Evening star., 1933-12-03

waSn1o8tOn mas an airport 1n1er1
Z quarter ltJ Alle. In comparison
world capitals, that at Washingt
With more and more air tr
however, the demand for more s.
Groups Of interested persons in \
working for airport improvement
congressional action on the matte
bettering of conditions through
the Public Works Administration
Two detailed drafts of plans for an
adequate airport in Washington have
been prepared in New York during the
past three weeks. The first Of these,
based on an apparent miscOnception Of
conditions here. called for establish
ment OF an airport In East Potomac
Park. It was withdrawn In the face
Of local criticism. The second, an ap-
parently sound and feasible plan, calls
for development of the existing Wash
ington Airport area.
The new plan would necessitate clos
ing Of Military road across the air
port area, the filling of part of the
lagoon adjoining the airport and q
minor shifting Of the line of Boundary
Channel between the airport and Co
lumbia Island. The plan, however, does
not call for the use of the portion of
the Arlington Experimental Farm ad-
joining the old Hoover Field tract.
This arrangement would give two long
runways 1900 and ALSO feet long and
two short rlnwavS each 1850 feet long.
The growing interest outside of
Washington in the local airport prob
lem Is reflected in a long article, under
a two-column head, which appeared a
few days ago in the New York Sun.
In this article Sherman B. Altick, avia-
ton editor of the Sun, says that, al
though the New York air terminal at
Newark has one Of the worst airports
on the face Of the globe for a metro
politan city" 1t is so good In compari-
son with that IN Washington that 1T
actually puts the one in the National
Capital to shame"
He quotes Wiley Post as saying that
he found better airports in the wilds
Of Siberia than In Washington.
Other leaders in the flying indus
try" Altick wrote. have complained
loudly about the landing field in Wash
ington. 1t cannot really be called an
airport, most flyers agree who have
ever been forced to set down there
Airport Is Too Small.
TT is just a field with an admin
istration building and a couple OF
hangers" widely known transport
pilot said today. Nothing Washing
ton can be proud Of, and If I didn't
have to land there every day with pas
sengers, believe me, I'd miss it." he
continued.
The airport here. Altick pointed out,
l. s. A-N-.
too small Tor ee safety of the pubie
flylng the transport lines into the
National Capital" Altick quotes an
unnamed air transport executive as
saying:
When the horse is stolen they will
get lock for the barn. or, in other
awaken washington to the actual con-
dition."
The people of Washington realize
that the airport Is nothing to be proud
OF and now there Is a movement
ment take it over and build big port
on the site. There Is ground adjacent
TO te haca oopd be tas asa
crash hazard would be minimized
Inere are really two fields adjacent to
each other at Washington, but they
are intersected by a well Travelled road.
Sometimes planes landing on the main
airport roll across the highway into
the other one before the pilots are able
to stop them.
Several times plane-automobile ac-
cidentS have been avoided on this high
way through the alertness of pilots.
VINO. realizing that they will strike a
car II they continue to land, open up
the throttle and make second trip
around the field.
mile Of this road under ground so
that planes could use the ground, but
the Government has not vet acted. and
the city cannot because the road is a
national one leading to Arlington.
The main complaint about the field
at the seat of the Government which
has expended millions of dollars 10
make American air TRANSPORTATION a
world leader is its smallness and also
the bad approaches on at least one side.
High tension wires and buildings are to
the east OF the airport, which adds to
the hazards of take-offs if the wind is
from that direction"
All bXpTcSS increases.
The first year Of organized air express
operations in the United States has
been completed, with results most en-
couraging to the air transport and gen.
eral express industries. Promise Is held
out for further expansion of the air
express business to a scope which will
directly benefit every community and
every element of society.
A summary of the first year of express
operations by two of the countrys lead
Ing organizations in this field and by
the airlines shows that the volume of
air express business is growing steadily
and will 60 into the second year with
volume well ahead of that last year.
The average distance of air express
shipments has decreased regularly
through the year, and the variety of
commercial organizations using air ex-
press has grown. These facts are taken
t1 tex~.n - S,,A