A tower similar to the Beacon Tower that was placed in Arlington along National Road.
Submitted photo
BROOKVILLE — In 1929, airplanes operated by the Transcontinental Air Transport Corporation in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Railroad went over the northern part of Montgomery County following the National Road, twice each day.
In the morning the plane was west bound, while in the afternoon it was east bound. Passengers transferred from train to the plane at Columbus, making the trip from New York to the Ohio capital city at night.
The plane trip was from Columbus to Waynoka, Oklahoma, where the passengers took a Santa Fe train riding all night and again taking the air to Clovis, New Mexico, from there completing the journey to Los Angeles.
The west bound plane went over Arlington about nine o’clock in the morning, while the east bound plane could be seen between six and seven p.m. The transferring points from train to airplane for eastbound passengers were the same as for those going west.
As part of this airplane system, many big tower beacons were being built; one of those was at Arlington. The beacon stood 51 feet, with a 24 inch light standing five feet above. The light was of a circular action and was two million candle power. It was made to tilt upward and worked like the one at Johnson Airport at Vandalia. The tower was located on the Foreman Tourist Camp just east of the Arlington crossing.
A big arrow was built on the ground of white cement, and was 11×60 feet, with the arrow pointing towards New York.
The following is some of the history of airway beacons: 1921 – The army set up rotating beacons between Columbus and Dayton to allow pilots to fly at night. 1923 – The Army Air Service set up an experimental lighted airway between McCook Field in Dayton and Norton Field in Columbus. 1933 – 18,000 miles of airway and 1,500 beacons were in place.
Beacons were spaced 10-25 miles apart and were visible up to 40 miles away. Beacons had rotating lights fixed tower lights, and flashing red course lights. Green lights indicated airfields were nearby, while red lights meant no airfield was nearby.
The beacons were powered by gas-powered generators until the early 1940s when they were connected to electrical lines. The beacons were essential to nighttime air travel from the 1920s to the early 1940s.
All information and the photo for this Look at Brookville article were supplied by the Brookville Historical Society. Do you have a photo or historical information to share or add? Please contact the Brookville Historical Society at 937-833-0285 or email to [email protected]
