Message posted by lone wolf on July 07, 2004 at 12:00:53 PST:

I'm sure most people know that you can turn on the airport runway lights at unattended airport by "clicking the microphone" (aka rapidly turn the transmitter on and off). However, reading an AOPA airport directory, I noticed that you can change runway light intensity by altering how you click the microphone. So it does appear that runway lights have dimmers, which would explain why they are just barely visible when the early morning Janets land. I personally haven't noticed the runway lights being turned on in the early morning, but have been told this is the done. Now obviously the operation near Groom Lake is manned 24&7, so the controller in the tower sets the light illumination.

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