05/13/2024
* * NEW COMPASS ROSE COMPLETED * * *
About 35 volunteers gathered for a unique endeavor at Lansing Municipal Airport. Their mission: to restore a navigational aid on a taxiway that pilots use known as the compass rose, approximately 80 ft. in diameter.
Lansing Municipal Airport previously had a compass rose that lasted for 20 years. Sun-faded, the rose was ultimately paved over during recent airport improvement.
Airport staff says the compass rose is great for the airport community and increases traffic. Pilots come specifically to use the rose as a navigational aid to realign their directional gyros or “swing the compass.”
Eagle Scout candidate Alex Steadman with Bolingbrook Troop 75 identified the need for the project with the help of his mom Jessica Reinschmidt and the Chicago Area Chapter of the 99s, a not-for-profit organization of women pilots. The 99s supplied the design and the instructions for how to paint it.
As the son of two pilots, 16-year-old Alex was drawn to aviation for his project.
Surveyors previously marked out magnetic north and every 30 degrees, including the four cardinal headings of magnetic north, south, east, and west. Jessica, Alex, and her other son Eric came out the night before to outline the design. On the morning of painting day, they used rolls of painter's tape to further develop the “airmarking.”
As it was Alex’s leadership project, he became the project manager, guiding volunteers that included Boy Scouts from Lansing and members of the 99s through the steps to completion.
The mission was initially planned for last fall, but weather pushed the project back till the following spring. With a rain date chosen in case weather did not cooperate, the project was ultimately completed under beautiful skies on May 11, 2024.
Chicago 99s
