Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-15
Nations Capital Is Declared
by U. S. District Engineer
to Be Tagging.
STRATEGIC POSITION
DEMANDS BEST FIELD
Edwin A. Schmitt Favors Site at
Gravelly Point, Urging I'm
mediate Action.
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON,
Aviation Editor of The Star.

ATLANTIC CITY, N. j., January IS
One of the most stirring pleas yet
made for establishment Of an adequate
municipal airport for the National Cap
itA was voiced by Edwin A. Schmitt
assistant United District engineer for
the district of Washington, at mu-
nicipal airport session held by members
of the city officials division of the Amer
lean Road Builders Association at the
annual convention here yesterday.
Air and Sea Plane Port Needed.
Early action looking toward establish
ment of a combined land and sea plane
airport for the National Capital is i'm
perative. Mr.. Schmitt declared. The
strategic position of the Capital, just of
the Atlantic Coast and on the Potomac
River, makes it essential that any air
port established there must be COM
bination airport for both land and sea-
planes, he said. Presentation of the plea
by Mr.. Schmitt, who has been in charge
of all the preliminary engineering work
on the Gravelly Point airport site,
brought into the ranks of national
bodies interested in the National Capt.
tails airport campaign one Of the largest
existing groups of airport constructors
end city officials interested in airport
design, construction and MAINTENANCE.
The city officials division, before which
the plea was made, IS composed OF mu-
nicipal authorities in every State in the
Union, approximately 1000 cities being
represented at the convention here.
BIee Warns of History.
Col. Harry H. Blee, director Of aero
of nnf1Q
of Commerce Aeronautics Branch, who
presided at the airport meeting, voiced
the warning that the city which falls
behind in airport development today
will find itself in the position of the
seaboard cities of the past century
which failed to provide seaport facilities
and which have forever dropped out OF
the race as great maritime centers.
washington, the Nations Capital,
fourteenth largest city in the United
States" Mr.. Schmitt said, has no
municipal or Federal airport for COM
mercial aviation use. Not even site
or an approved plan has been selected"
Despite the fact that 1t had the first
flying field in the country, at College
Park, Md, Washington has fallen FAR
behind in providing for the needs OF
aviation, he said.
Boiling Field was occupied on a tenn
porary basis, Mr.. Schmitt said, and the
filling Of the marshland which it occu-
pies never was completed, leaving the
field now subject to flooding.
while every important capital IN
Europe now Is served by one or more
air lines. washington has but one short
line connecting it by air with the rest
Of the country"
Washington Should Have Best.
"For a city the size and importance
Of Washington nothing less than an
Al rating of the Department OF Com
merce should be considered in the lay
ing out and construction of an airport"
Schmitt declared emphatically. This
calls for a field at least $500 feet
from all directions. the most complete
facilities for every type OF airplane
handling, complete communication facil-
tiles between field and city, and the
most modern equipment for day and
might operations.
He quoted world authorities that the
airport of the future must of necessity
be constructed to accommodate both
land and water planes. To fulfill this
requirement, he pointed out, the District
virtually is forced to the Gravelly Point
site, none other being available which
will meet all the necessary requirements.
Tables OF costs for the construction
IDf GraVelly Point Field, 1ncluolnS stone
retaining wall and dredging and filling,
were presented to show that the cost
would be favorable when compared with
,the purchase cost alone of other sites,
ranging from 5000 to $1,000 per acre
Virginia Developing Network.
The State of Virginia is engaged in a
,program of airport development which
will form a Statewide network of in
,termediate fields, to serve not only as
municipal airports, but also as emer-
igency or intermediate landing fields on
feeder routes to the main travelled air
ways, 1t was stated by H. @. Shirley Of
Richmond Of the State Highway Com
mission.
The municipal airport program wa
In charge Of four Washing onians, Maj
Donald A. Dawson, Assistant Engineer
Commissioner of the District, chair
man; Col Blee, Mr.. Schmitt and Lyle
A. Brookover of the national road
builders stan.