Equipment Inside the Radio Beacon Station Building at Ford Airport, September 10, 1926
THF255064 / Equipment Inside the Radio Beacon Station Building at Ford Airport, September 10, 1926
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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
10 September 1926
Collection Title
Location
By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center
Object ID
P.189.3682
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
Material
Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)
Technique
Gelatin silver process
Color
Black-and-white (Colors)
Dimensions
Height: 7.5 in
Width: 9.5 in
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Related Artifacts
ArtifactRadio 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.
ArtifactRadio Beacon Transmitter Used at Ford Airport, 1927
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The radio beacon may be Henry Ford's most important contribution to aviation. Early pilots depended on landmarks, preventing reliable navigation in bad weather. Ford's engineers developed a radio beacon that simultaneously transmitted the Morse code letter "A" (dot-dash) in one direction and the letter "N" (dash-dot) in another. The pilot steered until the separate signals merged into a steady hum.