New Airport Building: 0051.0776

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.

0051.0776: New Airport Building

New airport building now occupied by Department of Transport, Weather Bureau and Trans-Canada Airlines.

Medium:  Newspaper - Text
Date:  February 17, 1938
Pages:  2
Publisher:  Cranbrook Courier
Collection:  Columbia Basin Institute (0051)

Keywords:

airport building airline department of transport weather bureau teletype transmitter operator sidereal clock

Subjects:

People arrow Tookearrow
People arrow Tudhopearrow
People arrow Robertsonarrow
Transportation arrow Airports and Airplanes arrow Cranbrookarrow
Natural History arrow Weatherarrow
Transportation arrow Companies arrow Trans-Canada Airlinesarrow
Transportation arrow Companies arrow Western Airwaysarrow
People arrow Pocketarrow
People arrow Marshallarrow

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