Re: Hercules

[Brian Whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

I am not surprised - my clue was very faint. Eureka was a WWII transponder
system that delayed and replied to airborne interrogations, so that a slant
distance reading could be found by an airplane - the aerial voyager in
question.
 TACAN - Tactical Air Navigation - is a military  pulse system that
provides bearing and distance from a beacon. The FAA - Federal Aviation
Administration - preferred VOR   - VHF Omni directional Range -  an analog
bearing system instead, but used the distance  finding element of TACAN as
civil DME - distance measuring equipment.

Now, the serious cost of all these navaids - VOR DME ILS (Instrument
Landing System), LORAN (Long Range Navigation), NDB (Non Directional
Beacon) is being questioned with the commercial success of the GPS  -
Global Positioning System,  and the Russian GloNAS which offers much the
same service; though the latter is not ostensibly threatened with loss of
precision to further our wartime needs (but certainly would be switched off
if the circumstances warranted it, I expect.)

You will recall the sirens lured sailors onto the rocks - and in this
context, the mixed use airfield is just north of the Rock and at sea level
- familiar from the insurance company logo, which represents a view from
the north west, perhaps from Algeciras Bay.

Brian W


At 03:56 PM 11/24/01, you wrote:
> I am, indeed, familiar with Marinisms, Brian, but I draw a blank on TACAN.
> And I am also familiar with sirens calling to mariners, having been one
> (mariner, not siren) for 49 years. But of airborne ones I know not.
>
> poj
>
>
> From: "Brian Whatcott" <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>
>
> > Ah excuse me: I was using a Marinism.
> > But surely, anyone who would begin with
> > "Pray tell..." would be familiar with that concept?
> >
> > But to be more explicit,
> > Eureka is to 'was' as TACAN is to 'is'.
> >
> > Brian W
> >
> > :-)
> >
> >
> >
> > At 10:55 AM 11/24/01, Paul O Johnson wrote:
> > >Brian,
> > >
> > >What, pray tell, is an "airborne mariner"?
>
> > >From: "Brian Whatcott" <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>

>  Larry Cartwright wrote:
> > > > >...
> > > > >
> > > > >The heavens were originally held up above the Earth by a pair of
> > > > >greatpillars owned by the rich and powerful Atlas.
> > > > > As punishment, Zeus took away Atlas' treasured pillars and
 > > > > made Atlas take their place.  Or made
> > > > >Atlas hold the pillars on his shoulders, depending on whose version
> > > > >you want to believe.
> > > > >
> > > > >There is a mountain just south of Gibraltar which is what's left of
> > > > >old Atlas, turned to stone and still keeping the heavens in their
> > > > >rightful place.  And just beyond the remains of Atlas is the great
> watery
> > > > >expanse at the edge of the earth, Okeanos, which now bears Atlas'
> name.
> > > > ...
> > > > >Larry Cartwright   <exit60@cablespeed.com>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > The ascent of the Rock was guarded by Barbary apes who delight in
> > > >   stealing windshield wiper blades from the cars whose drivers stop
> > > > to admire them on the road uphill past the Governor's residence.
> > > >
> > > > And at the pinnacle - there was a siren called "Eureka" calling to
> > > > airborne mariners, past the steep escarpments catching water,
> > > > under which, Spanish villagers in turn rode boats equipped with large
> > > > gas lights calling to the fruit of the deep at night, the swordfish
> > > > and the squid.

Brian Whatcott
  Altus OK                      Eureka!