

Light signals however remain a simple and reliable backup if all else fails. As radios became more reliable and widespread, they became the main means of communication. Each airline had its own designator: K was for KLM, for instance. Although more modern signal lamps exist today, they are often still referred to as “Aldis” lamps.īusier airports added an identifier to indicate the aircraft the message was intended for using morse code.
#Atc light signal portable#
In 1944, a British Engineer called Arthur Webb Aldis patented a more compact, portable model that was quickly adopted around the world. Over the years, various different models were used. This is especially handy if I want to fly between, say Deer Valley and Scottsdale a distance of about 9 miles and want to listen to the Scottsdale ATIS while monitoring the Deer Valley tower for instructions or traffic information. During WW1, Germans used a model made by Zeiss, called a “Blinkgerät” to communicate up to 8km at night between their trenches. Fuel Requirements ELTs A nice thing about having two radios is that I can monitor two frequencies at once. The principle was taken from navy and army communication methods. This was far from evident since radio equipment in those days was heavy, difficult to use and notoriously unreliable.Īt and around airports, light signals remained a main means of communication.

In 1922, one of the regulations imposed after the first collision in North of France was that aircraft carrying passengers should be equipped with radio.
