Radio Beacon Station Building Used at Ford Airport, 1927

Summary

Early pilots depended on visible landmarks, preventing reliable navigation in bad weather. Henry Ford's engineers developed a radio beacon that simultaneously transmitted two Morse code letters. Pilots steered until the separate signals merged into one steady hum. The original beacon station building at Ford Airport was removed in 1933 and is now displayed in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

Early pilots depended on visible landmarks, preventing reliable navigation in bad weather. Henry Ford's engineers developed a radio beacon that simultaneously transmitted two Morse code letters. Pilots steered until the separate signals merged into one steady hum. The original beacon station building at Ford Airport was removed in 1933 and is now displayed in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

Artifact

Radio station

Date Made

1927

Heroes Of The Sky
 On Exhibit

at Henry Ford Museum in Heroes of the Sky

Object ID

00.136.446

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Wood (Plant material)
Metal
Glass (Material)
Paint (Coating)

Color

Yellow
Black (Color)

Dimensions

Width: 120 in

Radio Beacon Transmitter Used at Ford Airport, 192...

Details

Radio Goniometer Used at Ford Airport, circa 1927

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