Evening star., 1933-11-24
$10,0W,0W GRANT
MADE FOR AIRPORT
BUILDING PROGRAM
Continued From First Page.)

NOolgiuueQ from FrSt Fdge.)
Communities which are slow in re-
spending. he warned, run the risk Of
not BENG included in the program.
OF the $10, 900 600 grant, more than
$1,000 900 will go into wages and Will
permit the employment of more than
$4,000 persons now unemployed. 1t was
estimated. Municipalities will provide
only the unimproved land or already
existing but inadequate landing fields,
which may be owned or leased by the
community. Cities and States win be
asked to lend road building machinery
necessary for the grading and leveling
of the fields
The average cost of conditioning a
field, based on experience of the Aero
nautics Branch in setting up interme-
date. and emergency landing fields,
should be about $1,000, with only $3.50
expended for material and the re-
mafnder for labor, it was announced
The fields contemplated under the
program should each consist of two
landing strips, up to 1000 feet long
and 800 feet wide, except IN locations
where terrain or other conditions limit
the area to one strip it was explained.
The fields will be marked for identi-
fication from the air.
Will Extend Federal Always.
Establishment of 1000 additional
aircraft landing fields will extend the
Federal airways system to parts of the;
country not now served by those routes
and will increase private flying as wen
as improve safety, due 10 an increass
In the number Of landing facilities, ,
Mr. Vidal said
ssyUh{1a ~. r1,,+ar A.
way will not be comparable TO thu
lighted and equipped airwayJ
which are provided with facilities for
flights at night and in bad weather
they will be of utmost assistance e
day flying"
The construction of 1000 fields would
ports and landing fields officially listed
in the United States, according to the
Department Of Commerce The project
calls for the laying out, within a month
or two. OF as many airports as the
United States has provided in the en-
tire previous history of flying.
We anticipate" Vidal said, "that
the larger towns and cities which as
yet do not have airports will be the first
to recognize the advantages of this
plan. but 1t is important also that emer-
where large towns do not exist and we
wish to point out that even the small
est villages are eligible Each State
VIII be entitled to have q certain num-
Der OF landing fields established, the
number depending upon the size and
population of the State, and we hone
to distribute these in such q manner
that they viii be of utmost service to
airmen and their aircraft"
Survey Market for Planes.
Vidal explained that the Department
OF Commerce now is engaged in q sur.
vey Of the potential market for private
" owned aircraft. Returns, he said,
indicate that there are thousands Of
persons who would buy airplanes If the
price were within their means.
If the final results Of the survey are
favorable and the aircraft manufactur-
ing industry begins to produce airplanes
to sell at low price" be said, "the
need for airports and landing fields will
become enormously greater.
The landing field program is a fur
ther step by the new administration to
stimulate private flying. Other nations
have encouraged this branch of aero
nautics by granting subsidies. This is
not subsidy, but an investment in q
relatively new industry which Is impor-
tant to the recovery program, and. In
addition, the project is one which will
give employment to thousands OF per-
sons all over the United States"
The aeronautics branch is making
preparations to undertake the necessary
work as rapidly as applications are re-
ceived from municipalities and COM
munities. A Federal engineer will be
sent to examine the site and, if it is
suitable, will undertake the conditioning
work. For this work State construc-
tion engineer will supervise the project
and will hire crew of laborers to do
the grading and other work necessary