Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-19
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDdERToN.

-
: in prograss for an ade-
4 quate airport for the Ma
? - tional Capital. So evil
dent is the need for an airport
and so marked is the absence of
any opposition that such a cam
! paign never should have been
necessary. Nevertheless, though
several vigorous campaigns have
/, been made, the National Capital
stands before the world today as
one of the most backward cities
/. in the country in this respect and
as the only large world capital
untitled to deal with the rising
tide of air transportation.
During sessions of the newly
created and vigorous municipal
airports committee of the Ameri-
can Road Builders Association
this week in Atlantic City, the
National Capital again was held
up as a terrible example. While
representatives of cities of $4,000
population and less were able to
point to their airportS as con-
crete evidence of civic progress,
representatives of this city, the
fourteenth in population in this
country, were unable to point to
so much as an tx" on a map
marking the spot where the Capt.
tails airport may be located at
some future date.
Leaders Join in Fight.
Early in the week the Washing
ton Board of Trade, one of the
leaders in the local airport cam
paign during the past three years,
called to the assistance of the
National Capital leaders of the
aeronautical industry. Its airport
meeting in itself constituted a
confession and a plea.
1--WE residents of the National
Capital" the Board of Trade said,
in effect, have told Congress how
much we need and want an air
port. We have begged for an au-
thorization to go ahead. but our
pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
Won't you come down here and
tell Congress that we really do
need an airport and should have
one?"
The aeronautical leaders came
and did as they we're requested.
1T is unthinkable that the
Capital of the Nation should not
have an airport to serve as a
model for all other cities in the
country" said Col. Paul Hender-
son, former Second Assistant
Postmaster General in charge of
airmail.
Get going and they can't stop
you" said Mai. Gen. John F.
Organ, president of Colonial Air
ways.
Bingham Comments.
washington is sadly behind
every other great capital of the
world in airport facilities. Even
in this country we are far be-
hind" said Senator Hiram Bing-
ham of Connecticut, president of
the National Aeronautic Asso-
citation.
'aThe National Capital needs
not only one large airport, but
also chain of smaller Ones" de-
clared Capt. Thomas Carroll, for
mer chief test pilot for the Ma
tional Advisory Committee for
Aerorautics, vice president of the
Federal Aviation Corporation.
1.-THE Federal City is attempting
to get its first major airport, while
Los Angeles has Is airports with
in the city limits" said F. j.
Bishop of Western Air Express.
The failure of the Federal Gov
eminent to provide for the eS-
A1A sr1a ~ 0dnnff0tn a r.
port in the District of Columbia,
over which it has exclusive juris-
diction. places Federal aviation
authorities in an incongruous
position, 1t was pointed out by
Col. Henderson. From the Ma
tional Capital the Department of
Commerce sends field agents to
all parts of the country to urge
the establishment of municipal
airports. while the city from
which they come and over which
the Government they represent
has absolute control is without
an airport.
Arguments for Gravelly roint.
The Atlantic City convention
brought important developments
in the local airport campaign.
Development of the Gravelly
Point site, on the mud flats of the
Potomac River between the Vir-
ginia shore and the river chan
mel opposite Hams Point. was
supported by strong arguments.
There are two outstanding
qualifications possessed by the
Gravelly Point site which cannot
be matched by any other .loca-
ton. 1t was pointed out. The first
of these is that Gravelly Point
may be developed, without re-
striction as to size in either case,
as a combined Seaplane and land
plane airport; the second is that
its location at the juncture of the
Potomac and AnacoStia Rivers
gives it the benefit of an in
fallible natural guidepost which
should enable any pilot, though
he had never seen the field, to
locate 1t in any weather
There are only two possible air
port sites as close to the heart OF
the city as Gravelly Point. This
is a factor of the utmost impor-
tance in airport development. The
first of these sites-Hoover Field
and Washington Airport-is ruled
out because it has no adequate
room for seaplane harbor devel-
opment and because there are
very definite limits to the size OF
the land plane field. The second
size is at Buzzard Point, in South
west Washington. This has the
advantage of frontage on the