Airway Beacotu

Airwoy Beocons,
on IntegrolPortof Montono'sNightVFRNovigotionol
System:
Post History,PresentService,ond PresentVolue.

BrendoJ. Spivey
EmbryRiddleAeronouticolUniversity

RunningHeod: AIRWAYBEACONS

Airway Beacons

NECESSIW- THEMOTHEROF INVENTION

Our moderncommercialairwaysandtheir associated

navigationalaids,like
the airplane,are Americaninventions.Their birth was the result of the U.S. mail
servicein the 1920s.
The first pilot chosento fly the inauguralflight for the U.S. Mail service
in May 1918, was one GeorgeL. Boyle, fresh out of flying school. Sadly for
George,he promptly got lost and landedat the wrong destinarion.The mail had
to be put on a train to be delivered.(Komons, 1978).
By l92l airmail planeswere standardlyequippedwith a compass,a turnand-bankindicator, and an altimeter;but pilot's ability to recognizephysical
Iandmarkswas that pilot's most critical insrrument. A pilot rarely flew at night
and then only for short distances.
On August 20, 1920, radio stationsat each airmail landing field were
established,including a large stationat the Post Office headquarters
building in
WashingtonDC. This was the beginningof the flight service station sysrem.
Radios were basically employed for ground-to-groundcommunication,not for
navigationalassistance.C.H. Clarahamet al. (citedin Komons,1978,p. 128).
Therewere no aeronautical
chartsor mapsavailablebefore 1921. The Post
Office did make road maps available,but they were maps of individual stares,

Airway Deacons
4

each with a different scaleof distances.They showedno altitudesor mountains.

McGregor (cited in Komons, 1978,p. 127).
Mail planes worked in conjunctionwith the regular trains, so no mail
raveled more than a shortdistanceby air. The effort seemedhardly worthwhile.
Paul Henderson,the SecondAssistantPostmasterGeneralin 1922. statedthat
airmail was an "impracticalsort of fad and that it had no place in the seriousjob
of postal transportation."It becameclear to Hendersonthat if the airplanewas
ever to attain a perrnanentplace in postal transportation,"it must be used for
continuousflight of mail over relativelyiong routes." This meantflying at night.
(Komons, 1978).
A daring night-flying experimenr,conducredon February22, 192I, was
intendedto demonstratethe practicalityof night flying and to entice Congressto
fund the lighting of the transcontinental
route. On that day, two plane loads of
mail were dispatchedfrom New York to SanFrancisco,and anothertwo from San
Francisco to New York. Pilots fly,ing the night segmentsdependedon their
primitive cockpit instruments,bonfires lit along the route by accommodating
citizens,and dead-reckoningpilotage. Only one piane made it through.
,

Congressapprovedthe fundsfor the lightingproject,but it soonfeil victim

to cost cutting effortsof the Harding administration.

(Komons,1978).
Hendersondid not give up though,and by 1923 he had enoughprivate
funding to proceedwith his own project. Many airmailrouresbecamelighted by

Airwav Beacons
J

beacons,and by 1924 the U.S. Postal Sen,ice was consideredto be the most
efficiently organizedand managedcivil aviationundertakingin the world. Gray
(citedin Komons, 1978,p, 132).
In 1926,the FederalAirways Division installedits first airway light beacon
ln

Moline, Illinois. By 1933,the federalairway systemcon'rprised

18,000miles

of lighted airways on which were installed 1,550rotatinglight beacons.

Edward P. Warner, noted that "Indeed though the light beaconsurvived
many decadeson the nations airwa1,s,its life in the mainstreamof American
aviationu,asbrief." Warner(citedin Komons, 1978,p.1a0).
Mr. Warner turned out to be very wrong. The lighted airway beacon
systemflourishednationwideinto the mid 1960s. It was during this decadethat
navigationaltechnologyadvancedso quickiy that many pilots thoughtthe beacon
systemwas becoming antiquated.The FederalAviation Administration,in cost
cuttingefforts,beganto paredown the systemby decommissioning
many beacons,
especially in parts of the country u,here the FAA was unchalienged. The
mountainousstates were not so easiiv persuaded.and in Montana's case the
responsibilityof s),stemmaintenance\\'astransferredto a stateievel.
Presently,Montanais the only statewhich continuesto operateits lighted
airway beaconsystemin the mountainouswesternthird of the state.

Airway Beacons
6

HISTORY
OFTHEBEACONSYSTEM
W]THIN
MONTANA
The FederalBeaconSvstem
In 1965 the FederalAviation Administration(FAA) was responsiblefor
reviewing the urilizationof all airway light beaconsandjustifying their retention.
(Basel, 1965). Justificationfor retentionwas basedon the considerarionof what
unusualor exceptionalhazardsto flight might be causedby the discontinuanceof
the beaconlight. Also consideredwas the numberof operationsdependentupon
the beaconlight for night navigation,under visual flight rules.
That year the FAA, in conjunction with the Montana Aeronautics
Commission, conducteda preliminzry review of all airway beacon lights in
Montana. As a resultof the study,the existing39 beaconlights were categorized
into two goups. Thosein Group I were consideredto have litrle or no value in
their present location and could be relocated to local airports for more
advantageous
aeronauticaluse. The beaconsin Group II were consideredto be
useful for VFR night navigation,but the FAA wantedmore informationto justify
retentionof the beacons.
The 39 beaconswere catesorizedas follows:
GROUP I
1 ) Riverdale

Southwestof GreatFalls

z) Huntley

Eastof Billings

3) Broadview

North of Billings

Airway Beacons

,1\
.+)

Willow Creek

North of Bozeman

Galen

North of Warm Springs

6) Iron Rod

Southof Whitehall

7 ) Edgehill

East of Miies City

8 ) Hauser Lake

North of Helena

e) Stanford

Northeastof Stanford

1 0 .Deer Lodge

Deer Lodge Airport

1 1
r l .

Near Butte

Silverbow

1 2 .Buil Mountain

Northeastof Biliings

GROUP il

1 ) Montana City

Southeast
of Helena

2) Boulder Pass

Southof Helena

3)

Whitetail Creek

North of Twin Bridges Airport

4) SpokaneHill

Eastof Helena

'\l

Northwestof Bozeman

Strawberry Butte

6) Canyon Resort
t)

HomestakePass

Southwestof Dillon
Southeast
of Butte

8 ) Cardwell

E a s to f W h i t e h a l l

q\

Northeastof BozemanCity

Bozeman

10)BozemanPass

PassbetweenBozemanand Livingston

1 1 )Billings

\\/est of Billings

Airway Beacons
8

12) StoneyPoint

North of Helena

13) Wolf Creek

East of Wolf Creek

14) Hardy

Southwestof GreatFalls

15) Raynesford

East-Southeast
of GreatFalls

16) Piper

East of Lewistown

17)McDonaldPass

West of Helena

1 8 )A vo n

West of Helena,nearAvon

19)Drummond

West of DrummondVOR

20) Bonita

Southeast
of Missoula

21) University Mountain

East of MissoulaCity

22) ShermanGulch

West of Missoula

23) Alberton

Northwestof }i{issoula

24) ThompsonCreek

Westof Superior

25) SaintRegis

Eastof SaintRegisrown

26) Saltese

Southeast
of MullenPass

27) I-odgeGrass

Southestof BillingsnearWyola

In March of 1965,the FAA completedthe evaluationof the comments

resultingfrom the proposalto decommissionthe airway beaconsystem (Marsh,
1965). Notices were sent to 2,300 registeredpilots and aviation organizations
within Montana,but only 43 responses
were received.

Airway Beacons
9

Eight organizationsrespondedas follows:

1)

Air Force - Decommissionall.

2)

SoaringSocietyof America - Decommissionall.

3)

National BusinessAircraft Association- Decommissionall.

4)

Aviation TradesAssociation- They use SpokaneHill, Homestake

Pass,UniversiryMountain,and ShermanCulch.

5)

Deer Lodge Airport Board - Decommissionall, requestthat the

beaconbe given to them.

6)

Army National Guard - Requestto retain Deer Lodge beacon.

7)

JohnsonFlying Service- Retainall of Group II.

8)

AeronauticsCommission- Keep all exceptfirst 10 of Group I.

Only thiny-five pilots respondedas follows:

2 - advisedno needfor any beacons.
4 - generallyin favor of keepingall beacons;they were not night flyers.
1 - inactivepilot - no opinion one way or the other.
3 - generallyin favor of keepingall beaconsas they were activenight
flyers.
9 - National Guard Pilots in favor of specificbeacons.
16 - civilian pilots in favor of specificbeacons.
In light of these apatheticresults,Edward Marsh, Director of the FAA,
proposedto decommission19 of the 39 beacons.

Airway Beacons
10

Later in Juneof 1965,the FAA con'lpleteda nationalstudl' of the use of

airway beaconlights. The studyresultedin the decisionof the FAA to retainonly
anddecommission
therestby August1965.(Basel,1965).
eightMontanabeacons
The eight beaconsitesto be retainedby the FAA were Bozeman,BozemanPass,
HomestakePass,McDonald Pass,Montana City, ShermanGulch, Silverbow,and
University Mountain.
Montana BeaconSvstemStartup
In January 1966, CharlesLynch, Director of the Montana Aeronautics
Commission, initiated the Montana Beacon Systen'r. The AeronauticsBoard
selected12 beaconsfor continuousoperationalong Montana'sainvavs. These12
siteswere:
1) BoulderPass
2) Whitetail Creek
3) SpokaneHill
4) Sn'awberryButte
5) Canyon Resort
6) StoneyPoint
7) Wolf Creek
8) Hardy
9) Avon
10) Bonita

Airway Beacons

tl

1 1 )Alberton

t2) Saltese

Along with the eight Federaliy-maintained

beacons,Montananow had 20
beaconsin use. Nineteenof the original 39 beaconswere decommissioned,
the
balance were left in place or relocatedto other airports within the State of
Montana by mid-summer1966. In 1961,the Montana AeronauticsCommission
recommissionedtheir lucky thirteenthbeaconby turning the SaintRegis site back
on.
Historical Preservation
Of the 19 remainingoriginalbeacons,somewere dismantledand usedfor
parts. Others were donatedto museumsor communities. One such beacon,
donatedto the small town of Columbus,was reassembled
and erectedin 1961bv
local aviatorsand residentsas a communityeffort. (Kemmis, 1993). It remained
in active and faithful serviceuntil 1993 when it fell to disrepair. The Stillwater
Mining Companyof Columbusrealizedthe importanceand the safetyfactor that
the beaconprovidedfor so many years,so the mining companyagreedto donate
technicalpersonnelto refurbishthe beaconto like-newcondition. The Columbus
airport beaconis still an importantand usefulnavigationtool for all aviators,and
aiso servesas a reminderof its unique heritage.

Airway Deacons
l2

Attempt to Dismantle the FederalSvstem

The FAA's ukimaregoal,evenprior to 1965,was to completelyphaseout
the entirelighted airway beaconsysrem.on August 25, 1969,the FAA conducted
yet anotherevaluationof the proposalto discontinuethe eight remaining airway
beacons in Montana. The FAA claimed that the continued operation and
maintenanceof these beacons did not appear to provide a public service
commensuratewith costsinvolved. (Morris, 1969).
As a result of the suryey,over 200 objectionsto discontinuebeaconservice
were receivedfrom Montanapilots. The heavy responseindicateda high degree
of interestin and use of the beacons)'stem. Therefore,by a directive issuedby
L. C. Morris, Jr., Chief of FAA Air Traffic, the beaconsonce again avoided the
ax.
MontanaAssumesResponsibilitv
By 1971all eight federaily-ownedbeaconswerestill operaring,as were the
state-ownedoriginal i3 beacons.By this time the stateAeronauricsCommission
had relocatedfour additionalbeacons,one each to West Yellowstone,Dell,
Townsend,and Lincoin Airports.
On December9, 1971,theFAA circularizeda publicnoticeunderAirspace
Case71-RM-80-NRsolicitingpubliccommentson theproposed
decommissioning
of ail eight of the federally-owned
and maintainedbeaconsin Montana(Federal
Aviation Adminisrration [FAA),1972). Later in Decemberof 19]l. rhe FAA

Airway Beacons
13

turned off the eight airway beaconsregardlessof the public commentson the
subject. It was at this time that the MontanaAeronauticsCommissionmade an
agreementwith the FAA whereby Montana would automatically assumethe
responsibiliryfor operatingthe beacons.(Rausher,797I).
During the time period from June 1977 throughFebruary 7979, all eight
of the federally-owned beacons were legaiiy tmnsferred from the FAA to the
MontanaAeronauticsCommission,and by 1979the Commissionwas responsible
for the care and feedingof 19 beaconsstatewide.(Kneedler,1979).

M O ] \ T A N AB E A C O NL O C A T I O N S
A S O F 1 , 9 79 A I { D S T A R T _ I J P D A T E S

Airway Beacons
l4

q
BoulderPassDecommissionin
In 1984,BoulderPassBeaconwas decommissioned.BonnevillePower
Administrationfederallyrequisitionedthe areafor consrructionof a Iargeoverhead
power line which was to pass direcrly rhrough the draw of the canyon,
perpendicularto the highway and well above the beacon. In the past, this roure
was widely usedby VFR pilots when the weatherwas marginal,with the beacon
guiding them to the mouth of the pass. When the overheadwires were erected,
it was determinedthat the beaconmight becomemore of a hazardthan a help, so
it was decommissioned
with the agreementthat the overheadrvireswould bear3foot diameterwhite marking balls and flashingsrrobelights for visibility.
Montana Pilots AssociationInvolvement
By 1986 the Montana AeronauticsDivision was feeling the pinch of
financial budgetary constraintsimposed by the legisiature. Even though the
AeronauticsDivision always had always been a self-sustainedagency, (wholly
supportedby a then one cent per gallon aviation fuel tax -- nor by legislative
allocatedfunds) the AeronauticsBoard was directedto closeryexamineall of its
programs to see where cornerscould be cut. An exhaustivereview of Division
programsand prioritieswere conductedby the Board, and the result was that the
Board rated the airway beaconprogram at "10", the lowest possible priority
ranking. It shouldbe notedthat onl1,five of the nine Boardmembersparticipated

Airway

Beacons

t5
in the ranking of AeronauticDivision programs,and only one of the five Board
memberswas a pilot. (Ferguson,1987).
The AeronauticsDivision consideredthe probable abolishmentof the
beaconsystema distinct possibility. The MontanaPilots Associationrallied for
the cause and to ensureimpartiality, the MPA initiated and financed the most
comprehensivebeaconsurveyever undertakenin Montana.
Inc., was hired to prepare
The Helenafirm of Howard/Johnson
Associates,
and conduct the survey. In March of 1989, the results were submittedto the
AeronauticsBoard.
The surveyresultedin 1,058total responseswhich shorvedthe following:
1)

statedthat their primary flying

Seventy-fivepercentof respondents
was in the mountains(36Vo)or over the entire state(39%).

2)

Twenty-eightpercentstatedthat they flew in the mountainsnever

or very little. Forty-onepercentstatedthey flew in the mountains
fronrrontlrr
rr wqqurr rrJ .

3)

Fifteen percent stated they flew frequently in the mountains at

night while 687ostatedthey flew in the mountainsnever or very
little.

4)

Of thosewho flew at night over the mountains(998), 59Vostated

they used the air*'ay beaconsall the time (257o)or some of the
rime (347o).

Airway Beacotts

t6

s)

Forty-four percentof the respondents

statedthat they had not used
the beaconsduring the past 12 months. Eight percentstatedthat
they had usedthem more than 25 times, 970 statedthat they used
them more than 10 rimes,and l47o statedthat they usedthem more
than 5 times.

6)

Fifry-nine percentrated the beaconsystemas important (177o)or

very important(42Vo)to aviationsafetyin Montana.

7)

Sixty percentof all respondentsrated the cost benefit to aviation

as beneficial(20Vo)or very beneficial( AVo).

8)

Two percentof all respondentswere studentpilots, 57Vopercent

pilots, 31Vowere commercialpilots, 3IVo held insrn:mentratings,
25Voheld multi-engine ratings, and I37o were Air Transport Pilot
rated.

e)

Beaconuseduring 1987-1988(12 month period):

Mullen Pass

l77o

SaintRegis

72Vo

Alberton

I2Vo

University Mountain

2l%o

Bonita

1 7V o

Avon

20o/o

McDonald Pass

24o/o

Airway Beacons
ta

10)

StoneyPoint

19Vo

Wolf Creek

27Vo

Hardy

20Vo

SpokaneHill

22Vo

Strawberry

197o

BozemanPass

3AVo

Whitetail

I5Vo

Silverbow

767o

Homestake

207o

CanyonResort

97a

Monida Pass

ll7o

Seventy-onepercentof studentpilots felt that the beaconswere

importantor very imponant to aviationsafety.
Sixty-four percent of private pilots felt that the beaconswere
importantor very important to aviationsafety.
Forty-ninepercentof commercialpilots felt that the beaconswere
importantor very important to aviationsafety.
Forty-eightpercentof instrument-rated
pilots felt that the beacons
were importantor very important to aviationsafety.
Fifty-four percentof multi-engineratedpilots felt that the beacons
were importantor verv inrportantto aviationSafet1,.

Airway Deacons
IR

Fifry-onepercentof Air Transportpilots felt that the beaconswere

importantor very importantto aviationsafety.

11)

There were no significantdifferencesamong groupsas ro the cost

benefitsto aviation.

The final resultsof the Howard,[ohnsonAssociatessurveywere presented

at an AeronauticsBoard meetingheld in conjunctionwith the 1988 Aviation
conferencein Billings, Montana. The Montana beacons.ystemhad once again
undergoneintensescrutiny,but emergedunscathed.
Politics
It was only a matterof time beforethe next changingof the govemmental
guard took office and again,for the bettermentof Montanatax-payers,beganthe
arduousprocessof re-inventingthe proverbial wheel.
In 1988 Stan Stephenswas electedgovernor. Along with the privilege of
being Governor of the geat Stateof Montana comesthe privilege of appointing
one's old buddiesand iargestfinancialbackersto depanmentalheadpositions.
This was the window of opportunity,out of u,hichcovernor Stephensgazedupon
long time friend and Great Falls tire magnet, John Rothwell, to be the newly
appointedDirector of the Departmentof Transportarion.
Rothwell'slongtimeassociation
with the tire business
madehim a shoe-in
for the upcomingawesomeresponsibilities
associated
wirh being the Director of

Airway Ileacons

the largest Departmentin stategovernment. It was u,idely believedby many in

aviation circies that Rothwell's intent frorn the onset was to abolish the
Aeronautics Board, consume the AeronauticsDivision into the Highway
Departmentas a one-manshow,and severany link betweenstategovernmentand
aviation.
It seemedthat the first order on iris agendawas to review all Aeronautics
programs and start chopping. Probably due to alphabeticalorganization,the
Beacon program u'as first on the list. on thic nr^c'r.r,nRothu,elldid not utilize
the "reinventing of the wheel" sovernmentalprivilegeor the benefit of any past
powers
researchthat had beendone;he simply usedhis new governor-christened
and ordered that all the beaconsin the stateof Montana be turned off for the
months of November and December 1991. The Montana AeronauticsDivision
complied by flipping all 18 sw,itchesand issuinga state-wideNotice to Airmen
(NOTAM) through all flight servicestationsin Montana.
The responsewas overwhelming. Hundredsof letterspouredin, not only
to the AeronauticsDivision. but to the Governor'soffice and to John Rothwell's
office, in adamantsupportof the beacons)'stem.The unsolicitedresponseto turn
the system back on was so great that the AeronauticsBoard feared leo'l
repercussions,and thus inquired abor-rttheir legal liability through the Attorney
General's office. (Fenger,1992).

Airway Beacons

20
Action was taken at the January1992 Board meeting,whereby sevenof
the nine Board membersdecided that the beaconsshould be turned back on.
(Ferguson, 1992).
Decommissioning
of BozemanPass
On March 2. 1993. the Bozeman Pass Beacon was decommissioned
becauseMontana Power Companyhad erecteda 18O-footradio repeatertower on
the site completewith strobelights. So, to avoid redundancyand confusion,the
older, shorter beacon was turned off.
The PresentBeacon Svstem
Presentlythe MontanaAeronauticsDivision maintains15 airway beacons,
three obstruction beacons,and four airport beacons. The airway beaconsare
placedalong well known, night VFR routesin the westernthird of Montana and
are to be used as a ma-rginof safety and for a senseof reassuranceduring
marginalweather conditions. They are not intendedto denoteterrain clearance,
or highest area terrain and are intended to be used in conjunction with other
fundamentalVFR insfrumentsand aids such as a compassand maps.
The three obsrmction beacons do denote the hiehest terrain in the
immediatearea,but are aiso consideredairway beacons.Theseare StoneyPoint,
Silverbow,and Monida. The four Airport Beaconsareon Ryegate,Dell, Lincoln,
and West YellowstoneAirports. Mike Rogan(personalcommunication,
August,
1994).

Airway Beacons
2I

All of rheairway beaconsare24-inch.dome-typelights which emit at least

two-million candlepower.All are servedby elecrricalpower and are codedwith
course lights which can be seenclearly from only one direction. The beacon
flashes two course lights back-to-backalong the airway so that the pilot can
follow this beam directly to the beacon. (Airmans InformarionManual [AIM],
1987).

24" dome type beacon light

Airway Deacons

22

COSTANALYSIS

Historically,eachtime the beaconsystemwas challenged,it was donefor

financial reasons. Prior to 1966,when the systemwas entirely federally-owned,
the Stateof Montana had neverbeforehad to defendthe cost of operationof the
system.
1.

The initial challengecame in 1969 when the state first consideredthe

acquisitionof eight remainingfederalbeacons. A rudimentaryreport of
the presentsystemwas drafted,and the only cost considerarionincluded
in the report was that of electric servicefor beaconsin fiscal year i969.
(Lynch, 1969). The total eiecrricalservicecost for the 12 state-owned
beaconswas $1,188.88.SnawberryButte Beaconhad aiwal'soperatedon
engine-generators,
and the cost of fuel was not takeninto consideration.

2.

The year 1971againbroughtlegislativechallengeto the system,and again,

in financialjustification,the AeronauticsDivision preparedan operaring
cost statementfor that fiscal year. Each beacon was audited on an
individual basis.Yearly operatingcostsrangedfrom a low of $254.54at
the Hardy Beaconto a high of $1,702.8at the StrawberryButte Beacon.
The following is a per item breakdownof total programcosrs:

Airway Beacons

ITEM
Land
Electric Power
Travel

$ 455.00
I,165.92
651.78

Labor

I,723.20

Bulbs

360.00

Snow Machinerental

350.00

expense
Miscellaneous

110.78

Total cost of operatingthe complete Airway Bsacon System in 1971:

$5,516.68.
Averagecost per beacon: $459.72.
Travel costs to and from the beaconby the maintenancetechnicianwas
figured at nine centsper mile. The labor figure was basedon the maintenance
technicians'hourly rate. Miscellaneousexpenseincludedsuchitems as photocell
replacements,powerline repairs, and transformerreplacement/repai-rs.
Becauseof the power supply, SrrawberryButte Beacon was the most
expensivefacility to maintain,and was roughly four rimesas expensiveto operate,
on the average,as the other sites.(Kneedler,I911).
3.

The cyclical challengetook place again in 1987 when the next most
comprehensiveand realisticcost analysisto date was compiled. The

Airway Beacons
24

conclusionsof that study showedthat for fiscal year 1987the total system
operatingcostswere $I7,942.45,or $944.33per beacon.Mid-way during
that year, StrawberryButte Beaconwas convertedto electricpower. The
study showed that if the beacon had been electric for the entire year
included in the cost analysis,the total annualoperatingcost would have
been $14,599.00,or $763.36 per beacon. At that same time, the
AeronauticsDivision was in the processof convertingthe s)'stemto I00Vo
use of metal halide bulbs. Completionof this conversionwould result in
total systemoperatingcostsof $9,496.34annually,or $499.80per beacon.
(Kneedler,1987).
A

T.

During 199I-92 the cyclic challengeagainraisedits costly head. Another

cost analysiswas made concentratingon the number of hours required
each year to servicethe 18 state-ownedbeaconsand the fiscal year i991
operatingcosts.
Labor costs and hours were broken down separatelyand averagedout to
16.82hoursper beaconper year ar an averagelaborcost of $221.92per
beacon per year. Annual operating and labor costs were figured at
$11,483.01,an averagecost per beaconper year of $637.95. (Burrows,
1992).

5.

As of the writing of this reporr,(August 1994)figure compiiarionfor fiscal

year i993 costswereincomplete.The only costanalysisdataavailablefor

Airway Deacons

25
that yearwas the utility figure,$4,446and landrenrof $1,125. (Burrows,

1ee3).
6.

It should be noted that the one cost associatedwith the Airway Beacon
Systemwhich doesnot appearin any of the aforementioned
cost analyses
is the cost of actually preparing the detailedreports and justifying the
beacon systems'existenceevery couple of years. However, a cost of
decommissionreportis normally associated
with a requestedcost analysis
report. The cost of compiling estimateddecommissiondata has never
actually been figured either, but there is associatedexpense.(Kneedler,
1987).

Airway Beacons
26

T H EC H A L L E N G ET O D E C O M M I S S ] O N
Two Options
To decommissiona beaconor a systemof beaconsis not to merely flip a
switch and turn it off. When the original land use permitsfor the beaconswere
drawn up, most land ownersstipuiatedthat if the beaconin questionwere ever
taken out of service,the owner of the beaconwould remove the tower, beacon,
electricalpoles,concretefoundations,and return the site to its original condition.
Nearly every time the beacon system was chaliengedin Montana, an
operationalcost anal1,5i5
of the systemwas requiredto justify one of two options:
Keep them on or turn them off.
As there are considerablecosts associatedwith the decommissionineof
beacons,this cost figure was sometimesincluded as part of the operationalcost
analysis.
The DecommissionStudies
1.

In 1966, the Montana Aeronautics Commissioncontractedto have 19

previously federally-ownedbeaconsremoved from their mountain-top
locations. Somewere re-erected.and some were donatedto museumsor
public-use airportsfor historical purposes. Cost for removal and iand
restorationwas $2,144.31per beacon.(Kneedler,1971).

2.

The next decommission

study rvasdone in 1971,and since therewas no
actualdecommission
work done,the figureswereestimated.Construction

Airu,q, Beacons
27

industry costswere estimatedto haverisenapproximately57oa yeat since

andremovingtowerswas
costof decommissioning
1966,so the estimated
$32,164.78. In addition,the beaconsat Avon, StrawberryButte, Wolf
Creek, Bonita, Alberton, and Saint Regis are associatedwith one or two
small frame buildings. Some of thesebuildingswere used to housethe
which were part of the original 1930sinstailation.Some
enginegenerators
were used as foul-weathersheltersfor beaconmaintenancepersonnel. A
rough estimateof the cost to destroythesebuildings and their concrete
foundationsand to restorethe sitesto their original condition was a lump
sum estimateof $500 per site. For the six sites mentionedabove, this
totaled $3,000for additionalstructureremoval. (Kneedler,l97I).
cost that had to be takeninto considerationwas
Anotherassociated
the fact that the MontanaAeronauticsCommissionowns and is responsible
for a portion of the electricalpower line at the beaconsof CanyonResort,
Avon, StoneyPoint, Whitetail, and StrawberryButte. Tire inaccessibiiity
of many of theselocationsmade the $3,800 estimatefor removal of all
lines seemlow. Ultimately the cost to decommissionthe airway beacon
(Kneedler,i971).
systemin 1911was estimatedat $38,964.68.
The operational cost analy'sis report of 1987 also contained the
decommissionoption. It u,asestimatedat that time that to decommission

Airway Beacons
28

the systemand restoreall siteswould lange from $95,000to $142,500.

Those figureswereestimatesgiven by Rick Bell of Bell and Associatesof
Helena, after having visited the McDonald Passand Avon beaconsites.
(Kneedler,1987).

Stoney Point Beacon

Airway Deacons

29

ON OROFF

The questionof airway beaconusefulness

is one which hasbeendiscussed
with varying de$ees of enthusiasmfor man)/years. It is doubtful that there are
any new argumentspro or con. The most frequentlyheardargumentagainstthe
beaconsystemis that it is no longer of value in this modern day of electronic
navigationalaids. While that statementstandsrrue from a technologicalpoint of
view, it is here that the Human Factor figuresheavily.
At night, at high altitudes,and during pleasantwearherconditions,the
lights of Montana's cities provide adequatevisual reference. Unfortunately,
experiencedpilots know that theseconditionsexist on a frusrratinglyinfrequent
basis. Low ceilings and inclementweather,including fog and icing conditions,
often prevent high altitude flight, but would not prevent making the flight at a
lower, but still safe,altitude. Night flying under theseconditionswould usually
preventa pilot from observingmore than one town at a time, eliminatinghis or
her most valuablevisual reference.Under suchconditions,even thoughthe pilot
rnay have more complexed,more technicalnavigationalaids on board,the airway
beaconiight providesa margin of safetyand a senseof reassurance
that simply
cannotpracticallybe duplicated.
It is interestingto note that in the previousbeaconsurveys,many airline
pilots and commercialoperatorsrespondedfavorablyto the beaconsystem.

Airway Deacons

30
The following is one of the most poignantlettersreceivedand sincerelybrings
home the fact that in this day of "Gee Whiz" gadgerry,the old original beacon
standby still makes a pilot reflect on a time when the beacon was literally a
fluorescentlifesaver in a dark cold ocean.

;SiFr
)ull,ry\

,#FT
T''-.s;,r/
AIR LINE P I L O T S A S S O C I A T I O N

T S E A T T L EF I E L D O F F I C E
W. A S H T N G TSO8N
S U I T E 5 2 6 E V E t r G R E E NB L D G 1 5 S . c R A D yW A y n t r E N T O N
0 5 5 - 3 2 5n4 ( 2 0 6 )2 2 8 - 4 8 1 0
I,larch 7, l9BB
Mr. Ilichael D. Ferguson, Administrator
Aeronautics Division
Department of Commerce
State of Montana
P.0. Box5178
2630 Airport
Road
Helena, Montana 59604
RE:

Airway

Beacon Sirrvey

. , '
F e r o r r s o n : , , ,: t i

Dear Vr-

I contacted. the Central Air Safety Chairmen of those carriers

Montana and have forwarded your suvey to themfordissemination
Hope you get some results.
AS

Side

\v i! rr \ D 4^Lrwu

ysd:

T
!

nOte:

-r ri! -5 r: r^L '

J

-^
4bu

-L t' l^d u^ t
t
!

hr lovnpcs . y vv so r r

.sfill
J

I, ^. I* A
- s

irrmn
. -,.,.

kAcccsnw

miohf
se:f

+'-^
LrtE

have
ins

^'.^+^'>J-Lglu.

a need

f rnm

Tr^^v^
IttE!g

for

Se.al. i'1 a

'1-^^^
Ltlu5E

d^ tr c^

that operate 'rn

to the pilocs.

^4
ud

nu jI l_^Lr U
c L5

fr 1
I -. v, -_' L- ^I l g

them.
f n

C
_ ^h -i _ _n _: oo n_

Tho

"Cooks"

jn
c^ a
an
p *L aa l n ,

' . ' nl .O
^
W

was reEiring
in six months, was giving me a
tour of the many "Gee Whiz"
devices on the 767.
iie spoke of his father who had been an airmail
pilots
in
che late 20's.
Flying on dead reckoning, pilotage,
and the airways beacons.
Look at this (cocl:pit) now! What would his dad have rhought of ir?
It was clear and coldat4l,000'
that night and as Ehe crew punched commands
into the onboard computer, rde crossed Inlashington and came over the pan handle
of ldaho.
Out ahead my eye caught by the winking of the bright
sequence lights.
Most of your system was in view.
I pointed the Montana beacon system to the
crew and mentioned - here \,rewere in 1986 at 41,000 in a "glass" cockpit.
B e l - o r ,w
r as, to my knowledge. the last lighted
airway s)'stem in the U.S. that
I know of - 1932t s o t h c r e v . r m e m b e r sp a u s e d .
The skinner
sert-led back in his chair
and w d ) ( i u r g L
q
^
r
n
t
n
l
'
a
z
l
r
!
.
^
I
.
'
o
h
t
r
r
n
t
i
I
f
h
o
\
r
r
^
for some time.
He sat and w o L L l l g u
u ut
LirE
IItsrrLJ
uftull
Lrre_v wE!c
of view.
lrnnw
Then imperceptively
I,fhat he was thinking
shook his head.
about I d o nnf
'l
p
h
t
b u t t h o s e b e a c o n s o n t h a t c l e a r c o ' 1d n i
e f r a n i m n r e s s i o n on a l l of us in
the cockpic of the 767.
L

g r r

: | l { r

/
/
; / / /,
tn /

\ 1 n ^ 6 f d l \ t
v 4(^99!
Y!J

! v

li./: y'

t t'.!L/a

l,fichael OswaLd
Seattle Area Safecy Coordinator
M n . - if

scHEiluLE wrTH SAFETY F{!fE

-.

a F F t L r a r E ow r T H A F L - c t o

Airway Beacons
32

Montana is the last stateto operateairway beacons,and the Montana

Aeronautics Division considers the cost of operation to be insignificant,
commensuratewith the incalculablesafety factor. The Division maintainsthat
thereis no other Division functionwhich providesas muchrealisticand practical
safetymargins for so littie cost. (Kneedler,I97I).
So, is the system still of value? One must ask severalother related
questionsin order to answer the first.
a)

Is there any value to designing a pilot's seat so as to prevent

fatigue and make the pilot comfortableduring long, sometimes
stressfulflights?

b)

Is there any value to orchesrratingcockpit resourcemanagement

coursesfor bettercommunicationamongcrew members?

c)

Is there any value to developmentof highly accurateand complex

0/0 landing systemsthat can guide an aircraftto groundlevel with
virtually no visibility?

These questionsand the associatedanswersall center around modern

technologyin conjunctionwith the added benefit of past experience,but the
answerto all questionswill certainly contain referenceto "If it makes the pilot
feel safer,more comfortable,more confident,and more productive,"lhen )'ES, it
is of value. Apply the samepa-rtialanswer to an antiquated,historic, but still

Airway Beacons
33

highly useful systemto draw a conclusion. Pleasekeepin mind the old saying
"If

it isn't broken- Don't fix it."

Airway Beacons

34

References

A.S.A. Publications.(1987).AirmansInformationManual. Seattle

Basel,E.G. (1965). Letter,MonranaAeronautics
Division (MAD) Fiies.
Burows, Gerald (1992).Beaconoperatingexpensereporr,MAD Files.
Burrows, Gerald (1993).Memo to Represenrarive
Robert Clark, MAD Files.
FederalAviation Adminisrration(1972). Memo, MAD Files.
Fenger,Joel (1992). lrtter to AttorneyGeneralRacicor,MAD Files.
Ferguson,Michael (1978). Lerrerto Terry Marshall,MAD Files.
Ferguson,Michael (1992). Letter to John Rothwell, MAD Files.
Howard/JohnsonAssociatesInc. (1987). Pilot surveyreport, MAD Files.
Kemmis, Scott (1993, September23).

Airport beacon: Historic landmark.

Stillwater Countv News.

Komons,Nick A. (1978). Bonfiresto beacons:Federalcivil aviationporicy under
the air commerceact. 1926-1938.(pp. 125-la5). Washington,DC: U.S.
Government Printing Offi ce.
Kneedler,Dave (1911). Memo to Bili Hunr, MAD Files.
Kneedler,Dave (1979). Interofficememo, MAD Fiies.
Kneedler,Dave (1987). Memo to MichaelFerguson,MAD Files.
Lynch, Charles(1969). Specialreport,MAD Files.
Marsh,Edward C. (1965). Lerrer,MAD Files.

Airway Beacorc

35

Morris,L.C. Jr., (1969).Letter,MAD Files.

Rauscher,
Worthie(1970).Memoro Bill Hunr,MAD Files.