Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-22
L|NDBERCH TO VIEW
S|TESFOR AIRPORT
Duke Anxious That Capital
Be Given Benefit of Flyers
Experience.

! cations in the vicinity of the Capital
under consideration as possible air
ports. primarily to obtain his opinion
Of these sites from the viewpoint of
safe flying.
Believing that safety should be the
| first consideration in the selection of
any site, Lieut.. Donald Duke, Army
Air Corps, who is helping Maj. w.
f. r. Covell, acting Engineer Com
missioner, select a suitable site for
WASHINGTON airport. is anxious that
| the public be given the benefit Of Col.
Lindbergh's personal opinion regard
| ing that point in particular In con-
nection with prospective sites. Col.
Lindbergh's long experience as an
air mail pilot, it is believed, Will give
additional weight to his views when
problems of commercial aviation are
considered in connection with per-
manent airport here.
Officials Hope He'll Help.
II Col. Lindbergh can spare half an
hour. Lieut.. Duke said today that he
could take the airman over all the
available sites within that time
While lacking information regarding
Lindberghs plans here, the District
Commissioners are hopeful he will lend
a helping hand in a problem which
is felt to be Of immense concern to
the development of Washington as an
aerial center.
Gravely Point and the Benning site
would be the particular detectives or
such an inspection, 1t was said, Tor,
despite the reluctance of War and
Navy officials to grant temporary use
of Boiling Field for night air mail
landings, the site on the Potomac is
still regarded as the logical location
of Washington's proposed air heid.
Maj. Covell and Lieut.. Duke went
on another inspection tour today, Wis.
iting the site of the Washington Steel
and Ordnance Co., at Giesboro Point.
adjoining Boiling Field, and also TAX
ing i'm the Benning tract. At the lat.
ter they made practical landing tests
in an airplane. the results OF which
would seem almost to eliminate the
Benning tract from the running.
Safety First Requisite.
In the opinion of Lieut.. Duke. who
has had wide experience in such mat
tiers, the Benning tract is hardly what
would be termed either a safe landing
or taking-off field.
1.-THE first requisite of an airport
should be safety" said Lieut.. Duke.
THE lives of air passengers leaving or
entering commercial airport should
be as carefully safeguarded in every
respect as those going in and out of
a railroad station"
This matter of safety from the pub
lie viewpoint, Lieut.. Duke believes, has
not been given the consideration nee
essary in commercial flying, though
he pointed out that the Department
of Commerce is laying stress on this
factor. An unsafe airport, he believes,
would be detrimental to the best in
terests of aviation anywhere.
Testing the Benning tract by actual
landing and taking off in all direc-
tons. Lieut.. Duke said it was his
opinion that three sides of the field
are dangerous to flying. The field it.
self ~ In the hollow of bowl. and in
taking off a plane must climb its
sides. 1t is difficult for a plane to get
safely off the field before it comes
into range of surrounding housetops.
Tests Made I'm Light Plane.
Lieut.. Duke made his tests in a
light Army plane. and the difficulties,
he SAID, would he increased in the
case OF heavy commercial type planes.
From another runway he took off
lance away, and said 1t is hardly pos
sible to get sufficient altitude to clear
the tall smokestack. One Is compelled
to go to either side to avoid hitting it.
While this does not constitute much
Of a hazard in daylight flying, the
risk is increased, he said, In fog and
at night.
Taking off on third runway in an
other direction, he said, a good sized
hill presents another hazard High
trees and houses on three sides of the
field add to the danger of flying, he
said, and there is no protection af-
forded by the marshes at the west
end.
According to the District officials,
the proposed Giesboro Point site.
while adequately large. Is more de-
sira BILE as a center for the manu-
facture of airplanes, than as an air
port.
Backed by Citizens.
The site has the backing of the
Congress Heights Citizens Associa-
ton, whose secretary, j. Louis Gelb-
man, points out that an air field
mile or more In length could be es-
tablished there. The Washington
Steel and Ordnance Co. owns 3S5
acres, including buildings on the site.
which 1t would sell for 100000 or
even less.
"The area Is large enough to allow
any type of airport" Mr.. Goldman
pointed out to Maj. Covell, land
would afford runways in any desired
direction. 1t also possesses the adj
ditional advantages offered to sea-
planes, besides rail sideway of the
Il e. o. which would be equally ad-
vantageous.
To clinch it's arguments in favor OF
the Giesboro site, the citizens associa-
ton stresses the value of such site
from the viewpoint of national de-
Tense, being almost adjoining Boiling
Field. Edward Richardson and f. c.
Purdy, representing the Congress
Heights Citizens Association, made
the trip to the site with the two Army
officers.
A number Of communications were
received by Maj. Covell today, includ-
ing one from the United States Air
Force Association. which directed crit
icisms against Gravelly Point and
Hoover Field in urging selection of
the Benning tract.
The fact that +. Trubee Dawson,
Assistant Secretary of War in charge
of aviation, is apparently unwilling
to offer the facilities of Boiling Field
for temporary Use of mail planes
pending construction Of a field at
Gravelly Point, did not greatly disturb
District officials today. President
Coolidge's support of the idea is re-
garded as so significant that hope
was entertained that the War Depart.
ment would. come around to his way
of thinking.
Economy Is Cited.
President Coolidge was said to
favor use Of Boiling Field temporarily