Objects at YIP

[Flying Illini]

We broke up in DET two days ago and had to drive down to YIP to pick up an ignitor box from Kalitta Charters. While we were down there (waiting for the mechanics flight to arrive at Metro) we decided to drive around the airport to see what was there and to see what was left of the Yankee Air Museum. We turned left out of Kalitta Charters and were on the road that goes by the landfill and then if you stay on it, will take you over by Active Aero (USA Jet).
My question is, on the approach end of one of the runways (don't know which one, but it crosses that road we were driving on) there were a bunch of grey, metallic looking triangles? that appearred to be built at random on both sides of the road. We couldn't figure out what they were, anyone have any idea or know what I'm talking about?

 

[Clyde]

We broke up in DET two days ago and had to drive down to YIP to pick up an ignitor box from Kalitta Charters. While we were down there (waiting for the mechanics flight to arrive at Metro) we decided to drive around the airport to see what was there and to see what was left of the Yankee Air Museum. We turned left out of Kalitta Charters and were on the road that goes by the landfill and then if you stay on it, will take you over by Active Aero (USA Jet).
My question is, on the approach end of one of the runways (don't know which one, but it crosses that road we were driving on) there were a bunch of grey, metallic looking triangles? that appearred to be built at random on both sides of the road. We couldn't figure out what they were, anyone have any idea or know what I'm talking about?

FI,

I know exactly what you are talking about. When I was based up there, I took a tour of the tower and met some of the controllers. I asked one of them what those were for, and he said they were there for mapping purposes. I think more for aerial photo/mapping than satellites.

I wondered for a while what they were, and that's the only thing I ever heard about them.

 

[pilotyip]

YIP trivia

Back in the 70's a someone was working on an on-board radar approach for the gov't. This would give the pilots on board an airplane the ability to use on-board precision radar to give themselves Radar Controlled approaches from inside the airplane. Another little known fact, YIP was the largest airport in the world in terms of paved runway footage back in early 40's. Has not changed since then.

 

[wildbill]

When I worked out of YIP, I also wondered what those things were. Never really knew who to ask.

 

[mnboyev]

USA Jet put them there to confuse Ameristar Pilots....

 

[njets]

Those where for a project that was being worked on by UofM wich became veridian wich became general dynamics. It has to do with radar maping. That's all they will tell you.

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

I found this out on the Area 51 site. Those objects are actually a planet-based system of navigation (kind of like our VORs) for alien spacecraft. They have deployed these systems on various planets for intra-gallactic navigation.

They are being phased out, however, by a system that is gallactic based, instead of planet based for INTER-gallactic spaceship-based travel. This is due to the fact that the aliens have significantly upgraded their technology.

The new system is kind of like GPS for us. The spacecraft will communicate directly with each other instead of having to use an ATC-like system. It includes and alien type of TCAS and EGPWS so the odds of two alien spacecraft colliding with each other or one of them running into some suns or planets during their gravitational flux-based phase of inter-gallactic travel will be significantly reduced.

Prior to this system being created, there were a lot of CFIT type accidents where the spacecraft inadvertently flew through a sun or planet during the flux-based phase of travel, which is very disasterous not only for the spacecraft and crew, but also for the local residents of the surrounding solar system involved.

Cliff
MMIO

PS-Have any of you guys incorporated the flux-based systems into your home-builts yet?

 

[clansinclair]

More about galactic travel,

Yea, what atpcliff said!

Also, I heard that Galactistar and Galactic Jet are in heated competition for the inter-galactic on-demand freight business, and times are so tough that Galactic Jet instituted a shekel reduction for their Galactinauts in order to keep the junior aliens in the system.
That way they can be ready when the big "moon dust" freight-hauling business takes off again.

The senior Galactinauts are very unhappy because now they cannot consume mass quantities, but the junior aliens are just glad to have a place to lay their cones. Seems like the Intergalactic Federation of Stellar Management is never going to learn that if all their aliens cannot collect enough shekels, the whole glacticonomy will continue to be sluggish because nobody can afford the rising cost of "moon dust".

It's a crazy universe eh?