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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0555.PDF
29TH, FLIGHT 457 " Flitjht photograph. s can clearlyViewed through the front turret glazing of a Warwick, the scale of the approach lighting relative to the runway and sum be assessed. IN last week's issue we included a digest of the lecturedelivered by Mr. E. S. Calvert to the Royal Aero-nautical Society on April 15th. In that lecture, Mr. Calvert examined the fundamental requirements for visual aids in low visibility conditions and also divulged details of an approach system he had devised, and which had been installed to the runway at Farnborough. In the meantime, we have had the opportunity to examine the system by trial approaches, both on the simu- lating device which has been built Tipm nn strati nn nf for the purpose, and also in full-scale UkUJlOabllUllOn OJ flight. As a result, we would express the view that a development of fundamental importance to aircraft operation seems to have been made. Although we have no need to re- count the points of theory so admir- ably made by Mr. Calvert in his lec- ture, it is felt that some observations on landing-aid systems as a whole might appropriately be included before going on to examine the Farnborough installation. The American concept of landing aid devices has been labelled an " integrated landing system." By this is meant a com- pound of radio aid, lighting aid and F.I.D.O. It is thought that an aircraft can be brought down to a height of the order of 200 ft and to within 1.000 to 1,500 yards from Approach Lighting System Installed at Farnborough the touch-down point by means of some radio system suchas GCA, and from such a position a system of approach lights should provide a transitional aid to the final approachand touchdown by the aid of F.I.D.O. This, of course, would be an extreme case, since F.I.D.O. would scarcelybe required in anything except fogs of the pea soup order. It has been Established that on the illumination densityside of the problem alone, approach lights can be adequately discerned down tometeorological visibilities of 200 yards in daylight and, perhaps, to100 yards at night. In the U.S.A., last year, we haveit on reliable authority that approxi- mately two million dollars were spentin conducting an investigation into the requirements of approach light-ing. Nevertheless, the Americans have still not devised a system with which they are satis-fied. The U.S. Army Air Forces have standardized on the Bartow system which provides an approach extension ofthe normal runway lighting as a simple continuation of the parallel lane of side lights. The approach lights are redwith two green lights marking the threshold of the runway, whilst the runway lights are the normal white. The civilair lines in the States have, however, adopted a variation SELECTED TOUCH-DOWN POINT THRESHOLD BAR LIGHTS (GREEN) CENTRE UN£ UGHTS (WHJTE) CROSS BAR LIGHTS (AMBER) RUNWAY SIDE LIGHTS IOOO ft. 36OQft- diagrammatic phn of approach system p«*o*d for Lmdon Ai^ort. Odmg « «* Ugteiinthe middle seem and single Itghts m final sector.
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