Originally Posted by
rthompsonjr
So I'm sitting in a hotel in the middle of cross country time building at ATP. I just got a call from my fiance who is a FA at United and just got back from Osaka. (She's also a PSEL Instrument pilot.)
Apparently one of the FO's challenged her to ask a "smarter question" when she about when a bunkie is needed.
She asked him what a Fan Marker is, and while he had heard the term he didn't know what it was and she couldn't explain it well enough to end the debate.
So now I'm trying to find her proof, can y'all help me find:
a) a good explaination of what one is (I've read a discription which makes it sound like all marker beacons are fan markers)
b) a list of some approaches with one in the approach
Thanks!!
"Fan Marker" is a generic term. OM, MM, and IM are special types of fan markers.
A generic fan marker lights up the white indicator light (the IM light) and has a audio sound which is different from the IM sound.
They were originally used on airways to mark certain points, but I doubt there are few of those left (DME and GPS work better). That's why you have the high sensitivity selector, to detect them from cruise altitudes if needed. They are also used on some approaches to mark a point that has some significance other than the OM, MM, or IM.
I think the ILS approach into MSO has one.