Just about every pilot today knows the mantra, “Follow the magenta line,” as a reference to the line GPS navigation systems use to lead us to our destinations. But almost 100 years ago, airmail pilots advanced commercial aviation when they began following yellow arrows.
The arrows were 50 to 70 feet long, made of concrete and positioned across the U.S. often at three-mile to five-mile intervals to mark airways that connected major cities on the mail routes. They were part of a rapidly developing system that included the introduction of rotating beacons and airfield illumination for aerial navigation at night, according to the National Postal Museum.
