Evening star., 1928-11-17
:FOKKER SUGGESTS
MODEL D. c. AIRPORT
Noted Plane Builder Says
Capital Should Sho" Way
to Rest of World.

The National Capital, which lasts
the first commercial airport in the
United States laid out purely for COM
mercial air transport operations, must
take the lead in development OF civil
aviation by establishing an airport
which Will be model not only for the
Nation, but for the world, declared An
thony Fokker, pioneer airman and noted
designer and builder of airplanes. at
an aviation luncheon yesterday at the
City Club. The same sentiment was
voiced by William p. MacCracken, Jr,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Aeronautics.
I'm Washington" said Mr.. Fokker
before a gathering which included Fed
,ral and privatS aviation leaders and
Washington civic and business leaders,
you are going to build a model air
port. I do not know how 1t should be
financially Federal Government, Dis
trict government or private enterprise
but however it Is financed 1t should be
a model port, not only for the United
States, but for the world.
This airport should be developed and
used solelv as terminal for air tranS-
port operations, and separate field
should be provided for student training,
test flying, Joy riding passenger sight
seeing flights. aerial photog""~hy and
other aviation activities" Fokker said.
Predicts Am ing Future.
The famous air pioneer predicted an
amazing future for air transport In the
united States, declaring that within the
next year this Nation will have air
lines beyond anything ever dreamed OF
in Europe. This country, he said Is on
sounder basis today than is Europe
because of the attitude of the Federal
Government in stimulating air mail
flying, not as subsidized service, but
as a purely commercial enterprise. AS
result of this stimulation ,nere are
today more than $50 manufacturers OF
airplanes in the United States. as
against less than Is manufacturers OF
purely military aircraft before the air
transport era, Fokker explained.
Next Spring we shall see several
great transcontinental air transport
lines begin their operations" he stated.
There is no doubt that within the next
year we shall see commercial - trans
portation operating on a scale beyond
anything known in Europe. which now
leads the world In this respect. You
win see larger planes than ever before,
with three and four motors, carrying 20
passengers and more. There will be
aerial 'sleepers' for night fyic
ITO keep pace with this development
there must be an improvement of terml-
nal facilities | navigation aids. We
need terminals where airplaneS can
come and go in safety and with the
utmost comfort for their passengers.
1T know you are interested in the
knI HI oh of oil In h
ington. When you build this port I
hope you will bear in mind that we
must have more comforts than are pro-
vided at existing airports to realize the
greatest benefits of air transportation.
First Model Field.
"The first airport laid out strictly
for commercial line in the United
States was established In Washington.
That station, though too small for the
extensive operations which are coming,
has the right principle for handling
passengers and planes. There Is con-
crete loading platform, on which the
plane stands, and the passengers, COM
ing through the gate to the field, find
the plane door directly before them, SO
they do not have to go near the pro-
peller. This feature has been adopted
improvements on the plan have been
made. there. That was the first step
toward the comfort and care of pas
sengers.
1.-THE handling of planes on the fields,
however, Is absolutely inadequate. Run
ways are established, it is true, to meet
all existing wind conditions, but they
do not meet the needs of traffic, be-
cause planes must take of and land on
the same runways. There should be
separate runways for landing and TAX
ing off to avoid congestion and danger
of collision. e should segregate all
but terminal airplane activities.
Passengers should be loaded into
planes in the hangers Immediately ad-
jacent to waiting rooms. The motors
should not be running during this
period, so passengers may be handled
in comfort and without noise or con-
fusion.
with several hundred daily airplane
departures and landings at our big city
airports, a condition already realized
at the busy centers, we shall find an air
traffic problem close to big cities which
will be more difficult to solve than any
other traffic problem we have had to
face.
Airport Chain May Come.
"This may force us to establish a
chain of airports around our large
cities to split up this traffic rather than
seeking to establish single, huge air
port to meet all needs"
Secretary MacCracken, who is In
charge of commercial air transporta-
ton regulation for the Nation, declared
that the matter of an airport for the
District of Columbia is one which con-
Germs every one here-the Federal and
District governments and individual cit
izens and, business men alike.
The convenience and completeness of
the airport. he said, will determine the
volume of traffic here, and from the
airplane transportation of the future ell
residents of the city will benefit.
There is plenty of opportunity for
originality and enterprise in the estab-
lshment of airports." the Secretary
said. "It is up to Washington to lead
the way"
The luncheon was attended by repre-
sentatives of every Federal bureau In
terested in aeronauticS and by CONNER
6al operators at fields in and near the
CITY. in addition to members of the City
Club.