Rodec - Marcillac, Locator RZ, August 8, 2008

The airport of Rodez (Marcillac) has two locator beacons. They are placed in line with the runway. But if you don’t know this fact …

Wim wrote the following story about the search for this beacon:

There is a kind of road going to every beacon. So with a navigation computer that can be feed with coordinates you can drive up to the gate of the terrain with the beacon, yes?
It is august 8, 2008 and I am standing halfway at the site of a steep hill. Miss Mio is saying that I have reached my destination, the beacon RZ, ca 3 km west of the airfield Marcillac at Rodez. But even with binoculars, walking around several paths, there isn’t a beacon to see. Just the moment that I think of going back to the road in the valley and start again from another spot, I noticed this high voltage (10kV) cable going up the hill. It’s reaching a pole with a transformer, from there another pole for 220Volts and then … nothing!
Why do they put a transformer at such a spot? What is in need of electricity over there? I bet that… So I followed the path upwards the hill, until a crossing with a road back to the top of the hill. And very near to the pole with the transformer, yes, there was RZ. What a shame there was no one in the neighbourhood for that bet …

The beacon is located ca. 3 km from the west end of the runway in the neighbourhood of Valady. Route from Rodez to RZ.
At Rodez go via the N140 to direction Valady and Decazeville. Just after passing the west end of the runway (LHS) there is an easy bent to the right. Just after that bent turn left into a narrow road. Take the second road to the right, this is a gravel track (see photo.) This road goes after ca. 2km uphill en has an easy bent to the right. After this bent, at the crossing, go left. At this spot you can see already the beacon. Take the first path to the right – this is just after passing the beacon – and after a few hundred metres the road bents to the right and end at the site with the beacon.