Twilight Zone origins

[Montblack]

Fans thought Rod Serling invented the term "Twilight Zone." As a matter of
fact, so did Serling. He'd not heard anyone use it before, so he assumed
he'd created it. However, after the hit TV show debuted in 1959, Serling was
informed that Air Force pilots used the phrase to describe "a moment when a
plane is coming down on approach and it cannot see the horizon."

http://www.bigwacko.com/tvfacts.html

Don't know if this has come up before? I ran across this "fact" looking for
something else.

--
Montblack
"I like to watch"

[Don Tuite]

On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 21:40:47 -0400, Peter R. >
wrote:

>Don Tuite wrote:
.. . .
>>
>> What do you reckon the phase means?
>
>How about: "A moment when a plane is coming down on approach and it
>cannot see the horizon."
>
>But then again, I could be totally wrong. ;-)

No, you're probably on to something there, but with a few exceptions
around big bodies of water I haven't been able to see the horizon on
*any* approach I've ever made. Why would I want to? Why would
military pilots make such a big deal about it that they'd give it a
spooky name?

Don

[Montblack]

(Don Tuite wrote)
> Why would
> military pilots make such a big deal about it that they'd give it a
> spooky name?

Maybe The Twilight Zone was a fanciful and pretty name, until 1959 when Rod
Serling made it spooky.

--
Montblack
"I like to watch"

[Peter R.]

Don Tuite ) wrote:

> On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 21:40:47 -0400, Peter R. >
> wrote:
>
> >Don Tuite wrote:
> . . .
> >>
> >> What do you reckon the phase means?
> >
> >How about: "A moment when a plane is coming down on approach and it
> >cannot see the horizon."
> >
> >But then again, I could be totally wrong. ;-)
>
> No, you're probably on to something there, but with a few exceptions
> around big bodies of water I haven't been able to see the horizon on
> *any* approach I've ever made. Why would I want to? Why would
> military pilots make such a big deal about it that they'd give it a
> spooky name?

Sorry, Don, I was joking with you. You had asked for the definition of the
phrase when in reality it was included in the original post to which you
were first replying. I simply cut-n-pasted the definition from the
original post. :)

--
Peter

[Don Tuite]

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 09:57:59 -0400, Peter R.
> wrote:


>Sorry, Don, I was joking with you. You had asked for the definition of the
>phrase when in reality it was included in the original post to which you
>were first replying. I simply cut-n-pasted the definition from the
>original post. :)

'S ok, there was an implied smiley in my response. But in case you
were answering seriously, I figured I owed you a serious reply.

Don

[Tom Pappano]

How 'bout this:

The Twilight Zone:

In flying across a radio range beacon beam , an airplane flies from an "A"
or "N" zone
toward and through the beam. As the plane approaches the beam or equisignal
zone, the pilot begins to hear along with the zone and identifying signal of
his zone,
a faint beam signal and a faint identifying signal from the opposite zone.
As the plane
continues to move into the equisignal zone, those faint signals increase in
intensity
until, when the aircraft is within the beam, the "A" and "N" signals
interlock to form
a continuous monotone beam signal, and the "A" and "N" zone identifying
signals
will be of equal intensity. Crossing through the equisignal zone and
entering the new
quadrant, the new zone signal and identifying signal will be heard with
increasing
volume along with the weakening beam signal. As the aircraft proceeds out
of the
equisignal zone into the new zone, the beam signal will fade away and
disappear,
and only the new zone signal and its identifying signal will be heard.
These areas
of fading signals where both beam and zone signals are heard together,
located on
each side of the equisignal zone, are termed twilight zones. A pilot flying
the radio
range beacons has several uses for the twilight zones. A Department of
Commerce
airway regulation requires aircraft to fly on the right hand side of an
established airway
or radio range. While flying on instruments on the radio range, a pilot may
comply
with this regulation by following the outer edge of the twilight zone on the
right hand
side of the range, keeping well clear of the beam. In orientating himself
over a radio
beacon, a pilot recognizes that he is approaching a beam when he enters the
twilight
zone.

This is from "Instrument Flying" by Weems and Zweng, 1940.
Tom Pappano, PP-ASEL-IA



"Montblack" > wrote in message
.. .
> Fans thought Rod Serling invented the term "Twilight Zone." As a matter of
> fact, so did Serling. He'd not heard anyone use it before, so he assumed
> he'd created it. However, after the hit TV show debuted in 1959, Serling
was
> informed that Air Force pilots used the phrase to describe "a moment when
a
> plane is coming down on approach and it cannot see the horizon."
>
> http://www.bigwacko.com/tvfacts.html
>
> Don't know if this has come up before? I ran across this "fact" looking
for
> something else.
>
> --
> Montblack
> "I like to watch"
>
>
>


"Montblack" > wrote in message
.. .
> Fans thought Rod Serling invented the term "Twilight Zone." As a matter of
> fact, so did Serling. He'd not heard anyone use it before, so he assumed
> he'd created it. However, after the hit TV show debuted in 1959, Serling
was
> informed that Air Force pilots used the phrase to describe "a moment when
a
> plane is coming down on approach and it cannot see the horizon."
>
> http://www.bigwacko.com/tvfacts.html
>
> Don't know if this has come up before? I ran across this "fact" looking
for
> something else.
>
> --
> Montblack
> "I like to watch"
>
>
>

[Don Tuite]

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 18:40:30 GMT, "Tom Pappano" >
wrote:

>How 'bout this:

[snip]

>This is from "Instrument Flying" by Weems and Zweng, 1940.
>Tom Pappano, PP-ASEL-IA

With that provenance I'll buy it.

Don