Any NJ pilots who were there around 1982?

[Dana]

Anybody who remembers flying around the Jersey shore around 1982? Specifically in the area around Monmouth and Lakewood airports.

I'm trying to reconstruct a a story... there was a radio tower, along the Garden State Parkway somewhere between Monmouth and Lakewood, that figures prominently in that story of scud running and youthful stupidity. What was unusual about it is that there was a platform and a building on top.

I think it was around where the 393' tower is shown on this chart snippet, just south of Monmouth... but the 1991 chart (the oldest one I could find) shows no tower at that location.



Google Earth does show a tower with sort of a platform at that location, but no building on top, and triangular (I remember rectangular, though I could be mistaken):



It may also have been where the 243' tower is shown a bit farther south. It was shown as 246' in 1991, but it could be a new tower at the same location. I remember it being higher, but again could be mistaken.

So if anybody remembers it (it was a prominent landmark), or better yet has a photo or 1982 chart or other information, please let me know.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

The description of the tower sounds like a fire tower. The "building" was used to look for fires in the "pine barrens". Pitch pines are the predominant tree there and are subject to fires.

Here's a description, although none of these seem to be tall enough to match what you are looking for.

List of New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire towers - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/wildfire/fire-towers/

 

[biplanebob]

A 1948 New York chart shows towers South of Monmouth at 440' and 410'

 

[Dana]

The description of the tower sounds like a fire tower. The "building" was used to look for fires in the "pine barrens". Pitch pines are the predominant tree there and are subject to fires.

There was a fire tower a bit south of there in Lakewood, but as you said they're not that high, and I've never seen one with a platform larger than the shack, which is what I remember.

The pine barrens burn frequently. People think of NJ as densely populated, and the northeastern part certainly is, but most of it is pines and sand.

A 1948 New York chart shows towers South of Monmouth at 440' and 410'

Interesting, though not quite in the right place. But all those airports gone...