Car Dealers & Searchlights

[FAC257]

Driving early this AM and noticed the local airport beacon rotating in the fog from quite a ways away. Had a flashback. Does anybody remember when car dealerships would place WWII type searchlights in their parking lots and shine them around, up on the air at night to attract attention to their location? Could see them for a really long way.

Forest

 

[MrZippy]

 

[FAC257]

View attachment 161321

Yep. Just like that.

Forest

 

[MrZippy]

Yep, saw them all of the time at car dealers and many new store openings! back in the 50's and 60's!

 

[FAC257]

Yep, saw them all of the time at car dealers and many new store openings! back in the 50's and 60's!

That's the same time period I remember them from.

Forest

 

[Tako_Kichi]

The Casino in Windsor, Ontario has them on the roof to draw in US punters from Detroit so that they can come to Canada and lose their Greenbacks! Just like US teens pile across the Border every weekend to get drunk and smoke weed (Canadian drinking/dope age is 19 compared to 21 in the US) and then stagger back home (hopefully they don't drive) when they run out of money!

 

[srgalahad]

"Like moths to a light..."

 

[stansdds]

I remember them into the very early 70's, but by then they were just for special events/sales.

 

[rvn817j]

Driving early this AM and noticed the local airport beacon rotating in the fog from quite a ways away. Had a flashback. Does anybody remember when car dealerships would place WWII type searchlights in their parking lots and shine them around, up on the air at night to attract attention to their location? Could see them for a really long way.

Forest

When you say "flashback" it reminds me that there are 2 types of rotating beacons. There are civilian beacons, one white and one green. There are also military beacons, 2 flashes of white and one green. Essentially the white side is split so it appears as 2. It serves as a notice to aviators not to land at a military installation without an invitation!

 

[FAC257]

When you say "flashback" it reminds me that there are 2 types of rotating beacons. There are civilian beacons, one white and one green. There are also military beacons, 2 flashes of white and one green. Essentially the white side is split so it appears as 2. It serves as a notice to aviators not to land at a military installation without an invitation.

I seem to remember learning one time that airport beacons would also have a different flash sequences that pilots could use as a navaid to tell different airports apart.

Forest