Las Vegas age. [volume] (Las Vegas, Nev.) 1905-1947, 1927-07-09
WORK PROGRESSING
ON LIGHTED AIRWAY
Las Vegas, Only Air Mail
Stop Between Los Angeles
& Salt Lake, Soon To Ex-
perIence Night Flying.

MIR. Ii. w. Lucas, airway exten-
sion superintendent, alrways Ill
VISION, U. .. department OIL Com.
merce, was IN Las vegas yester-
DAY III codnecuon with the Work
OF Installing Deacon nghts De-
tween Las vegas ana Los Angeles.
ne states that there have been
some delays experienced by the
contractors, but that the work Is
making progress and VIII probably
be completed WITHIN few weeks.
Tne beacon near Sloan VIII proD
ably be the first to be competed
ana viii be turned on as soon as
ready, other beacOns 20 be put III
operation as fast as competed.
Regarding the work, Mr.. Lucas
SAID:
The airway from Los Angeles
to Las Vegas is soon TO be lignteu
Dy the U. S. Department OF Com
merce. Work is now progressing
on the installation of airway pea
cons for the guidance of plots at
night; and intermediate landing
nights for the use OF pilots being
caught enroute by inclement wea-
ther or having motor trouble. Thus
the airway will be made safe for
flying day and night. Available
to the public as well as air mail
carriers.
The work of Installing the aids
to aerial navigation is being done
by The Limestone Products Com
pany of Pennsylvania under con-
tract with the U. S. Department
of Commerce, and is being super
vised for the government by Lieut..
H. w. Lucas, Airway Extension
Superintendent, formerly a pilot
in the U. S. Naval Air Service,
and now attached at Washington,
D. c., to naval reserve bombing
unit in addition to his civil duties
with the Department of Com
merce. Lieut.. Lucas was one OF
two pilots to make the first flight
between the Panama Canal Zone
and Columbia, South America.
This was January 4, 1921.
There are 20 aerial beacons
now installed between Las Vegas
and Los Angeles and six interme-
diate landing fields are being pre-
pared. The beacons are "a inches
in diameter and are of the mirror
lens reflector searchlight type.
When in operation they will re-
volve, casting a beam of light all
around the horizon from 112 to 3
degrees above the visible horizon.
ALI the beacons are installed and
are on steel towers some 80 and
some 81 feet in height. The near
est one 10 Las Vegas is at the
first peak to the westward of the
highway II miles south of Las
Vegas. Each beacon is to have
a directiOnal arrow in concrete
painted orange to indicate to the
pilot flying by, the direction to-
ward the succeeding beacons
north and south. Only one arrow
remains to be installed.
Where available electric cur
rent will be furnished by com
iAAOA Vial AlhCy II VIII DS
supplied by a farm lighting set
consisting of a gasoline engine
and an electric generator housed
in a pOwerhouse at or adjacent
to the beacon served as at the
first beacon south of Las Vegas
known as Sloan Beacon. Each
beacon will be put into operation
as soon as the power and electric
al installation is completed for
that beacon.
Soon after the completion of
this sector of airway the Depart
ment of Commerce will begin
work on the sector from Las We
gas to Salt Lake and when that
link is put into operation there
will be a complete lighted airway
from Los Angeles to Boston"