Air Traffic Control Tools - Mimic, Vacuum Tube, Handheld Light Gun

rocbolt
recent  |  interesting  |  random  |  favorites  |  contacts  |  sets  |  tags:  
Air Traffic Control Tools - Mimic, Vacuum Tube, Handheld Light Gun
Air Traffic Control Tools - Mimic, Vacuum Tube, Handheld Light Gun

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Air Traffic Tools

1. "Mimic"
Airport lighting control panels are fondly called "mimics." Controllers in the tower at Atlantic City International Airport used this panel from the late 1950s until the tower was decommissioned in 1987. This "mimic" was used to turn on and off or adjust the intensity of the runway and taxiway lights. The panel imitates the configuration of the airport, thus the nickname “mimic."

2. Vacuum Tube
This vacuum tube is from a communication radio located in the old Washington National Airport tower. The radio was used until 1965 by controllers to speak to pilots. A vacuum tube essentially converts AC (alternating current) signals into DC (direct current) signals. Semiconductors have replaced nearly all vacuum tubes.

3. Handheld Light Gun
This light gun was used in an airport traffic control tower from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Tower controllers use light gun signals to communicate with a pilot when radio is not available. Using a light gun, a controller can direct a powerful, concentrated beam of light at an aircraft on the ground or in flight and direct a pilot by means of a code using three colors: red, green, and white.

Attribution Noncommercial Some rights reserved
Taken on: May 19, 2012
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with Smithsonian Smithsonian Everybody's photos tagged with Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Everybody's photos tagged with Udvar-Hazy Udvar-Hazy more » Everybody's photos tagged with National Air and Space Museum National Air and Space Museum Everybody's photos tagged with Udvar-Hazy Center Udvar-Hazy Center « less
Sets appears in:   • Smithsonian Air and Space Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center   
Camera: Canon PowerShot G12, f/2.8, 1/200 sec, 6.1mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Canon PowerShot G12
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure Time: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length: 6.1mm
ISO: 400
Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode: Manual
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: sRGB
Show full info
Stats: 232 views