 |
Time Line - 1978: Airport Beacon Tower... |
|
X |
 |
The finished Captive
Column Airport Beacon Tower. (54k) |
Built in three tapering sections, this 45-foot Captive Column
Airport Beacon Tower was designed and constructed at Bob's Welding in Quincy California.
The principal builders were Bob Moskitis (owner of Bob's Welding), and Jack Greenspan,
with Lawrence Bosch acting as a consultant on the project. The Beacon Tower was built in
three hand-made sections, which were later joined together. The final fiberglass covering
was applied at the Feather River College Armory.
The finished Captive Column Beacon Tower was light enough to be driven to its
mountaintop location and erected with a pickup truck and manpower alone.
The following photos and text chronicle this Captive Column event:
 |
The basic components of the
Beacon Tower. (27k) |
 |
Mr. Bosch making some adjustments
as a section is wrapped by hand. This Beacon Tower project was a low budget affair. (23k) |
 |
A close up of the lamp assembly
shows how easy it is to make attachments. (23k) |
 |
The Beacon Tower going through
Quincy to its mountaintop destination. A stop was made at the local newspaper to try and
get some press, but the editor refused to send out a reporter. (20k) |
 |
The light weight of the Captive
Column allowed the tower to be driven to the mountaintop on an ordinary pickup truck.
Installing a conventional tower of this size usually required a helicopter and a crew of
men on the ground. (39k) |
 |
Hoisting the Beacon Tower to its
vertical position. The foundation had a triangular metal plate with a custom hinge
embedded in it. The hinge allowed the tower to be mounted to the foundation while lying on
its side. The tower was then simply rotated to a vertical position using manpower. (26k) |
| 
