Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-19
A|RMA|L ACTIVITY
|. AT BOILING FIELD
TO Be TERMINATED
Removal of Civil Business 10
Washington-Hoover Air.
port Planned.
TRANSFER THIS SPRING
is NOW CONTEMPLATED
Army Has Permitted Use of Its
Field Pending Development
of 3. C. Facilities.

Removal Of all airmail activity from
Boiling Field to Washington Hoover
Airport, from which Is per cent of the
Capitals airmail now is being flown,
may be effected in the Spring.
Plans which had been made for
abandoning the Army field on March /,
however, have been held up because Of
fear that prevailing Winter mists and
night fogs, combined with the hazard
OF electric power lines and other OBJ
structionS adjoining the commercial
held, would make the operation of heav-
lily loaded mail planes from the smaller
field inpracticable
It Is regarded as likely the change will
be made during the next two or three
months, and the Army field, which has
been used as the night airmail base for
nearly three years under a temporary
permit from the War Department will
be restored to the Army for purely
military purposes.
May Enlarge Area.
Before the change is made, however.
vigorous efforts will be made to bring
about the closing of the portion of Mill
tary road between the two halves of
Wash1ngton-Hoover Airport so as to en-
large the available landing area and to
force the removal to underground con-
du1tS OF the scores of electrical wires
strung along the Washington-Alexan
road, which forms the east boundary
of the airport.
In clear weather operations, It was
pointed out, the distractions can be
avoided. The night airmail, however,
must operate during periods of the night
when ground mists and darkness OBJ
scure the distractions and make opera
tons difficult. Air transport lines now
using WaShington-H Hoover Airport con-
fine their operations to daylight and
early hours of night when the mists and
fogs are not prevalent and so are able
to operate safely, it was said.
The hazard created by Instructions
around the field in the dark of a misty
night was forcibly demonstrated by a
near-tragedy recently when F. v. Tom
my" Tompkins clipped the wing off
tri-motored transport plane on an I'M
lighted derrick while coming in for a
landing through light fog at o'clock
in the morning with heavy load Of
New York newspapers aboard.
Had Narrow Escape.
Tompkins escaped by the narrowest
margin imaginable With one wing
the entire landing gear was torn off by
the river bank. The fuSelage slid across
the ground through the field boundary
fence and then went up on its nose.
When field attendants reached the
plane, they found TompkinS hanging
from his safety belt writing his flight
report AS they came UP to him Tomp-
kins was writing on the line reserved
for noting the condition of the plane
the single word, Terrible"
The National Capital now receives
direct airmail service only on the
coastal run from New York to Miami.
This line, operated by Eastern - Air
Transport, has been flown for three
years and now Is one of the most heav-
lily travelled mail routes in the world,
With nearly 20 plane arrivals and de-
partures every "a hours.
Seventy-five per cent Of the mail on
this line now is flown between $50
pm. and am. in airmail planes
which carry no passengers. All these
planes operate from Boiling Field. The
remaining 25 per cent is carried during
the daytime aboard passenger planes,
three round trips being flown daily be-
tween this city and New York and one
between Washington and Atlanta. The
passenger planes operate from Wash
ingtonH Hoover Airport
new Service FIanneO.
The second deficiency appropriation
bill, reported to the House yesterday,
contains $4,000 to pay for operation
of airman service between the National
Capital and Pittsburgh from March
to July /, when this service will be
extended to Norfolk, Va, and will be-
come permanent.
The Pittsburgh line, Washington'S
second airmail service, probably will
operate from Westinghouse Hoover Air
port. The contract is expected to go
to Pennsylvania Airlines, now operat-
ing daylight passenger service from
Washington-Hoo Field to Pittsburgh
and Cleveland.
Mai. Howard c. Davidson, comman-
dant of Boiling Field. said today that
he had been notified by Eastern Air
Transport officials of their intention to
move away from Boiling Field.
Personally, I shall be sorry to see
them CO." Maj. Davidson said "They
have been very considerable in their
operations and have never caused us
any trouble"
ID. C. Expected to Act.
It is contrary to War Department
policy, however, to mix military and
civil operations and the use of Boiling
Field was granted three years ago only
because refusal to grant the use of the
Army field would have cost the Ma
tional Capital its place on the country's
airmail network. The company was is
sued a revokable permit for temporary
operation from the Army field, with
the understanding that the District of
Columbia would undertake at the
earliest possible opportunity to provide
a permanent municipal airport from
which the mail line could operate.
No actual move has been made toward
creation of the proposed governmental
airport beyond the recommendation by
q joint congressional commission that
the Washington Hoover Airport site be
taken over for immediate development,
with the Gravelly Point area to be held
for future development.