Radio Beacons for Transpacific Flights

This paper deals with the radio beacon and its practical application in connection with long distance flights over water. It describes briefly the operation of the equi-signal radio-beacon system as developed by the Air Corps and Signal Corps Aircraft Radio Laboratories at Dayton, Ohio, during the past few years. The use of radio beacons as an aid to aerial navigation was considered necessary by the Army Air Corps in the plans for the flight from San Francisco to Hawaii by Lieutenant Hegenberger and Lieutenant Maitland. The Signal Corps was then requested to establish a radio-beacon station at each of the above points. The equipment for these installations was assembled and tested at the Signal Corps Aircraft Radio Laboratory and then shipped. One station was installed at Crissy Field, San Francisco and the other one was installed on the island of Maui, Territory of Hawaii. Several tests were made by these stations prior to the flight on June 28, 1927 daring which the signals from each station were heard over the entire distance of twenty-four hundred miles. The Army flight is described and the log kept by each station is shown. The beacon signals assisted materially in the problem of navigation during this flight, but unfortunately were not followed the entire distance due to difficalties with the receiving equipment. The next flight, over the same course, in which the radio beacons were used was that made by Messrs. Smith and Bronte.