Arch Light
Aircraft like this C-140 Jetstar have been flying past the 630-foot tall Gateway Arch in St. Louis since the design by Eero Saarinen was completed in 1965. For safety the Arch is topped by an aviation warning beacon housed in a pale-yellow cylinder, and for the last 20 years, National Park Service employee Chuck Kalert has been the one to change its 660-watt bulb, often while being rattled by helicopter news crews. Kalert climbs through a trap door wearing a double safety harness, as the Arch sways by at least one inch for every 20 mph of wind. Over the years, aircraft photographed with the Gateway Arch have ranged from the C-9A Nightingale to the B-2 Spirit bomber.
USAF/MSGT William Boardman
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Comments (1)
Since it's a JetStar, this must be a vintage photograph - very vintage! No pictures of the lamp housing?
Posted by Michael Bludworth on February 2,2012 | 01:59 PM