Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDdERToN.

signed airport structures, better
grouping of those structures anc
for more artistic architecture.
and landScaping treatment Of air
ports and buildings apparently Ii
being carefully studied.
It is increasingly apparent that
members Of the industry and the
public are beginning to appreciate
that il aviation Is to develop
Soundly and effectively an ade-
Quate foundation, represented by
properly designed and located air.
ports, must be provided.
Will Lay Dirigible Ring"
The ceremony Of laying the
ring" of the Navy's giant new
dirigible at Akron, Ohio, next
Thursday promises to open a new
tradition Of the air. Ever since
the dawn of ship building 1t has
been customary to lay the keel OF
important vessels, especially OF
naval vessels, with due formality
and considerable pomp.
The advent of the dirigible pre-
sented a new problem. DirigibleS
of the type now under conStruc-
| ton for the Navy at Akron, Ohio,
have no keels. What to do? The
ships are regarded as highly i'm
portant additions to the fleet and
most worthy of all the ceremony
provided by Navy custom and
tradition.
It has been decided to christen
the largest circular frame form
ing the mighty bag of the ship,
in lieu of the conventional keel.
The ceremony will consist of the
driving Of gold rivit in what will
be the highest point Of the airship.
The great ring, built up of tri-
angular Orders, laying on the
floor of the Akron airship hangar,
will be large enough to form an
arena for 500 distinguished guests
who will attend the ceremony.
Owing to the embyro state Of
the airShipS themselves the chief
point of interest to the thousands
of visitors is expected to be the
tremendous hangar now under
construction by the Goodyear
Zeppelin Corporation, in which
the dirigibles will be fabricated.
This hangar is only half COM
pleted. The half that now stands
Is so tremendous that it will &C
commodate 10000 spectators un-
der the shelter of the soaring
parabolic roof. Two of the four
massive doors enclosing the open
ends of the great tunnel-like
structure are in place. They
weigh 600 tons each and are
shaped like gargantuan Segments
Of an orange peel, opening on cir
cular tracks as silently Is a
whisper.
Lacks Interior Supports.
The completed hangar will be the
largest structure without interior
supports in the world. Ten foot
ball games could be played at the
same time under its roof. Six
miles of standard railroad tracks
could be laid on its floor. It's
height is equal to a 22-story
apartment building.
The airShip dock covers eight
and one-half acres of ground. II
you walk the length Of its floor
TOUR tlH1cS you We gone aIII1OSL .
mile. The metal surface Of the
structure, If laid out nat, would
cover Is acres of land. There will
be room inside for 40 airships the
size of the present Goodyear De-
fender, the largest Of the present
Goodyear fleet.
There are many other figures
and comparisons which could be
cited. They probably would give
no accurate picture Of the great
structure which is being COM
pleted for the construction and
housing Of the ZRS4 and ZRS5, as
the great Navy ships will be
known. TO really appreciate the
size Of such structure one must
see 1t. There is no At comparison
to convey the proper impression.
1t 10 said. that the first glimpse
Of the man-made marvel provokes
the same feeling of awe most
people experience upon seeing
such q natural wonder as Niagara
Falls or the Grand Canyon. One
look and you think your eyes are
lying. At any rate, Akron prom
ises to be a popular spot for
tourists, aeronautical and other
wise, during the next few years.