Kraków 2013-10-10
The beginnings of air navigation.
The beginnings of air navigation are associated with the beginnings of air communication carried out with the help of airships, i.e. self-propelled aerostats. On August 9, 1884, in Chalais-Meudon, Capt. Charles Renard and Capt. Arthur Krebs traveled 7,600 m in the La France airship at a speed of almost 20 km / h (5.5 m / s). The airship of elongated shape had a suspended gondola, at the end of which was attached an electric motor with a power of 6.6 kW with a propeller. The ship was steered by a rudder. Since then, there has been a rapid development of these structures in Europe and the USA. There were practically no problems in navigating over land. It was only necessary to recognize the weather conditions well and have good maps. Highly visible railway routes, rivers, cities and towns (with characteristic structures) were used. Communication devices and cameras were mounted on airships, which allowed for the collection of considerable experience. The problems began with the first flights from Europe to the US over the Atlantic. At that time, the experience of deep-sea shipping was widely used. Often on the decks of airships there were seafaring navigators in the crews. A series of hydrogen-filled airships disasters resulted in the liquidation of air transport with the help of airships.
Lighthouses, airport and route lanterns.
A lighthouse is a navigation sign in the form of a characteristic tower placed on the shore or in the water (lighthouse) that sends light signals. In the old days, fire was also lit on rocks or lifted with a crane. The lighthouse also often sends radio signals (beacons). In the event of fog, the lantern can emit sound signals.
Lighthouses already existed in antiquity. Descriptions of the first columns on which the fire was lit come from 400 BC. The most famous lighthouse on the island of Faros from around 280 BC. In Poland, the oldest mentions of lighting a fire on the shore (Vulcan’s Pot) come from around 1070. Often, existing buildings were used for this purpose, for example, in Hel, the first lighthouse was the fire that was lit on the church tower. The person operating the lighthouse was a lighthouse keeper.
It was decided to use the effectiveness of lighthouses also in aviation. The first airport lanterns appeared in the 1920s. Almost immediately (mainly in the USA) route lanterns were used, i.e. placed on the routes of flights between airports. The airport and route lanterns had specific characteristics; light intensity, light color, flashing cycle (depending on the speed of rotation of the reflector), additional lighting indicating the maximum height of the building. The lighting was now electric. The buildings themselves usually had a steel truss structure. Height from 15 m to 30 m (sometimes 50 m), depending on the terrain. Their disadvantage was insufficient or no visibility in bad weather conditions. Additionally, the new planes introduced flew higher and faster. 40 years is the decline of this type of navigation. Some of these masts, due to the solidity of the structure, were used in radio navigation systems. Currently, airport and route lanterns are not used, but the lighting of the glide path and RWY is the aftermath of the first airport lanterns.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman