Maylands airport had a boundary light system, which from your description
sounds the same. Maylands was the first airport in WA built in 1924. It
operated until 1963. Some of the boundary lights still remain on bits of the
site which are now parks. As you describe they are not runway lights but
boundary lights which went around the edge of the airfield.

The conservation plan we prepared for the place says that lighting for night
flying was installed in 1936 to cope with the new American airliners which
were actually a bit big to be using the field and needed all the help they
could get to land safely. The bulbs used at Maylands were actually orange
but I don't know who made the lights or bulbs as our reference was a
newspaper article which did not go into such details.

If you need the report refernce let me know.

Cheers

Gaye
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, 5 April 2000 6:00
Subject: Airport boundary lights


>This is another aviation question.  I am doing a project at a small rural
>airport and have encountered a boundary lighting system that appears to be
a
>of considerable age, perhaps historic in origin.  These are not runway
>lights, but rather a lighting system around the exterior boundaries of the
>airport itself.  I would like to find out when this system dates from, what
>company may have built it and whether others may still exist.  I am still
>attempting to obtain records about the system, but am unsure such still
>exist.
>
>The lights are fed by underground electrical conduits, but the system was
>turned off about 7 years ago because of fear the whole system would short
>out.  The lights are spaced about 200 ft apart.  Each light rests on top of
a
>59 inch high metal stand with a 32 inch diameter metal cone shaped bonnet
>beginning just below the light.  At the top of the stand is a large clear
>globe covering a 15 watt bulb.  One of the globes had the following
>information impressed on it: U.S. Dept. of Commerce Standard Boundary
Light,
>Holophane U.S.A. 2203PAT. NO. 1120263.  There were at least two different
>types of globes present, one of which was clipped onto the stand.
>
>Any information on this would be most appreciated.
>
>
>Mike Polk
>Principal Archaeologist/Owner
>Sagebrush Consultants, L.L.C.
>3670 Quincy Avenue, Suite 203
>Ogden, Utah 84403
>
>(801) 394-0013 (voice)
>(801) 394-0032 (fax)
>[log in to unmask] (email)
>