Safety challenge accepted!
In the mid 1940’s the US Navy experimented with 5,000-watt natural gas lights mounted on 75-foot towers at the Landing Aids Experiment Station in California. The towers were designed to help guide aircraft in at night or in foggy conditions. Two rows of nineteen towers stretched for 3500 feet (1067m), each tower was topped with one 5,000-watt light. Needless to say, this setup would not meet today’s safety regulations and would most probably be considered a maintenance nightmare. Today approach lighting structures are an integrated element of any airfield, helping pilots land safety,