PHXtaco
Adventurer
After working on the New Mexico Airway Beacon Survey http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46648, I decided to start looking for beacons closer to home whenever I go out looking for aircraft crash sites. Fortunately the San Francisco to Salt Lake airway runs right through central NV where I am currently looking for a number of old crashes.
As usual I am off to a late start. (Rather than leaving Friday night, I did not depart until late morning Saturday.) Driving through Reno I realize that I am not going to make the desired search area until right before sunset. Not wanting to totally give up the day to just driving without doing at least some exploring, I recall that the mountain staring straight at me on east side of Reno/Sparks had an airway beacon on it according to the old WWII Aeronautical chart I had studied the week before. A quick glance at the NG Topo map on the computer (set at level 4) showed a road going to the top of the mountain from the next exit. So I dove off the freeway exit and fortuitously found an open gate at the road (it actually looked like the gate never gets closed) and headed up the dirt road. After bouncing around in 4 wheel drive for the last 10 to 15 minutes I am faced with this sight… hmmm, the road ends before the top!
I stopped to look at computer, zoom in to level 5 on the Topo, sure enough this road ends on this plateau here and there is another road on the other side of the mountain that goes to the top! Teach me not to look more closely at the map when I deviate from advance planning! Not wanting to have to back track all the way around and then drive up the other road I decide to hike the short (vertical!) distance to the top. Looking back at the truck part way up the hill.
As I crest the ridge I am greeted by this sight… a VOR, the modern day airway navigation system. Doh! Only makes sense to place the modern navigation system on the existing route, especially the high point just outside of town. If I had just looked at a modern aeronautical chart… (What was I saying about advance planning?…)
Because this unit was humming quite loudly, and because I know that it puts out a navigable signal for 130 nautical miles, I decided I didn't want to get too close to the transmitting antennas. I shot this picture in case the pole to the left is a beacon, definitely not the 1930s beacon, but perhaps a more recent one?
Looking back at Reno.
Zoomed in at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
Headed back down the hill. It almost looks as if this dirt road is an onramp for I-80!
Headed for the next hilltop I suspected had an old beacon along the airway route, my direct access is blocked by a locked gate and mining land! Looking on the map (level 5 this time) there is a pipeline road that runs along the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately I have to drive quite a ways on the freeway past where I am at before I find access to the pipeline road. But at least the drive back is fun!
The road to the top of the hill where the beacon was located had obviously not been used for some time—probably not since the beacon was torn down—and was probably nothing more to begin with than a quick dozer blade to move large rocks out of the way.
As I approach the top I see a familiar sight: the 4 base legs sticking out of the ground! 2 for 2 and at least this site had something left—it was a good way to salvage the day!
As usual I am off to a late start. (Rather than leaving Friday night, I did not depart until late morning Saturday.) Driving through Reno I realize that I am not going to make the desired search area until right before sunset. Not wanting to totally give up the day to just driving without doing at least some exploring, I recall that the mountain staring straight at me on east side of Reno/Sparks had an airway beacon on it according to the old WWII Aeronautical chart I had studied the week before. A quick glance at the NG Topo map on the computer (set at level 4) showed a road going to the top of the mountain from the next exit. So I dove off the freeway exit and fortuitously found an open gate at the road (it actually looked like the gate never gets closed) and headed up the dirt road. After bouncing around in 4 wheel drive for the last 10 to 15 minutes I am faced with this sight… hmmm, the road ends before the top!
I stopped to look at computer, zoom in to level 5 on the Topo, sure enough this road ends on this plateau here and there is another road on the other side of the mountain that goes to the top! Teach me not to look more closely at the map when I deviate from advance planning! Not wanting to have to back track all the way around and then drive up the other road I decide to hike the short (vertical!) distance to the top. Looking back at the truck part way up the hill.
As I crest the ridge I am greeted by this sight… a VOR, the modern day airway navigation system. Doh! Only makes sense to place the modern navigation system on the existing route, especially the high point just outside of town. If I had just looked at a modern aeronautical chart… (What was I saying about advance planning?…)
Because this unit was humming quite loudly, and because I know that it puts out a navigable signal for 130 nautical miles, I decided I didn't want to get too close to the transmitting antennas. I shot this picture in case the pole to the left is a beacon, definitely not the 1930s beacon, but perhaps a more recent one?
Looking back at Reno.
Zoomed in at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.
Headed back down the hill. It almost looks as if this dirt road is an onramp for I-80!
Headed for the next hilltop I suspected had an old beacon along the airway route, my direct access is blocked by a locked gate and mining land! Looking on the map (level 5 this time) there is a pipeline road that runs along the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately I have to drive quite a ways on the freeway past where I am at before I find access to the pipeline road. But at least the drive back is fun!
The road to the top of the hill where the beacon was located had obviously not been used for some time—probably not since the beacon was torn down—and was probably nothing more to begin with than a quick dozer blade to move large rocks out of the way.
As I approach the top I see a familiar sight: the 4 base legs sticking out of the ground! 2 for 2 and at least this site had something left—it was a good way to salvage the day!
