Page 6 - Wartime Airfield Book 1
P. 6
RAF Fiskerton Watch Office airfield lighting Mk 2 control board.
A circle of lights was laid out around the field, the radius being 2000 yards from the centre. A pilot
would fly his landing circuit around this circle of lights, until he saw the flare path lights on the
runway which were so mounted as to be only visible to aircraft on the approach. All these lights
were on poles and specially angled to be seen only at the correct position. They were also hidden
where possible, in hedges and bushes, to make them inconspicuous to enemy reconnaissance. At
the runway ends, lights were also mounted on poles 10 feet high, with only the runway flare path
being at ground level. When used in conjunction with special baffles fitted to the aircraft exhausts,
the system virtually solved the glare problem, as pilots could see the lights at oblique angles
instead of just dead ahead.
Description copyright
RAF Drem Website
