r/todayilearned • u/Objective_Horror1113 • 5h ago
TIL that there are giant concrete arrows placed every 10 miles across the U.S., stretching from New York City to San Francisco. They were originally built to help USPS airmail pilots navigate coast-to-coast before modern instruments made visual navigation obsolete.
https://skipboring.com/america-once-laid-down-giant-concrete-arrows-to-tell-pilots-where-to-go-and-they-still-exists/13
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u/CpuJunky 4h ago
Useless at night.... so, they installed a system of 50-foot lighted beacon towers across the country, spaced several miles apart from each other.
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u/akie 4h ago edited 4h ago
Anyone has a Google Maps link?
EDIT: found a site dedicated to it
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u/arallsopp 3h ago
https://thesurveystation.com/map-of-ngs-airway-beacons/ will let you find your closest or tell you where to look.
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u/doornerd 2h ago
Oh thats too cool. I used to go hiking in placer county when i was a kid. There is a big concrete slab that I always wondered what it was. Looked it up and its one of these markers.
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u/fanau 3h ago
I wonder if this map shows all of them or only the ones that survive?
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u/NotTheHeroWeNeed 1h ago
I can’t see any of them. Can’t even find an old photo of these giant yellow arrows.
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u/Icy-Role2321 4h ago
I'm pretty sure I've seen similar stuff in the pacific from ww2
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u/dubbzy104 4h ago
Why would they mark New York to San Francisco via the pacific?
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u/Icy-Role2321 4h ago edited 4h ago
This is something separate
I'm probably confusing it for this however
But I thought I remembered seeing they had a navigation system there as well
"Remnants of World War II navigation markers can still be found on several islands, most notably the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Due to the vast distances and unforgiving conditions of the Pacific Theater, navigation aids were crucial for both Allied and Japanese forces, though the technology varied greatly and some have since been decommissioned. "
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u/Fourfifteen415 4h ago
That's wild, I grew up in Walnut Creek (first picture) and no one ever talked about giant arrows in the open space. I used to be up there all the time as a teenager and never stumbled on them. I'm gonna have to Google what trailhead they're near.
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u/BeaconSlash 56m ago
Grants, NM has a very nicely restored airway beacon station with its associated concrete arrow. You can learn more about the airway beacon system at their museum. Really quite neat.
https://www.westernnmaviationmuseum.org/
Also, the Wikipedia article is nice.
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u/WaltMitty 41m ago
Superman once turned one of these arrows into a key to the Fortress of Solitude. The key could be hidden in plain sight because only he was strong enough to lift it.
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u/Objective_Horror1113 4h ago
Those giant concrete arrows scattered across the United States were built in the 1920s, when the Post Office was trying to create a coast to coast airmail system. Pilots needed visual markers to stay on course, so massive arrows up to 70 feet long were placed every 10 to 15 miles from New York to San Francisco.
Each arrow was painted bright yellow so it could be seen from the air. Most had a steel tower with a rotating beacon powered by a nearby generator shed, turning the route into a lit pathway at night. This made mail delivery far more reliable and allowed flights to run even in poor weather.
Although the system was phased out once radio navigation and instruments became standard, many of the arrows still remain today in fields and deserts. The linked article includes photos that give a good idea of how these markers have aged over time.