New Airport Building

from _The Cranbrook Courier_, February 17, 1938 (p2)

NEW AIRPORT BUILDING NOW OCCUPIED. - Department of Transport, Weather
Bureau and the Trans-Canada Airlines Set Up Equipment.
Although there have been no TCA practice flights over the western
section of the line this week, the remote control station for the radio
sound beam station is a busy place. The Department of Transport
representatives here are now occupying the building constructed near the
hangar last fall, and office arrangements are rapidly shaping up.
The building is divided into two main sections. On the northern side
is the TCA office with transmitters for receiving and broadcasting and
office equipment for the company representative stationed here.
The southern half is occupied by the Department of Transport
representatives, with the remote control transmitter for operating the
sound beam, the teletype, the various instruments of the Dominion
Meteorological Bureau and office equipment.
This office works a full schedule, starting at 5 a.m. and continuing
through until after 6 in the evening. The teletype is the most recent
addition to the station equipment. It resembles a typewriter, with a
keyboard, gummed tape coming out of a slot above the keyboard carries the
message almost continuously through the day from the western circuit which
includes Vancouver, Princeton, Grand Forks, Cranbrook and Lethbridge.
Once every hour weather conditions are noted here as to temperature,
pressure, cloud formations, ceiling and visibility, and sent on to the
Cranbrook keyboard out to the circuit. All messages sent on the circuit
are recorded on every instrument. Messages from a specific station to
Cranbrook are clipped off and pasted up on Department blanks. Each station
has a red light code index, and messages to individual stations are
preceded by this.
The two teletype operators stationed here are L. Pockett and Bruce
Marshall. Teletype in connection with the service is in a series of
circuits across the dominion with circuit links which relay messages to
adjoining circuits.
The remote control operating transmitter is equipped with a dial and
a code index. The dial is the key note of operations, with number
combinations to turn on the beam, connect by telephone with the range
station, turn the tower obstruction lights on and off, and start and stop
radio reception and transmission.
An operator, J. Tooke, is in charge of the TCA office in the northern
side of the building, which has radio receiving and transmitting equipment
keeping him in contact with all TCA planes in the air within range of the
station, and also in communication with other TCA stations. Information
available from the adjoining office is sent out to planes requesting it.
The work of installing obstruction lights along both sides of the
half mile runway, which has been marked out until now with yellow and black
cones is continuing. The lights will be colored and will form a border the
full length. The bulb is on the tip of the cone. Field obstruction lights
will turn on automatically at sunset and off at sunrise, governed by the
sidereal clock which is located in the basement of the station.
The sidereal clock also controls the big revolving light beam which
was started last week. It gives a million candle power reflected light and
revolves at the rate of one turn every ten seconds. Obstruction lights at
the tops of the aerial poles are governed by the sidereal clock also.
The black and yellow aeroplane which was here for a few days last
week was brought in by J.B. Robertson, chief inspector of Western Airways.
It was a Wacca plane, is equipped with radio, and belongs to the Department
of Transport.
The big silver plane which came in yesterday at noon was CF-CCT, and
was brought in by Squadron-Leader J.H. Tudhope, who is doing calibrating
work on radio range sound beam stations in the western section.