The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-09-02
LANDING STATION
TALKED OF HERE
GOVERNMENT is MAKING Y OUR.
les CONCERNING LOCA1 S,N
OF FIELD

A communication from the Wa tde
partment headquarters of the !tf
army corps area at San Francisco 1s
week to the chamber of comm,
committee on aviation has revived
feeling that the government "
shortly establish an airplane landiL
field st the local fairgrounds.
The communication contained NOT
only photos showing the fairgcound
and markers on either side consisting
of the railroads, streets and Paradise
creek, but also drawing of the various
types of landing spaces. In addition
it held two detailed questionai1e5 Of
Information concerning the field, its
availability, approach and countless
other questions about the acquisition
OF the plat for an ariplane field.
Charles Thompson, chairman of the
chamber of commerce committee on
aviation took up the communications
and answered all the questions as
we'll as could be done and has for
Warded the papers back to the office
at San Francisco.
The question of establishing an air.
plane landing field at Moscow first
came up about six months ago when
the chamber of commerce received
communications from the war depart
ment asking information about secur-
ing the fair grounds as a plane sta
tion. The matter was taken up in the
meeting by Secretary B. c. Rowe and
the committee appointed to take
charge Of the problem.
The committee has been in touch
with the government quite regularly
ever since the matter came up and it
seems that the present communica
tions are indicative of success on the
part of the committee.
In the letter just received from the
war officials were several pictures
OF the fairgrounds which are believed
to have been taken from an airplane
some time ago when a machine was
noted to have sailed over the city
several times and then headed direct
ly back to Spokane.
II Be Used by Government
In making the first search for land
ing facilities, as well as in the subse-,
-quent inquiries, the government has
never indicated for what use the field
here would actually be putt But it
is the opinion that it will be main
tained for trial flights and will prob
badly be connected on Pacific coast
line Of air travel in the future.
That the government is contemplate
ing seriously the conversion of the
fairgrounds into an air station is con-
fidently expressed by many who are
in the position to know. The govern
ment not only began the investiga-
ton of the field but has continued
steadily with the survey of the condi-
tions here.
In the last letter which has Just
been answered many of the questions
answered by the chamber Of commerce
committee related to the facilities that
were obtainable for a station. The
convenience of getting gas, oil and
supplies formed the subject of large
part of the questionaires.
Other questions asked in the COM
munication related to the size of the
field, the ease Of approach, the num-
ber Of distractions and the height of
them the prevailing winds and other
similar data. The query was also
raised concerning the land marks
available for the field.
"Al1 these questions we answered
as best we could" said Mr.. Thomp
son, "and returned them to the off
cials. Much OF the information de-
sired was highly technical but we
sendeavored to clearly state thu ans
wers in every instance"
That the fairgrounds would form a
suitable landing field for airplane
traffic is evident if one gives short
time to the studying Of the various
kinds and grades Of fields which the
government uses. There are, accord
ing to the specifications sent by the
war department four classes Of land
ing fields for airplanes.
The first class Of field must be
1900 feet square and posses the very
best of markers and concrete rum
ways in every direction from the CEN
ter of the field. Second class fields
are the same size but are not so we'll
marked Third class fields are also
the same dimension but possess even
less markers.
The fourth class field, and that is
the class into which the field at the
fairgrounds would fall must be 1900 t
feet long and 500 feet wide and poss-
ess suitable markers. The Playground
would readily lend itself to this type
of field. 1t is in excess of 1900
feet in length and would average more
than 500 in width.
Moreover, the Fairgrounds. has al
ready been demonstrated to be a good t
landing place for airp1anes 1t has !
been used considerably in the past i
by machines coming into the city. ]
AS general thing all planes have
approached from the west and have {
never experienced any difficulty in ,
making landing.
According to local men interested
in the locating Of a field here, all the {
requirements of fourth class field Y
are present, and it is firmly believed
that the government is considering f
seriously the placing Of a station t
here.
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