Agree with Air Force concerns
The Bismarck Tribune | bismarcktribune.com
I agree with the Air Force wind turbines are an aeronautical hazard especially with what is planned for hazard lighting. Back when I got into the business the tower light night marking system was quite simple. A photo-cell turned it on at dusk, a mercury tilt switch and motor set-up flashed the top beacon, bulbs lighted through red lenses. The only real problem was the flashing system it was a continual pain (every radio building had a can of 3-in-1 oil to lube the blasted thing and that didn’t always work!). Then along came a smart bugger with a black block and three terminals on it to flash the beacon life improved and 3-in-1 was used elsewhere. You still had to paint the tower when needed and change the bulbs twice a year.
Then the strobe lighting system came to be and if you had it on 24/7 painting the tower was not necessary (a messy expense). The only problem simplicity went out the window and complex circuitry replaced it!
When I heard that a radar based system would allow the red hazard lights to be off until an aircraft was detected turning on the red lights on, my first thought was “Uh-oh!” Adding this extra complex system with unknown operation in North Dakota weather conditions of snow, sleet, freezing rain, heavy rain, electronic fault and what frequency do they plan on using. This is not good and definitely a hazard.
Dennis R. Murphy, Bismarck
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/11/09/agree-with-air-force-concerns/