Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-03
AIRPORT SELECTION
ENDS LONG FIGHT
Joint Commission to Recon-
mend immediate Develop
ment of Site.

The decision of the joint congress
sional airport commission to recommend
to Congress the immediate development
of the washington Airport Hoover Field
site as the official airport for the Ma
tional Capital, with the Gravelly Point
site designated for future expansion,
brings to a climax a campaign which
was begun four years ago by District
aeronautical and civic organizations.
Though the first flying field in the
world at College Park, Md, was created
in the vicinity of the National Capital,
this city, the fourteenth largest in the
country, is one of the last large Amer
lean cities without a municipal airport.
There has been at least one flying
field in the vicinity of the National
Capital since 1909 and there are today
eight airportS or flying fields within Is
miles of the Capitol, of which two are
governmental projects and a third is
used in part by the Government
College Park, the first flying field in
the country, is a small open field about
10 miles northeast of the city. Here
the Wright brothers carried on some of
the experimental work in connection
with their tests here in 1909. The first
flying school organized by the Army
used this field in 1911. College Park
was the scene of helicopter experiments
NOAAAOSLC0 Wy bAAC teRlC DC14l1lGl
and his son, Henry A. Berliner, now
engaged in the manufacturing of air.
craft in Baltimore and former operator
Of Hoover Field.
First Post Office Air Mail.
College Park was used by the Post
ONCE Department from 1918 to 1921,
the first post Office operated airmail
line being operated from College Park
70 Vrvtr haorfr,r11v,nr ~. EloIl 1f
1918. Later both the Department of
Commerce and the Bureau Of Standards
used the field for various purposes.
The Bureau of Standards UP until this
year operated a motor test laboratory
there and now conducts aviation radio
tests there. College Park may be the
scene in the near future of the first
blind landing made by pilot purely
by radio guidance, as a result of radio
research work now being conducted by
the Bureau of Standards. There is at
College Park radio range beacon used
to guide pilots between this city and
New York.
In 1917 a portion of the Anacostia
Park near the mouth of the Anacostia
River was assigned to the War De-
partment for use as an aviation field.
1t was named Boiling Field and still is
used for military purposes, though the
Army now is preparing to abandon this
did for location on higher ground
70 the south.
The marsh area upon which Boiling
Field is located was only partially re-
claimed when the Army moved in and
the fill never has been brought up to
the finished grade. The use of the field
since that time has prevented compile
ton of the filling, and the field is so
close to high-water level that adequate
Drainage has been impossible and the
Held Is known as one of the worst wet
weather" fields in the Army. This con-
dition has been remedied in large part
during the past year by installation of
q sub-surface forced drainage system,
though large portions of the field still
remain below the level Of the sea wall
The War Department appropriations
bin as passed by the House and now
pending before the Senate appropria-
tons committee contains an item of
$666,000 for the purchase of approx
mately 480 acres Of land adjacent to
Boiling Field for permanent Air Corps
field.
Navy Experimental Station.
In 1918 a small portion of Boiling
Field along the river bank was turned
over 70 the Navy for use as an expert
mental and testing section for the Navy
Bureau Of Aeronautics. This section.
now known as the AnacoStia Naval Air
station, Is the official test field for the
bureau, all types of new planes sub
United for Navy test receiving their
hight tests here
The first organized commercial ayia-
ton activity here began in 1926 when
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. de-
Veloped the present Hoover Field as the
terminal Tor temporary airplane pas
Senger service operated for short time
between this city and Philadelphia in
connection with the SesquicentenniaI
Exposition there In 1926. This COM
peny constructed the present brick ad-
mlnlStratlon building and a hangar,
which burned to the ground later.
Hoover Field, which IS about two
miles from the center of the city. is
between the Military road and the Po-
tomac River and the Arlington Expert
mental Farms and the site of the Ar
Imgton Beach amusement resort now
being cleared Of resort buildings and
amusement devices. Hoover Field is
SAID TO do the largest airplane sight
Seeing business IN the country, approx
mately 10000 persons having been car
rfed over the National Capital on sight
seeing flights last year.
Two large hangers have been con-
SCructeo at Hoover Field during the
past year and other improvements. in
Guiding concrete aprons and warmine-
up strips provided. Hoover Field now
Is the terminal field for the Clifford
BAH Air Transport Line now Operating
oally passenger and express service be-
tween this city and Pittsburgh. This
Is the only transport line now operat-
Ing out OF this city.
Former Horse Show Grounds.
The development of the present
washington Airport site, then the
norse-snoW grounds, began in 1926.
washington Airport lies close to the
Virginia end Of the Highway Bridge and
10 between Military road and the Alex
andria road. The Washington New
YORK AIR Line, which suspended opera
tons last year. operated from this field
aS one OF the pioneer Eastern air pas
senger lines.
=, The field was acquired last year bv
the Washington Air Terminals Corpora
.1on' which now is spending half mil
lion dollars to erect a model admins
Gatlon building, hangar, and to COM
plete the filling and grading of the
sue Inc paSSenger-carrying business
also has been very large at this field
Inc same corporation also has ac
CURED the so-called Thousand Acre"
neid south of Alexandria, Va, at HybIa
VaIley, where a portion of the field.
comprising some 200 acres has been
opened for flying school. The site
comprises potential landing area
nearly two miles long and it has been
Planned to develop this field as an
aeronautical round-house" for the Ma
tional Capital.
There is at Hybla Valley another field