Aircraft Guidance Lights, Or?

Something that's intriguing me...

Who knows about either air-stations or commercial harbours?

The former RN Air Station (Portland) is now a commercial helicopter training-base, currently being used by German Navy Search-&-Rescue pilots. (Yes, working even at present.)

I cannot see it from my house but from the bedroom window, facing South, I can see the highest part of Portland, about 400ft a.s.l., above it and Portland Port.

I've noticed late at night a pair of bright lamps, on the same level as each other but some distance apart, perhaps about 300ft a.s.l, somewhere above either the air-station or the harbour.

These both shine green for a while, then very briefly amber, before red for some while - I have not timed them but probably 30 seconds or more each red and green, only a second or two amber. Then straight back to green and the cycle starts again, simultaneously on both lamps.

I've not been able to distinguish their detailed location.

Does anyone know what these might be?

They are far too high up to be landing-pad lamps, and anyway unless it's been changed that is aligned roughly West-East whereas the lights seem aimed Northwards, roughly orthogonal to my line of sight - though they might be omnidirectional.

They also seem wrongly placed for marine navigation, but although red and green are used, amber is not; and the colour is normally constant even if flashing, to indicate which way a ship must steer.

All I can think is that they are so aligned that when they appear to merge or be in vertical line the helicopter is flying parallel to the landing-strip - but that surely has its own lamps, and why the slow colour-changing?

I used to to maintenance work at the MCA rescue heliport on Portland on the building and flightline mechanical and electrical services.

At that time the runway had single white lights along the length with red/white approach lights at the runway ends. These were all fixed lights, nothing alternating.

There were also pole mounted white lights to help the approach coming in over Chesil Beach.

I used to enjoy my work down there, it was a same when the contracts changed.

Just a thought Nigel,

Red plus green (= yellow) may be responsible for the 'orange' during the slow changeover.

I've no idea about navigation lights other than ships passing in the night when I was a kid on the Norfolk Broads ...

I.E.

Green to Green,

Red to Red,

Perfect Safety,

Go Ahead.

Does that help?

Sam

If they are not above the skyline, are you sure they are not a set of temporary traffic lights on one of the roads behind the base?

Smugglers!

Thank you Brian - I was hoping someone with first-hand knowledge would respond! I agree about the changes too, but at least the Air Station is still busy, and the harbour has become a genuine port rather than just the Canary Wharf Sailing Club's outpost. (The amateur sailors are catered for, but on former air-station and railway land.)

The landing area is hidden from me by houses in the next street, so I can see only that part of Portland over about 250-300feet a.s.l.

;

Sam - you could be right about the amber being an artefact. The lights probably use separate luminaires but at well over a mile way they would tend to blur during any change-over momentarily showing both. They don't seem to be in the right place for guiding ships; and anyway would not change colours as they do.

.

Diogenes - It's a thought. They are probably of about the right intensity, but they don't look quite right to be that, and in that location:

The only road there, at that height, serves the prison, an MoD radio station and a cafe - not open at midnight even in normal times! Also I don't know if any part of it is aligned with my line of sight. Two-lane road, not very wide - these lights look a bit too far apart, but it's hard to tell at well over a mile away.

Also temporary traffic-lights are not normally duplicated across a minor road like this one.

Constant 1 minute cycles - I timed it last night. Road-works lights often respond to an approaching vehicle, and I would see its lights - I doubt anyone would be driving up there at that time of night.

It is: Green 30s.

Amber: 1s at most and quite faint - see Sam's suggestion.

Red. 30s.

Amber ditto. Any red + amber phase would be difficult to differentiate from amber only, at that range.

Green again.

And they appear to be turned off during the day! Presently Portland is shrouded in thick mist but I would expect binoculars to reveal a faint glow, at least from the red lamps. They were not visible though in clearer daylight conditions when I tried to identify their location.

I'll have to go and look one day - but it's a long walk from home.

It's cabin fever settin' in, I do tell 'ee! I ought go and buy some scran, and get back in the workshop!

Could you perhaps mount your binoculars on a tripod, aimed at and focussed on the night-time lights, and then leave them in that position until a clear day and see what is revealed?

For helo night flying into unlit LGs we used portable 'glide slope guidance' systems to indicate above, on and below g/s. but those changed with the relative position of the helo - not what you are seeing. There may well be new gear for similar purposes but the confoguration sounds odd. If you want the best and most reliable explanation (assuming it's not classified!) post your query on the Rotorhead or Military Aviation sub-forums on Pprune.org.

rgds

Bill

Could there be others out of sight denoting a no fly zone for the prison?

Roger

Nigel, there is a navigation light up at the Verne but I think it's a single colour.

There are various leading light sets for the East entrance and the old coaling wharf.

I found a chart with the locations which might help here Portland chart

I'm assuming by the way that you are in Wyke Regis or thereabouts?

I like the way the charts still call that area the RNAS Air Station.

Stay safe.

Perko - Good idea , if I can find an efficient way to mount the binoculars - I had been thinking of doing that anyway. I already have a tripod.

Cornish Jack - I think the landing area is lit, and they do carry out night-flying, though not as late as midnight, I don't think.

Rocking Dodge - There could be, yes ....

Brian - ... and there is indeed a fixed red aircraft-warning light above the Verne. I looked at the chart, well, its photographic version, and it does show that what I see is not there to aid shipping. They are anyway roughly above the yacht marina, not the main harbour.

Part of the road up there does lie roughly along my line of sight from home (yes, I am in Wyke Regis), whereas I thought it was a bit further round. So Diogenes might be right about traffic-lights, though they don't match normal traffic-light behaviour and seem to be switched off during the day. I believe there are traffic-lights on the prison entrance, which is an arch through an enormous embankment, but I don't think I am seeing them. They look too wide apart and too low down.

'

Found something else on that Google photo. To the West of Wyke Regis, someone called Anna had some fun making outlines and her name by walking in a meadow! '

Green to Red

Red to Green

Let me think...

What does that mean?

>Crunch<

Just a thought - lights are for people, either as warnings, or to identify a place. Identification is often done with light sequences and groups, so I suggest a pair of lights changing regularly on the hilltop means something simple like 'This is Portland'.

Could be marine or aeronautical. If the lights aren't known to the Harbour Master and are visible inland, could be a local aid for trainee helicopter crew, a quick way of showing roughly where 'home' is during exercise manoeuvrers or a reminder - 'in the excitement don't forget about this hill!'

Dave

Solved!!

Ruddy 'Ell!

Turns out they are traffic lights after all - thanks to a tip from my neighbour!

Thank you all for your suggestions - Dave could still be right about a pilots' land-mark though.

They are not temporary ones on road-works as Diogenes had suggested, but permanent, on the portals of a short tunnel leading to the prison, radio-station and Jailhouse Cafe. My neighbour recalled seeing the lights when driving to the café.

Why was I fooled into thinking they are not?

Optical illusions: they are high up the hill but I still thought them well below the prison entrance. The entrance is invisible over a mile away in the dark; and lower down than I'd believed having mistaken large, bright lights higher up still, for street-lamps on its approach

No road junction there.

Width apart: the road is fairly narrow but the entrance wing-walls are very wide, and the lamps must be on those.

General location: overlooking the air-station.

Unusual behaviour - the amber so short and faint it seemed just an artefact; the 1-minute cyclic pattern; on only at night. Or not visible in daylight even in dull weather - but they might be triggered in office hours by an approaching vehicle.

So their nocturnal behaviour might mean they have a secondary role as a night-flying land-mark, as Dave suggests. They shine roughly Northwards, across the W-E landing-strip some 300+ feet below.

'

I do not have a proper tripod mount for my binoculars but from Perko's suggestion I rested them on the tripod. This gave two things:

Sufficient steadiness - I have always had shaky hands - for me to see they do follow the normal 3-colour pattern though with a briefer, fainter amber.

Aiming-points and local horizon (a house roof) for daylight-viewing; so this morning, despite thin mist, I could see the tunnel portal just above that roof-line, and verify the lights were off.

Ah well, and no it was not the first of the month!

You wouldn't think I will have lived in this area for 61 years this year, but then, on my Officially Approved walk in only in the first LD week I discovered a twitchel I had not previously known, very close to home; linking two familiar roads and passing the Infants' and Primary Schools I had attended way back. Back when steam still ruled, passenger-and goods- trains drawn by ex-GWR pannier-tanks still served Weymouth Harbour.. And pikelets and 'Wagon Wheels' were of larger diameters!

The helicopter base was there then, as RNAS Portland, and adjacent to the now-vanished railway from Weymouth. Among the manoeuvres taught in the 1960s and 70s was frigate deck-landing, using a barge moored in what was RN (Portland). I think putting a helicopter on a frigate was a development new to that era.

Sorry, slightly off topic but on location.

After I had moved down to Dorset my first job was as a bus driver out of Weymouth and one of my routes was up to the Verne prison. ( No. 7 route perhaps?).

I picked up a London couple in Weymouth who were visiting family at the prison. She was busy asking me how much the fare was and I was giving her the options of day tickets, singles or returns.

She seemed to flinch at these fares but quite straight faced asked her hubby if she should get return tickets or not. His father fruity reply confirmed that there was no way he was planning to stay up there overnight.

++ Glad that you have solved your puzzle, you can sleep easier now.

If you navigate to ... **LINK**

Google Maps takes you to the 'Front door'

A nice diversion Nigel

Loved your story Brian

Sam

Well done, Nigel, I did wonder - I (miss-) spent various parts of my youth with that view as a backdrop..

Thank you!

Brian -

Back when one service, No.22 I think, ran from Upwey Wishing-well right through to Portland (Southwell), or even the Bill?

The service even to the housing-estate on the road up to the prison ended years ago.

Did you know Brian Jackson in your time on the buses? I think he retired as Inspector, but was instrumental in establishing the Dorset Transport Circle, mainly among the 00-gauge section of Weymouth & District MES, and the DTC buying for preservation the Bristol single-deck bus we all came to know by its Southern National fleet-number 1613 (Reg. No. LTA 772). I may be wrong but recall the company's fleet-numbers were not mere transfers or stencils, but neat bas-relief aluminium castings - as they should be!

I had often been a passenger on 1613 during its working life, when it was regularly on the school services! Brian would drive it on DTC trips.

I don't know if DTC still exists but I know the bus was eventually sold to a new owner (museum?) in Swindon. Brian has written a lot of Dorset public-transport books, and sometimes lectures on the subject.

Variations of that combination of fleet and registration numbers came in handy at work, as PC passwords, too.