Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01
BY HARVEY WILEY CORBETT.

"VHE greatest obstacle on a landing field
is, paradoxically enough, one Of its
greatest assets. the hangar. 1t waves
its conical air cone to the pilot as q
toreador's red flag before bull, de-
manding that skill. caution and ofttimes every
known safety factor be brought into the picture
to effect q safe landing Stories enough of
crashes to fill a book of accidents can be traced
to the pilots efforts to avoid hitting the hangar
when attempting a landing
The present-day hangar is nothing more than
an adaptation Of the old red barn that housed
grandfathers horse and buggy. We have made
no real efforts to adapt our winged housing
problems to flying conditions. Four walls, with
two Of them made to open, stand out like sore
thumbs on the flying field as poor monuments.
indeed, to the progress of aviation Not only is
the hangar an impeachment to the field but
line drawn on tangent from the top of the
hangar to the field covers the area which Is
wasted, SO far as taking of and landing are
concerned.
1t is my belief that a better landing field
would be one which was absolutely free of all
obstacles. To arrive at this condition the hangar
and repair shops, waiting rooms, the pneumatic
mail tubes rail and motor approaches, hotels
and all mechanical necessities should be sunken.
And they should be sunk not on a fiat field
where draining conditions are not always con-
trolled but beneath the apex of a conical-shap-
ed field rising on about a per cent grade from
its outer circumference to its center.
Under this plan everything would be off the
field. Drainage would follow the best laws Of
nature. Every foot of the field would be avail
able for taking of and landing Planes arriv.
ing or leaving would fly of in opposite direc-
lions, avoiding all known causes of air crashes.
No matter from what direction the wind was
coming the plane could head directly into it,
There would be no other planes on the field
for the reason that the gargantuan hangar,
sunk directly beneath the cone would afford
plenty of space TO house all craft making use
OF the commercial airport. Entry into the
hangar would be made through score or more
of trap-door arrangements operated by an OBJ
server stationed at the apex Of the cone, who
would first make sure that the plane had land
ed safely and the pilot did not wish to take
off again.
The per cent grade would be sufficient to
accelerate planes take-aff and act as brake
to its speed after landing
a Ii buildings radating out from the edge of
the field would be constructed in zoned-tier
formation. the first few buildings back being
one story high; block further back the height
would be increased proportionatey. Such a
plan would afford no obstacles to the approach
OF the field and would provide for close con-
tact with factories and buildings which desired
adjacent locations. This, too, would leave clear
sweeping path for clean, level, head-on wind
hitting the field
While such field would require about half
again as much space as the present-day airport
1t would afford greater number of safety fac
tors and would provide for an incoming and
outgoing flow OF bot air and land traffic that
cannot possibly be taken care of by present
fields.
Upon this low cone with its almost inner.
ceptible rise. dozen planes could land stimuli
taneously all headed into the wind And when
plotting has reached the point where the
average and not the expert flyer can land in a
slight cross wind, the number of planes arriving
simultaneously can be increased to around Is
One hundred years from today the center Of
the average city will be close to the center of IT.
main airport.
Unlike the shipping centers of the factory
districts which are now located on the out
skirts of the metropolis close to the water
ways and railway terminals, the airport will
bring them to universal shipping room the
hangar. Railway tracks, truck lanes and lanes
Tor hlgh-speed pleasure and commercial care
Will ourrow their wSv through the future airport
where freight and passengers will be taken on
ahe discharged. Hotels restaurants stores
sfiowrooms and even warehouses where mer,
chants can display their goods to air-travelino
buyers 1or hurried inspections, will be built in
ms complete underground hangar of the FIJI
;ure " VAC Au
LIT swift elevators In q skyscraper nnar.
natac mall tubes will shoot air mail FROM, tn.