GEORGETOWN, Del., Nov. 2, 2005 – The Sussex County Airport will be hard to miss, that’s for sure.

Crews from Carr & Duff Electrical Construction this morning, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005, installed a new rotating beacon at the airport near Georgetown that will make it easier for pilots and those on the ground alike to spot the airfield from several miles out.

The high-intensity, 1000-watt beacon replaces a smaller and older light that was affixed to a building at the airport. The new beacon, which was placed atop a 145-foot radio tower at the adjacent Sussex County Emergency Operations Center, rises 100 feet higher than the old beacon.

The beacon being replaced was a medium intensity light, most likely about 400 watts. County officials said the reason for the new light is simple: to make the airport easier for pilots to find.

“The other one is only 45 feet above the ground, and it gets to be a little harder to see as pilots get closer to the airport because of the tree line,” said Jim Hickin, project engineer for the Sussex County Engineering Department. “This one gets the light above the trees, and makes it clearer to see.”

The new light has the potential to be visible from as much as 20 miles away, if sky conditions are clear, Hickin said.

The new light – it will alternate flashes of green and white during the nighttime hours – should be operational within the next few weeks. The Federal Aviation Administration will cover 90 percent of the light’s estimated $108,000 construction and engineering cost. The state of Delaware and the county will split the 10 percent difference.