Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13
AIRPORT BEACON
PLACE SELECTED
Construction Under Way at
Hunters Point, Va.-Use-
full for All Fields.

The Gordian knot, resulting from the
National Capital Airport tangle, has
been slashed by the Anyways Division
of the Department of Commerce in Sc
Letting location at Hunters Point, Va,
for the local radio range beacon station
on the New York-Atlanta airway.
Construction Of buildings and towers
at Hunters Point Is in progress, and the
beacon station will be put in operation
this Summer. The site Is at the south
end of the Gravelly Point area, which
has been the center of the airport struy-
gle. It is the second point south Of
the railroad bridge across the Potomac
on the Virginia shore of the river and
overlooks the Mount Vernon memorial
boulevard site.
Selection of the beacon site was held
up until after construction Of all other
stations on the line had been COM
menced, In the hope that Congress
might reach some decision as to the site
for the National Capitals airport.
Beacon's Location Vital.
It Is essential that the range beacon
be located as close as possible to the
airport it serves, so that pilots may fol-
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directly into the field, it has been
pointed out by Anyways Division officials.
When Congress refused to act on
local airport legislation during the past
session, however, 1t became necessary
for the Anyways Division to go ahead
and select site which would satisfy as
fas as possible all the conflicting re-
Quirements in the local situation.
The Eastern Air Transport contract
air mail line, now serving the National
Capital and all the important cities on
est user Of the beacon system for the
time being. This line now is operating
from Boiling Field, the local Army Air
Corps base. It is not known how much
longer the line will continue to operate
from the Army field. It is operating on
a temporary permit issued by the War
Department, which is subject to can
collation. at any time.
The mail line undoubtedly will OPP
crate from the National Capitals gov
ernmental airport If one ever is estao-
nshed. The beacon location, therefore,
had to be at a point which could be
made to serve the needs of the airmail
line for the present, and in case It
should be moved in the near future to
any nearby location.
Other Factors Enter.
It also was desirable to extend some
protection from the beacon station to
the Army and Navy fields and also to
Washington Airport and Hoover Field,
which now serve as the city's principal
civil aircraft terminals. At the same
time the beacon had to be so located
that it could be used in the event Con-
gresS selects either the Washington Air
port-Hoover Field site for the govern
mental airport or the Gravelly Point
area farther down the river.
The Hunters Point site, airways en-
gineers agreed presented the only rea-
problem. It is the ideal location If
Gravelly Point is developed, being close
to the field and almost exactly on the
airway line from that field along the
Richmond airway.
Hunters Point at the same time Is
almost directly across the Potomac
from the Anacostia Naval Air Station
and Boiling Field, both of which can
be located easily by the pilot who fol-
lows the beacon line to Hunters Point.
The site Is some distance from Wash
ington Airport and Hoover Field, but,
since the airports are on the same bank
of the river, it is regarded as q simple
matter for the pilot to find his way,
even in thick weather, from the beacon
station up the Virginia shore Of the
Potomac to the two commercial fields.
Beacon Useful In Fog.
When completed the beacon will serve
to guide the pilot to the National Capt..
tai through fog or darkness. The bea.
con projects a narrow pencil Of radio
waves along the airway, making q
characteristic signal in the pilots ear
phones. Should he stray to one side
Of the course he will receive q different
type Of signal warning him that he is
of his course. If he wanderS to the
opposite side q third signal comes in.
It is possible for the pilot to tell at
all times by the signals whether he Is
on the course, or II of the course, to
which side and by approximately how
much he Is In error.
BY following the sound of the course
beacon signal he Is able to keep di-
rectly on the airway regardless Of
weather, darkness, fog or cross winds
which otherwise would sweep him, with
out warning, of his course.
The airways division now Is complet-
ing the construction of a radio weather
information broadcasting station on q
Maryland hilltop overlooking the Po-
tomac River about three miles south Of
the District line near Camp Springs,
Md. This station, which need not be
on the airway, will be used to broad
cast weather information each hour to
pilots in flight within several hundred
miles Of the National Capital and espe-
cially along the New York-Atlanta
Airway.
Weather Forecast Soon.
The weather broadcasting station IS
nearly ready for use. It will receive the
weather information, which it will
broadcast by special teletype hook-up
with the Department OF Commerce,
Weather Bureau and weather informa-
ton stations all along the line Of the
airway and at off-the-course stations.
Completion of the weather station
and the range beacon station is ex-
pected to prove the greatest contr1bu-
ton yet made to the safety Of flying
along the coastal airway through this
city. This airway, from the National
Capital to New York, Is the heaviest
travelled air mail line in the world. at
least six planes flying over the course
each "a hours carrying the mails, On
many days double shuttle service Is
necessary to handle mail routed to the
National Capital from the transcont1-
mental mail line, increasing the num-
Der of planes to seven. EXigencies OF
weather or other emergencies may
further increase the number.
In addition to the mail planes trav-
cling the coastal line, Eastern Air Ex-
press now is operating four passenger
planes daily over the line from this
city to New York. On August IS the
New York, Philadelphia, washington
Always Corporation II expected to
begin the operation Of 40 planes day
between this city and New York on an
hourly schedule In both directions.
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