Radio Station, Heston, replica (Skybirds 30)

Exhibit
Radio Station, Heston, replica (Skybirds 30)
location:
Arch Two , Area 16 Aviation (display)
Shelf 2 1933

1932: The AA wireless station at Heston [image info]

A replica of the Heston aerodrome Radio Station building produced as part of the Skybirds Airport range, and originally released in 1933.

On replicas

Motivation

The first question that has to be tackled when thinking of making a replica is: "Why am I doing this"? What is the motivation for producing a replica?

Although the museum normally shies away from using replicas, in this case we do have the rest of the original Skybirds Aerodrome buildings, and the Radio Station is required to visually complete the overall set, and show the full range. It's probably not something that's particularly valuable, or that represents a particularly wonderful piece of technical artistry. We also have a set of accurate plans for the original metalwork for the building, and we have no indication that any genuine original examples still exist, so even if money was no object, and we spent decades searching for the missing building, examples might simply not exist. Additionally, since the metalwork all involves rectangles and right-angles, and the correct colour and finish is white textured "Artex" (which obliterates the tiny tool-markings and other fine details of the metalwork) ... the thing is actually quite crude ... our replica is going to be visually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Deliberate divergence

The second issue that needs to be tackled by anyone setting out to make a replica of a historical artefact is the issue of how to make sure that it never gets mistaken for a genuine piece: In this case we've met the criterion of deliberate falsifiability taking the quite considered decision to -- wrongly -- make the structure from simple card rather than metal sheet -- even if someone doesn't have a magnet to check it, the weight is obviously not that of a metal-construction building. The building looks perfect within a glass showcase, but a simple prod with a finger will immediately show that this is NOT something made out of tinplated steel. The piece is visually historically accurate, but can't be considered to be a "fake".

Flagging

The third thing that we need to do is to flag up the building quite obviously as a replica, so that people don't think that other things in the museum might be inauthentic.

The original building

The Skybirds building is a really very good recreation of what seems to have been the UK's first (and possibly also the World's first) weather broadcasting station, set up by the Automobile Association at Heston Air Park.

THE A.A. WIRELESS STATION AT HESTON

IT is perhaps not widely known how successful has been the Automobile Association's scheme for a daily broadcast of comprehensive weather reports from the wireless station established by them at Heston Air Park and equipped by Standard Telephone & Cables, Ltd. Begun as an experiment in September, 1931, it proved itself immediately one of the best services inaugurated to assist airmen flying in this country. It has further conclusively shown that if only two more stations like it were erected, say, one at Leeds and the other at Bristol, no airman flying in Great Britain and equipped with wireless apparatus would be out of range of the regular weather reports.

The cost of running such a station and service per year is so small that, coupled with the supreme importance of weather broadcasts to airmen, there should be no delay in establishing two more. Possibly the flying clubs, which have been prompt to intercept the daily Heston broadcasts, and to which an extension of the service would be a blessing, would find it feasible even with their meagre resources to make a collective contribution towards the establishment of two more stations. We say this knowing how low is the yearly maintenance cost involved per station. The licence held by the A.A. station at Heston is for aviation purposes only, and the service put forth is primarily intended for airmen. But the truth is that there is no limit to the sections of the community which have found the daily service of great practical advantage. A stream of correspondence received at Heston testifies to the intelligent application by the public of information about the weather when transmitted in a medium that all understand, namely, the human voice. Appropriately enough, motorists by the hundred have got into the habit of employing the aid of Heston before setting forth on a long journey. Farmers in all parts have come to accept Heston as their barometer.

Nominally Heston is a ½-kilowatt station. Actually it is less than that, 330 watts being the energy employed for telephony, yet it is picked up all over the country. Newcastle and Dublin receive the broadcasts nine times a day. Transmission is on a wavelength of 833 m. If listeners tune in a little below Croydon (900 m.) Heston should be picked up as a matter of course. The range of radio telephony transmitted by Heston is up to 400 miles for ground stations. In the air an airman using the "Standard" aeroplane receiver unit MS 3044 (described in FLIGHT for January 8, 1932) can receive pure speech from Heston for a distance of 100 miles. This complete receiver unit, by the way, only costs £30. The station is also equipped for continuous wave and interrupted continuous wave transmission transmission, the range in this case being between 500 and 800 miles. Thus Heston is always prepared to take over a telegraphic service if needs be.

The station is a small but self-contained unit occupying a central position on the main approach to the Air Park buildings, designed to harmonise with the distinctive style of the architecture of Heston. For its particular function it is considered the only one of its kind in the world, and as such it is a technical achievement as well as an advanced feature in the scheme of civil aviation. The building is compact and surrounded by neat grass borders, while towering to a height of 75 ft. is a lattice mast supporting a T-aerial facing north and south.

There are three departments in the station. First comes the operating room, with a section as a public inquiry office, then adjoining that is the power room, and finally a neat administrative office for the wireless officer-in-charge. The latter is F/O. T. Herbert, who has been connected with the wireless industry more or less continuously since 1910. He has organised Heston on Service lines, which is one cause of its success. Assistant wireless officer is Mr. G. R. Mack, and an efficient lady secretary completes the staff.

A seven-day-per-week service of weather broadcasts is maintained all the year round. All the reports broadcast are official Air Ministry reports intercepted by Heston in Morse and de-coded by the staff for broadcast in telephony. The service maintained imposes no expense upon those whom it benefits. It may be picked up by all and sundry and used as desired. Incidentally, since the scheme was started many people who were in the habit of going to the expense of telephoning the Air Ministry for weather information have ceased to do so, Heston automatically serving their needs, thus also sparing the Air Ministry a good deal of trouble.

The times of the A.A. broadcasts are at thirty minutes past each hour, each day's programme including three forecasts. ...

— , -, , Flight, , 15th July 1932