Concrete Ground Arrow Design

Concrete Arrows were designed by the Department of Commerce Lighthouse - Airways Division as a navigational aid to help keep Air Mail Pilots on course while flying the night segments of the airways. They were part of a beacon station located every 10 or 15 miles along the airway. Each beacon station was numbered with the smaller number to the west or south. The concrete arrow pointed to the next higher number on the airway. They were primarily a day mark to help pilots navigate across the countryside, at night they just flew the line of blinking lights. They also allowed the pilot to know where they were on the airway if they became lost.

The first airway light beacon erected by the Aeronautics Branch began operation on December 7, 1926. The beacon was located 15 miles northeast of Moline, Ill., on the Chicago-Dallas air mail route. By June 30, 1927, there were 4,121 miles of lighted airways, including 2,041 miles on the transcontinental airway that had been previously lighted by the Post Office Department.

Arrows were usually a standard length of 57 feet, and 11 feet wide.

They had 5 sections:

Arrow point 12' long, and 11' wide at the widest portion. The arrow pointed to the next higher beacon site number on the airway.

A 10-foot walkway separating the beacon tower from the arrow point 11 feet in length and 4 feet wide.

The beacon pad, a square 10 feet by 10 feet (min., size depended on the height of the skeleton tower), sometimes with a 2-foot square expansion section in each corner, depending upon the Chief of Engineer. The depth of the concrete was 4 inches with a crown of 4 1/2 inches to allow rain to run off. On this pad was a skeleton tower usually 50 feet tall that held a single drum rotating beacon light of 24 inches. At some locations, the 24-inch beacons were replaced by 36-inch double drum rotating beacons.

A walkway 9 feet 6 inch in length by 4 feet wide, that often had a fuel tank on a cradle to power the generator.

And a shed that was 15 feet in length and 12 feet wide, that housed the generators and supplies need to keep the beacon operating. The airway designation and beacon site number were painted on the roof of the shed in black paint.

They had a 9-inch black border painted around the arrow to add contrast and visibility.

Top View of Concrete Arrow

Cross Section of Beacon Pad

Side View of Concrete Arrow

Department of Commerce Lable

Original Diagram of Ground Directional Arrow

Courtesy of Steve Owen, from the book, "By the Seat of Their Pants". Written by H. Dale Heister

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Arrows Across America