[Lowfer] WMS beacon still off

[mikea]

On Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 03:10:00PM -0500, mikea wrote:
> 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.

I just talked to the nice folks at Max Westheimer Airport in Norman, OK, 
where I live, and yes, they are responsible for maintenance: the FAA no
longer pulls maintenance on the OUN NDB (260 KHz, if anyone wants to try
to spot it). I'm quite seriously weirded out: NDBs _are_ a "bet your 
life" resource, when all else fails. 

I wonder if the FAA pulls maintenance on any NDBs nowadays. Reports from
others will be appreciated. 

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