Evening star., 1938-01-02
us. BR0ADCASTS
HELP AIR PILOTS
Chain of Radio Stations Civ.
ing Weather Data Is
Strengthened.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
About the time this winters snow
began to fall in the Bitter Root Noun
tains. the Governments Bureau Of
Air Commerce made an announcement
which, before spring, may be the
measure of the difference between life
and death for some plane load of air
travellers.
The bureau said full-powered, ST.
multaneous weather broadcast and
radio range station had just been COM
missioned on top Of Lookout Noun
tain, adjacent to Mullan Pass, Idaho.
At 6,400 feet above sea level, that sta
ton is now supplying directional radio
and essential weather information to
planes flying the northern transcon-
tinental airway through the pass.
Thus the Government completed an
other link in the radio station-light
beacon chain on which hangs the
safety of virtually all ships that carry
passengers and certainly all that carry
them through dark or cloudy skies.
Strengthened Constantly.
That chain is being strengthened
constantly. Already light beacons
have been set at intervals of Is miles
over the $4,000 miles of Federal air
routes. Swinging 1900 000- candle
power beam across the horizon six
times minute, the flash of one of
these beacons can be seen by a pilot
80 or more miles away on a clear
night.
Along the same $4,000 miles the
Government has more than 80 radio
broadcasting stations and about l65
range stations and IS radio markers.
1t also has about $4,000 miles of tele-
type communications circuits, supple
mented by radio broadcasts, for dis
tribution of weather information. The
men operating the new Bitter Root
station. for instance, can supply a
pilot at any time with information on
the weather anywhere In their terri
tory
These men and others like them In
other remote stations are gradually
building up tradition in airplane
service similar to the tradition of ocean
lighthouse keepers. Like the latter,
they may be cut off for weeks from
any personal contact with the rest of
the world, although they do have
ample communication facilities.
Isolated for Months.
When the Mullan Pass station was
opened in November. bureau officials
said it probably would be isolated four
or five months in each year.
Since snow sometimes piles up to a
depth of 20 feet on the mountain top
the stations radio and keepers quar-
tiers have entrances on both the first
and the second floors. The former is
used in summer, the latter in winter
The radio towers there were built on
4O-foot concrete pedestals because of
the drifts and anchored with extraor-
dlnarily strong foundations and guy
wires because of high winds.
Bureau officials said there was little
chance Of airways operation ever be-
coming dull work They tell a story
about junior radio operator named
Joseph Held, who once was stationed
at Buffalo Field. IS miles from the
nearest Nevada town of Battle Noun.
tain. His wife lived at the field with
him.
One January night when the roads
were blocked with snow she was
stricken with acute appendicitis. Men,
bers of the field staff sent out a radio
appeal for help.
Flew to Womans Aid.
At the town of Eko there was a
weather. grounded United Air Lines
plane. the passengers and crew of
which had retired. When the radio
appeal came, the field manager reused
the pilot, mate and steWardess and
they flew through storm and clouds
to Buffalo Valley and transported Mrs.
Held to Elko, where she underwent a
successful emergency operation.
Another story tells of how an Army
bomber was employed to drop food
for snoW-bound workers at Maine
Field, Ariz., when supplies ran low.
There are others about how weather
warnings and quick thinking on the
part of pilots and ground crew have
routed heavily laden planes around
storms or prevented their taking undue
chances in landing on foggy fields.
The radio phase of airways opera
tions is barely 10 years old In 1927
the Government had II broadcast
stations in use. But in those days there
were 4,l2l miles of Federal airways
and there were only 7l9 beacon lights
In use, compared to 1915 today.