Whelen ROTA-BEAM Family History

[RS485]

Here's a sampling of my Rota-Beam based aircraft anti-collision lights. All the way from the very 1st in 1952.

@dmathieu - thought you might find this interesting:

 

[JohnMarcson]

@dmathieu - thought you might find this interesting:
View attachment 241126

I always wondered if Whelen made a rotating ground/tower light. They made a prototype in LED when the rotabeam LED came out (need to find those pics). Cool info.

Airport "rotating" ground light led tech

 

[RS485]

I always wondered if Whelen made a rotating ground/tower light. They made a prototype in LED when the rotabeam LED came out (need to find those pics). Cool info.

Airport "rotating" ground light led tech
View attachment 241127

Wow! Go big or go home

 

[JohnMarcson]

Wow! Go big or go home

I never saw a video, but I understood that it looked like it was rotating, but didn't serve its purpose. Apparently rotating beacons at airports are supposed to throw visible beams out, not just look like rotation when viewed directly.

 

[dmathieu]

@dmathieu - thought you might find this interesting:
View attachment 241126

Something that I DON'T have, THANK YOU!

 

[stansdds]

I never saw a video, but I understood that it looked like it was rotating, but didn't serve its purpose. Apparently rotating beacons at airports are supposed to throw visible beams out, not just look like rotation when viewed directly.

Correct, airport beacons cast beams of light so as to be visible at long distances and have some degree of penetrating haze or mist. Airport beacons usually feature Fresnel lenses in order to focus the beam, sort of light lighthouse beacons, but small beacons use sealed beam type lamps.

 

[Maxim2Eng]

Correct, airport beacons cast beams of light so as to be visible at long distances and have some degree of penetrating haze or mist. Airport beacons usually feature Fresnel lenses in order to focus the beam, sort of light lighthouse beacons, but small beacons use sealed beam type lamps.

The difference being “coherent“ light, e.g. laser beams. Fresnel lenses focus light beams onto a, somewhat, coherent beam that can be seen for miles (a la lighthouse beams) and as of now, leds are no where that level of technology. The green/white airport beacons were designed for the very early days of commercial aviation (even before radio beacons) to assist air mail carriers ID airports at night (keep ‘em flying). I recall as a young child growing up in Saint Matthews, I could see the beacons from Bowman Field (2.75 miles) and Standiford Field (now Mohammad Ali Field, 7.5 mile away) crossing in the night sky. I can also recall seeing Lockheed Constellation aircraft flying in to Louisville...TWA…Pan Am….

 

[JohnMarcson]

The difference being “coherent“ light, e.g. laser beams. Fresnel lenses focus light beams onto a, somewhat, coherent beam that can be seen for miles (a la lighthouse beams) and as of now, leds are no where that level of technology. The green/white airport beacons were designed for the very early days of commercial aviation (even before radio beacons) to assist air mail carriers ID airports at night (keep ‘em flying). I recall as a young child growing up in Saint Matthews, I could see the beacons from Bowman Field (2.75 miles) and Standiford Field (now Mohammad Ali Field, 7.5 mile away) crossing in the night sky. I can also recall seeing Lockheed Constellation aircraft flying in to Louisville...TWA…Pan Am….

There is an airmail site complete with the giant ground arrow near-ish to me. The LEDs in the prototype I posted are a great example of different applications requiring different methods. Just because it appears to be rotating doesn't mean it casts the beams as required.

 

[ur20v]

Something you may or may not know about airport beacons is that they are also used for identification. Public airports use a two lamp beacon in white and green while public heliports use a three lamp beacon in white, yellow, and green. Military airfields also use a three lamp beacon, but in white/white/green. There are a few other variations but those three are the most common. Private airfields and heliports may have different colors and patterns depending on the state.

I haven't held a valid medical in 10+ years, but I still remember this stuff... no wonder I can't remember anything I learned recently. I probably need a hard drive upgrade.

 

[dmathieu]

Updated Beacon Wall.

 

[dmathieu]

NOS in original box, Model 33H with Large HD Quick Disconnect Base.

 

[dmathieu]

2017 filming of Whelen's History Video using my Rota-Beam RB10 on the workbench. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEHuXuYjcHU

 

[dmathieu]

My Rota-Beam museum as of today.

 

[dmathieu]

My newly refurbished Rota-Beam RB11 "SENIOR" next to my NOS RB11 "STANDARD". The RB11 "STANDARD" came out in 1956, and had numerous engineering revisions. The larger RB11 "SENIOR" came out in 1958. Notice that both were labeled Model RB11. The smaller was called the STANDARD, and the larger called the SENIOR. Shortly after the tag on the larger was changed to Model SENIOR.

 

[stansdds]

So are they both RB11 or are they actually RBII, as in Rota-Beam 2?

 

[dmathieu]

Whelen was confusing with their numbering and choice of digits used on their tags for sure.
The amber is a RB11, RB (Eleven).
The clear is an RB2, RB (Two) in the Rota-Beam II (Two) Series.

 

[dmathieu]

So are they both RB11 or are they actually RBII, as in Rota-Beam 2?

In post #654 the blue STANDARD and amber SENIOR are both RB11 (eleven)

 

[dmathieu]

The Rota-Beam numbering system started with RB10 and then went loosely to the double digit number system.

RB10 / RB20, Magnet mount/permanent mount
RB11 Standard / RB22 Standard
Clear-Ray Flasher
RB11 Senior
Senior
Senior Deputy
Model 66
Deputy
Corporal
Model 22 Senior
Model 44 Senior Deputy
Model 55 Senior
Model 33H
Model 77H
88 Series
99 Series
Then the went into the Rota-Beam II ( Roman numeral two) Series, Models RB2, RB6 etc.