There's an email currently circulating that explains a series of HUGE concrete arrows laid out across the country. They were to guide airmail pilots as they flew across country. The email link has pictures of some of them. I think they need a bike parked on them. Any interest?
Luckily I don't appear to be the only one to see the message. I'm hindered working on my phone right now. I hadn't thought of searching Google maps. Tapped out by Pat
Nice link. I should to be in St. Geo next month, i'll have to go find this(RedRockRider & StG, you listening?) Great history on the arrows that I never knew about, thanks for sharing this.
I got it from an email that was circulating. I did a tiny bit of research and thought it would be cool if we could assemble a complete set with picture of adv bikes and maybe GPS coordinates. Tapped out by Pat
If you want a good read, pick up a book called "Mavericks of the Sky". It's about the first pilots and routes of the airmail service, very good book, for pilots and non-pilots alike. The airmail system was developed as a way to teach pilots to navigate as they were constantly getting lost over in Europe in WWI, then would run out of gas or get shot down. The book's a nail biter and comedy at the same time.
What a cool piece of forgotten history! I've never heard of these, but it must have have been quite a project in its time. Thanks for sharing. Like someone posted in one of the forums, I wonder if sometime far in the future when our civilization has returned to the dust, will future inhabitants find these arrows and wonder what they were for? Kind of like the figures on Easter Island or Stonehenge? :huh
Then they will find an old KLR and they will understand everything. If they find a BMW they will likely give up and look for intelligent life elsewhere.
Thanx for tossin this up.... now I can spend countless tag hours trying to find one... It seems from everything I am coming up with, that the furthest east one would be in the cleveland oh area, my location..... during wwII they began eradicating the ones off the coast, as a protective measure against air attacks... go figger. I'll be in contact with the air museum here shortly attempting to get some locations, I'm sure it will be the only way to find them, but it gives me an excuse to go there, ain't been there for 45 years...
Dang. I was at the air museum in Sevierville, TN and never thought of asking. I bet lots of folks who fly small planes have seen them even if they didn't know what they were. Hello AOPA members! Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk now Free
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I got the book out of my local library yesterday afternoon and finished it this morning. A great read!
Gday All, I tripped on this thread while researching those concrete arrows. I travel around the US with an ultralight aircraft in a trailer, and am always looking for interesting sights. See http://www.tailwindsplease.com/usa-flyingroad-trip/ for my adventures in 2012. I think of my aircraft as a 'High-Clearance Trail Bike', and thus the user name.... I still have the aircraft and camper van stored in California, and on my next visit from Australia next year I want to find some of those arrows. The three between St. George and Hurricane are well known, but there must still be more, especially out Wyoming in that ranch country.... I was flying out of Hurricane in '12, and probably flew within 5 miles of the one at Quail Creek, but hadn't heard of them then. That route map doesn't look correct, cause it goes across northern Utah rather than through St George...... Any more information would be really appreciated...... I've done a bit of bike touring in the past. In 1963 I rode a 1958 Matchless 500 single around South Africa, Swaziland and Basutoland. That was a long-legged brute of a machine, but just great for those long roads in hot weather. In 1965-66 I rode a BMW R28 250cc from Oregon to the Panama canal and back to the Canadian border in NY state. Sounds a bit under-powered for these days, but was just right for the roads there in those days, lots of loose gravel, rocks and corrugations. Honda had just brought out the first of the 305 on/off road bikes. I nearly got one but glad I didn't. Met one about halfway down there, and the owner's kidneys were about pounded to pulp by the stiff ride, while my BM with the old-style sprung single-seat with a soft California saddle and the BM suspension, was just as smooth as a Caddy.... Just keep on goin' til you get there..... JG