Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-14
AIRPORT COST BILL
IS BEING PREPARED
Temporary Use OF Boiling
Field Given-City Heads
| Want Expense Divided.

assured of stopping point on the
projected New York-Atlanta air mail
route, which will open about Novem-
Der /, by the action yesterday of the
office OF r. Truhee Dawson, Assistant
Secretary of War for aviation, in
formally permitting Pitcairn Aviation,
Inc. of Philadelphia, TO use Boiling
Field until such time as the District
. can provide other landing facilities,
Washington last night turned it's at
tention TO a bill now before the Com
missioners for their approval, and
which would authorize that one-half
the cost of establishing municipal
airport be borne by the Federal Gov
eminent.
The action of Mr.. Davison's office
closed an agreement which the Com
m;ssioners had entered into with the
War Department, and which specified
that If the District government took
action toward securing an airport by
presenting estimates to the Budget
Bureau, the Army Air Corps would
depart from its ironclad policy of pro-
hib.ting the use of military hying
fields by civilian enterprises, thereby
guaranteeing Washington a place on
the mail route which, for a time, was
threatened by the lack of adequate
landing space.
The announcement in Rapid City
by Brig. Gen. Herbert NJ. Lord, di-
rector OF the budget, that $l25,O00
would be recommended to Congress
for. initial work on a municipal air
port, brought Washington a step
closer toward realization Of an air
terminal which has been vigorously
urged here for the past two years.
Method OF Payment.
The attention which the Commits
sioners' bill will have focused on it
until it is taken up on the floors of
Congress is due to the diversity of
opinion among Government and civic
leaders on the question Of who shall
pay for the airport. AS far as the
Budget Bureaus recommended eSti-
mates are concerned. the $125.000
would go in as regular District item,
and the Federal Governments share
would come out of the annual lump
sum appropriation toward local ex-
penSes.
BY the proposed legislation, how
ever, $150,0O0 would be appropriated
for the first year, "chargeable one
half to the revenues of the District Of
Columbia and the other half to any
moneys in the United States Treasury
not otherwise appropriated"
AS the cost of developing the area
between Hunter and Gravelly Point
into an airport 1900 feet long, by
5000 feet wide would be about S65,-
600, according to estimates Of the
United States engineers Office, il Ave
years is employed in the operation
the burden on the taxpayers would
be but $4,000 per year for the five
year period, should the cost be shared
equally by the Federal and District
Governments.
The New York.Atlanta airway,
known as contract air mail route No.
10, will not be opened before Novem.
Der because of the time involved in
lighting the 773 miles between the two
points for night flying and the selec-
ton Of emergency landing fields by
the airways division of the aeronau-
tics branch, Department OF Commerce.
Work Is Progressing.
1t was said at the department yes
terday, however, that the work Is pro-
crossing satisfactorily between New
York and Richmond, and that con-
tracts for beaconS to light this diyi-
sion Of the airway will be let in about
two weeks. While more progress has
upGu AIl0AT OCbnCSn tuE 4OkC6V4uS IVY
points than on the second half Of the
airway. the aeronauticai oficials
promised more developments for the
territory between Richmond and At
lanta, now that one-half Of their task
is about to be ended.
Starting at New York, an airway
extension superintendent and about
five assistants acquired sites at IN
teryals OF about every 10 miles for
the subsequent erection Of 24-inch re.
volving beacons. At intervals OF ap.
proXimateiy 80 miles, intermediate
landing fields were leased and will be
designated for emergency landings.
The chain Of lights runs up to within
a few miles OF the northeastern Dor.
der Of the District, and is resumed
again about 10 miles to the southeast.
The nearest beacon site to the Dis
trict limits is at the Beaver Dam
Country Club at Landover, Md. The
night mail plane needs no other light
ing facilities to guide 1t into Boiling
Field from that point, as the street
lights Of the city viii serve as an
unmistakable landmark. The first
beacon out Of Washington, going
South, is on the farm of r. F. P.
Reid, adjoining the Fredericksburg
road ana about miles south of
Alexandra.
Study of Route.
The airway developers first flew
over the New York-Atlanta route,
Studying the terrain and the meteor
illogical conditions, and determined the
best country to fly over, at the same
time keeping in mind as straight
line as possible. Then they viewed
the route from automobiles, studied
fields that looked suitable from the
air. and negotiated leases and options.
They have been at work for several
months, under the direction of the
airways extension superintendent,
Alvin Smith.
The area Of the District Of Column
bia, including the landing field. IT,
ignored by the airway experts, as
lighting facilities here, under the air
commerce act provisions, must be
provided by the city itself. AS both
northbound and southbound planes
will land at Boiling Field after dark
ness, landing field food lights will be
necessary. AS the Army and Navy
at Anacostia have these facilities
available, and as both departments
have promised the District all the CO
operation within their power, 1t Is as.
sumed that these lights will be avail.
able for the planes. The south bound
plane, under the schedule adopted by
the Post Office Department, will land
here at lilo pm, while the north.
hound chin will land AZ AK "a m