[Lowfer] WMS beacon still off

[mikea]

On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 03:52:51PM -0400, Jim wrote:
> > I saw someone say on here once that the NDBs were going to be allowed to
> > fade away...not bring back into service if one fails.  Anyone know if that
> > is truly the position?
> 
> I exchanged a couple of e-mails with a guy who was involved in training 
> helicopter pilots for the military until recently. He said they still train 
> on NDB navigation and that their basic position was that GPS is nice but you 
> don't want to bet your life on it. They also go to the trouble to set up LF 
> NDBs "in theater" during major operations--something it doesn't seem like 
> they'd go to the trouble to do just from "momentum".
> 
> I'd also have to think that with all the discussion about a "war in space" and 
> stuff like that, that there would be some desire to keep "Plan B" (which 
> doesn't depend on satelites) in place at least at some level.
> 
> With tight budgets, I could see them being viewed as "expendable" for now. But 
> hopefully they'll be around for a while. So far as I've seen, there's no 
> formal policy to retire them or phase them out.

I hadn't been aware that they were owned, operated, or maintained by
their respective airports, and was under the impression that the FAA had
ownership and all responsibility. I think a call to OUN is in order to
see what I can see.

-- 
Mike Andrews, W5EGO
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old sysadmin