Author Topic: Antenna towers and beacons  (Read 1080 times)

Offline Meatwad

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Antenna towers and beacons
« on: December 26, 2014, 08:47:52 PM »
Anyone here by chance know who/where you report towers that no longer have working beacons? There is a 1000ft tower that is completely dark as of a few days ago
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Offline jeep00

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2014, 09:11:14 PM »
When in doubt, start with the police. The FAA may be in charge of them but again, the police will point you in the rigbt direction or more likely address it themselves due to potential public safety issues.
Bizarre they all went out though.

Offline Meatwad

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2014, 09:28:26 PM »
Noticed it for a while, but the beacons went out this fall and now the side markers just recently went out too. Its an active unmanned site owned by Pax television, but you would of thought they would of did something by now
See Rule 19- Do not place sausage on pizza.
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Das Funkillah - I kill hangers, therefore I am a funkiller. Coming to a vulchfest near you.
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Offline earl1937

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #3 on: December 27, 2014, 07:52:09 AM »
Anyone here by chance know who/where you report towers that no longer have working beacons? There is a 1000ft tower that is completely dark as of a few days ago
:airplane:  In your local phone book under Government listings, you will find "FAA General Aviation District Offices", usually an 800 number...just call them and advise!
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Offline MrGeezer

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #4 on: December 27, 2014, 02:02:29 PM »
FAA.

Also call the station and ask to speak with the Chief Engineer (this may be a person who is the CE for numerous stations in the area).  If not, the General Manager and tell them the tower beacon is out and is a hazard to air traffic until repaired.

Once notified, the CE or GM is REQUIRED to themselves call the FAA and report it.  It's the law to report it as people have died as a result.   If you get stonewalled  call the FAA office in St Louis or Indianapolis.
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Offline branch37

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #5 on: December 27, 2014, 08:24:03 PM »
If the FAA is not directly responsible they will without a doubt know who is.

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Offline rpm

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2014, 12:40:50 AM »
Call the FAA. But I can tell you they won't do anything about it. I worked at a radio station whose 500ft tower was dark for nearly a year and it was within 5 miles of the airport. Nobody did anything about it being dark. It was almost a year before it was lit again.
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Offline MrGeezer

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2014, 05:36:52 PM »
Call the FAA. But I can tell you they won't do anything about it. I worked at a radio station whose 500ft tower was dark for nearly a year and it was within 5 miles of the airport. Nobody did anything about it being dark. It was almost a year before it was lit again.


Not unusual really.

Once officially notified to the FAA, the issue becomes a notice to all filing flight plans anywhere near the tower (mostly General Aviation, not high altitude commercial) as an information item.  It may or may not be on regional NOLAs but locals definitely need that info.  While some large market stations may have a tower firm (independent from the radio station CE(s)) those folks are usually regional, expensive, and run ragged.  It can easily take up to a year for them to get around to a smaller station on the que and replace the light(s). 

One FM I worked at in NC had a 1,500' tower.  It took a good 9 months for them to get to us and when they did the three man crew split $15 grand to replace two beacon lights and replace a transmission array bay (half the size of a hula hoop) that was pitted to beat the band with lightning strikes.  That was 1995 money.  Gonna be more now.
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Offline MiloMorai

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2014, 11:15:06 PM »
If an a/c hit the tower at night, would the tower owner be libel?

Offline Mickey1992

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2014, 08:11:47 AM »
If an a/c hit the tower at night, would the tower owner be libel?

No, but he might be liable.   :P

Offline cpxxx

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #10 on: December 29, 2014, 11:28:10 AM »
There's a 1500' tower right in the middle of the training area where I learned to fly. It always made me nervous. particularly in lowish cloud and on misty days. It is lit by strobes but the stay wires were not. The only good thing about it is that it's a radio station so you can tune to the frequency on the ADF and fly in the opposite direction to the needle.

The only thing more scary than flying into one would be climbing one!

Check out this video on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k4Xk1mEwmI

I get vertigo just watching it. Yes pilots can be scared of heights.


Offline SilverZ06

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2014, 01:33:10 PM »
There's a 1500' tower right in the middle of the training area where I learned to fly. It always made me nervous. particularly in lowish cloud and on misty days. It is lit by strobes but the stay wires were not. The only good thing about it is that it's a radio station so you can tune to the frequency on the ADF and fly in the opposite direction to the needle.

The only thing more scary than flying into one would be climbing one!

Check out this video on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k4Xk1mEwmI

I get vertigo just watching it. Yes pilots can be scared of heights.



I wouldn't climb that if there were a billion dollars waiting for me at the top.  :uhoh

Offline Mar

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #12 on: December 29, 2014, 03:15:35 PM »
Not that video again!!! *straps on parachute and crawls into a hole*
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Offline Petrol

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2015, 03:31:15 PM »
That was amazing!

Offline MrRiplEy[H]

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Re: Antenna towers and beacons
« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2015, 04:43:39 PM »
I'd like to see that in 3D with oculus rift lol.
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