Equipment Inside the Radio Beacon Station Building at Ford Airport, March 16, 1927

THF255074 / Equipment Inside the Radio Beacon Station Building at Ford Airport, March 16, 1927
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Artifact Overview

Early pilots depended on landmarks, preventing reliable navigation in bad weather. Henry Ford's engineers developed a radio beacon that simultaneously transmitted two Morse code letters, allowing pilots to steer until the separate signals merged into a steady hum. The original beacon station at Ford Airport (shown here) was removed in 1933 and is now on display inside the museum.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

16 March 1927

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

P.189.4212

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 10 in
Width: 8.5 in

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    Artifact

    Radio Beacon Station Building Used at Ford Airport, 1927

    Early pilots depended on visible landmarks, preventing reliable navigation in bad weather. Henry Ford's engineers developed a radio beacon that simultaneously transmitted two Morse code letters. Pilots steered until the separate signals merged into one steady hum. The original beacon station building at Ford Airport was removed in 1933 and is now displayed in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
Equipment Inside the Radio Beacon Station Building at Ford Airport, March 16, 1927