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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0264.PDF
APRIL 30, 1925 THE DIJON AERIAL LIGHTHOUSE WHAT is undoubtedly the largest and most powerful light- house in the world has just been completed near Dijon, in the centre of France. Work on this lighthouse was started in 1918, by order of the French General Staff, and it was originally intended to serve as a guide for the night bombing squadrons in returning to their bases. Its construction, however, was interrupted by the Armistice, and it was not until about two years later "that it was decided to complete the work and employ this huge lighthouse for commercial aviation. Erected on Mont Afrique, on the Plateau of Dijon, its 1,000,000,000 candle-power light will, it is claimed, be visible, under favourable conditions, at distances nearlv 500 miles 7 ( K\ \ fill' / y 7 5—=— I (\A actual Dijon Beacon was published in FLIGHT for January 26, 1922. We do not, therefore, propose giving this week more than a brief outline of the principal features of this wonderful lighthouse. The thousand-million candle-power is obtained from power- ful electric arcs, automatical^' adjusted and formed between horizontal carbons, surrounded by eight large lenses which are arranged in a somewhat unusual, but ingenious, manner. The eight lenses—each of which is composed of seven dioptric (refracting) and ten catadioptric (refracting and reflecting) elements—are divided into two groups of four, the axes of the two groups being opposed. The four beams of light^from the four lenses of each group, however, converge to form THE 1,000,000,000 CANDLE-POWER AERIAL LIGHTHOUSE : Diagrammatic elevation and plan showing the arrangement of the eight lenses into two opposed groups. They are mounted on two revolving platforms, and the beams from 1 and 3 on the upper platform converge with those from 5 and 7 on the lower platform and from one beam, while the beams from 2 and 4 (top) converge with the beams from 6 and 8 (bottom), but in the opposite direction. « away, but its normal range may be taken as being about 300 miles. Thus, aircraft flying at an altitude of 500 ft. can pick up its revolving beams from the English Channel, Dieppe, Brussels, Frankfurt, Milan, Marseilles, Toulouse, Bordeaux, etc. It will, therefore, be of considerable assist- ance to night-flying aircraft operating not only between Paris and Algiers—for which it is mainly intended—but those flying to and from Central Europe, for Dijon forms the junction of the Paris-Switzerland, Paris-Italy, and Paris- Mediterranean air routes. As regards the lighthouse itself, which ha.s been built and designed by the famous French optical firm of Barbier, Bernard and Turenne, of Paris, a detailed description of the one large beam. This arrangement of the lenses will be^made clear by the accompanying diagram. *"" It will be seen the lenses are carried on two platforms, two lenses of each group being on the top platform and the others being on the second. Below the two platforms carry- ing the lenses is a third platform for carrying spare lamps, control mechanism, etc., and all three platforms are mounted on a central revolving shaft. The three platforms, etc., are surrounded by an 18-ft. diameter house, the upper portion opposite the lenses consisting of a double tier ventilated lantern. Each of the lenses, it may be mentioned, is about 5 ft. diameter, while the overall height of the lighthouse is over 30 ft. Relative Rank in the R.A.F. THE Admiralty announces that commissioned officers of the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force will, in future, rank with one another, according to seniority or date of appointment, as follows :— Royal Navy. Admiral of the Fleet Admiral Vice-Admiral Rear-Admiral Commodore, 1st and 2nd Class Captain Army. Field-Marshal General Lieutenant- General Major-General .. (Colonel-Com- mandant) (Colonel on the Staff) Colonel Royal Air Force. Marshal of the Royal Air Force Air Chief-Marshal Air Marshal Air Vice-Marshal Air Commodore Group Captain Lieutenant-Colonel Major Captain Lieutenant Second Lieutenant Wing-Commander Squadron-Lead er Flight Lieutenant Flying Officer (or Observer Officer) Pilot Officer. Commander Lieutenant- Commander Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant . . Commissioned Officer from war- rant rank C.A.S. at Cambridge ON April 29 Air Chief-Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard, Chief of the Air Staff, delivered a most important address to the Cambridge University at the invitation of the Cambridge University Aeronautical Society. The address was a very long one, and questions of space and time prevent us from publishing it this week. We hope, however, to publish the main points in next week's issue of FLIGHT. 264
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