The Washington times., 1927-06-18
GRAVELLY
POINT IN
FAVOR

Wasington's permanent airport
should be not less than 800 acres
in extent and an approximate square
in shape and the temporary airmail
field should be at least seventy-five
acres in size, with approaches from
every point of the compass.
This is the opinion Of aeronauti.
cal experts who are aiding local
civic leaders in their efforts to bring
the Atlantic coast line airmail
service to Washington.
A square 800 acre field would be
approximately $500 feet square, or
about seven.tenths Of a mile each
way. This would give maximum
diagnonals for landing and taking
off Of heavily laden planes Of nearly
one mile.
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, in
taking off from Roosevelt Field on
his famous flight to Paris, took
q run of nearly a mile and
quarter to get his ship into the
air, laden as it was with every
ounce of gasoline and oil it could
carry.
Approaches Should Be Clear
The permanent field should be
located so that all its approaches
will be clear, to make a perfect
field. That means there must be
no tall buildings, trees, telegraph
lines or other distractions near
the edge Of the field.
1t should not be necessary for
the fliers in leaving or entering
the field from any direction to fly
over a thickly built-up area, it Is
held.
While these conditions are held
as desirable for the ideal perma-
nent airport which it is desired to
establish in Washington, they can
be modified to meet necessary con-
ditions without destroying its use
fulness, it was stated.
The Department Of Commerce, in
laying out the airmail landing
fields. requires at least a 40-acre
approximately square field for even
emergency landing purposes and
usually seeks 75-acre field as the
minimum.
Cleveland Is Cited.
Cleveland. Ohio. with a 300-acre
field, has one of the finest airports
In the United States. s-
The Gravelly Point site. advocated
by the National. Aeronautic Asso-
citation. it was stated today. can be
made into one of the finest fields
in the world. It has fine approaches
from every direction, sufficient size
to meet any needs of the present
or future, and is convenient of
access. it was stated.
1t has the added advantage of
being made to order" as it will
have to be filled in by dredging
and dumping and so the surface
can be made into a perfectly
graded field, arranged so as to
drain in every direction and so
dry rapidly after rains.
Congress Must Act
Representative Frederick N.
zihlman, Of Maryland, chairman of
the House District Committee, to-
day announced that he will intro
duce bill in Congress next De-
cember authorizing the purchase of
q site for permanent field.
Henry A. Berliner, president OF
the Potomac Flying Service, Inc,
which now holds the lease to
Hoover Field, has offered the use
of the field to the airmail service
for the remainder of the year free
of charge.
He declared. however. that the
field, which is 1900 feet long by
900 feet wide. is too narrow for use
as an airmail night flying field for
the regular service, and urged that
permission be secured from the De-
partment of Agriculture to increase
the width Of the field by adding
a portion Of the adjoining Argicul-
tural experimental farm.
The Kenilworth Citizens Associa-
ton, whose territory covers the old
Benning track, today planned a
campaign in favor of their site.
John S. Driggers. president Of
the association, declared that nearly
300 acres is available for a con-
tinuous field by the inclusion OF
adjoining property.