Air Mail route marker beacons remaining in the United States.”

The last one? Really? According to this page there are still 321 beacons and 115 arrows still out there.

 

[Kritchlow]

Last surviving Air Mail Beacon in U.S., Evergreen

According to RuralSWAlabama, the Kelly Act established U.S. Air Mail. In 1927, Civil Air Mail Route 23 was established between New Orleans and Atlanta and modified in 1931, leading to the construction of an emergency landing field midway between New Orleans and Atlanta.” A tower had a rotating beacon to serve as a route marker. “This old beacon is believed to be the last remaining beacon for CAM-23 and possibly the last of the original Civil Air Mail route marker beacons remaining in the United States.”

MS, I love love love the old arrow & beacon airways.
Can you give us some insight on what it was like to fly those routes?

 

[Sam D]

I made a detour on my way to Oshkosh to check out the one in Medicine Bow, WI.

 

[mscard88]

I believe the author was referring to the CAM-23 Route between Atlanta and New Orleans, and this apparently is the last along that route.

Googling found this article, and others, and there are others or remnants throughout the country.
http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/12/04/concrete-arrows-and-the-u-s-airmail-beacon-system/

 

[SkyDog58]

MS, I love love love the old arrow & beacon airways.
Can you give us some insight on what it was like to fly those routes?

Mark had been called old.




Again.

 

[MauleSkinner]

I believe the author was referring to the CAM-23 Route between Atlanta and New Orleans, and this apparently is the last along that route.

"...and possibly the last of the original Civil Air Mail route marker beacons remaining in the United States "

Googling found this article, and others, and there are others or remnants throughout the country.
http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/12/04/concrete-arrows-and-the-u-s-airmail-beacon-system/

Apparently the author hasn't discovered Google yet.

 

[mscard88]

MS, I love love love the old arrow & beacon airways.
Can you give us some insight on what it was like to fly those routes?

Let me ya those were the days! No regs to worry about, no worries about buzzing cows and people as they all loved it back then. We didn't even have fences around airports, no security needed. Just had to watch out for cows, they liked to eat the airplane fabric. Open cockpit got chilly though in cooler weather, but as there were no regs against drinking whisky back then, so we found ways to keep toasty, if you know what I mean. Sometimes boredom would set in, so we'd do a T&G on the arrows, those old planes could land on a postage stamp. With that ole leather helmet, leather jacket, and the scarfs we wore, finding a place to crash (not crash the plane now) was easy as aviation was new to everyone, and some bombshell would take us in and let us spend the night with her. If you were good you had a string of gals along the route so that you didn't have to sleep with the same one every time you flew that route. Had one though one time in a town. Another about 100 miles away, turns out they were sisters and talked about their "pilot", until they realized the similarities meant it had to be the same pilot. So, busted on those two, but found replacements for 'em. Ahh them were the days my friends!

 

[mscard88]

Mark had been called old.




Again.

BFD, I am old. But I can still dance!

 

[SkyDog58]

Let me ya those were the days! No regs to worry about, no worries about buzzing cows and people as they all loved it back then. We didn't even have fences around airports, no security needed. Just had to watch out for cows, they liked to eat the airplane fabric. Open cockpit got chilly though in cooler weather, but as there were no regs against drinking whisky back then, so we found ways to keep toasty, if you know what I mean. Sometimes boredom would set in, so we'd do a T&G on the arrows, those old planes could land on a postage stamp. With that ole leather helmet, leather jacket, and the scarfs we wore, finding a place to crash (not crash the plane now) was easy as aviation was new to everyone, and some bombshell would take us in and let us spend the night with her. If you were good you had a string of gals along the route so that you didn't have to sleep with the same one every time you flew that route. Had one though one time in a town. Another about 100 miles away, turns out they were sisters and talked about their "pilot", until they realized the similarities meant it had to be the same pilot. So, busted on those two, but found replacements for 'em. Ahh them were the days my friends!

Wish I could have been flying back then.

 

[weilke]

The last one? Really? According to this page there are still 321 beacons and 115 arrows still out there.

Mh, that site is counting a lot of airport beacons that were part of the network. As for free-standing beacons solely maintained for air-navigation, the number is small. MT Aeronautics maintains 3: MacDonald Pass, Spokane and Strawberry. They had 17 in the mountains until earlier this year but shut 14 of them down to shave $30,000 off their budget.
The article quotes a POAer on their shutdown:

http://missoulian.com/news/state-an...cle_3fc154b6-76aa-5162-bc03-efd28713307e.html