Evening star., 1935-03-31
BENN|NG AIRPORT
FIGHT IS PLANNED
BY WA. DR|GGERS
KeniIWorth Member Pro.
poses to Speak Before
Many Associations.

Encouraged by action taken by the
special airport subcommittee of the
House last week in ruling against the
Gravelly Point site, w. A. Driggers Of
the Kenilworth Citizens Association
is preparing for personal appearances
before civic groups In behalf of the
old Benning race track site for pro-
posed District airport.
Driggers, who has been an airplane
pilot for many years, made his first
appeal to citizens groups last Tues
day, only a few hours after the de-
cision of the House subcommittee had
been announced. He appeared before
the joint conference of Northeast cit
izens' associations and explained why
he and several citizens associations
favor the proposed race track site.
The conference is composed of 10
associations Of the Northeast quarter,
many of which have already indorsed
the Benning project.
Chances Thought Better.
Although Representative Smith Of
Virginia, author of the Gravelly Point
airport bill, has opposed the subcom-
mittee ruling on the grounds that the
only other site available for consid-
Grafton is the Washington Airport,
Driggers feels the Benning tract is
equally suitable for this purpose and
is more encouraged by the elimination
of Gravelly Point.
I'VE should not let the opinion of
these so-called flying experts infiu-
ence our stand for an adequate air.
port" declared Driggers. I'VE are the
ones who will have to pay for it in the
long run. Therefore. it should be in
the District where District residents
would benefit most from it,"
Airports should be compared with
city streets and State highways, Orig
gers believes. The District should own
a municipal airport and contribute to
its construction. There are 702 munich
pal airportS in the. United States to-
day, many Of which show profit.
Profits from such projects. he ex-
plains, come from the sale of gas and
oil, storage and repair work.
To the objection by some Of the
smokestacks standing near the race
track, Driggers explains the prevail
ing winds in the District are from the
west and northwest, whereas the
smokestacks are west northwest of the
track. This would offer no obstruc-
ton to planes coming in against the
wind to land at the field and outgo-
ing planes would pass to the side Of
the chimneys.
Ground Is Solid.
Whereas Washington Airport and
Gravelly Point are fills and both un-
satisfactory for airport use, the ground
at Benning is old and solid. with good
drainage, with the exception of one
small portion of marsh land.
Although nearby marshes would
cause fog at certain times Of the year,
Driggers stated the hazard from this
cause would not be near as great as
on fields adjacent to the river.
II can't see the use," Driggers
stated about fields across the river,
''of using airplanes as a fast means
Of transportation and then place the
airport at a location where it takes
one-half hour to fifty-five minutes to
get to the downtown areas" Draw
bridges, he said, would in some cases
slow down transportation from the
city to an airport across the Potomac
River.
In 1927, when interest in a District
airport was high, Driggers said over
half the citizens associations at that
time favored an airport within the
District. Because the groups have not
recently acted upon this matter to
any great extent, Driggers is pre-
pared to present the Benning site
plan before citizens associations in
all quarters of the city.
A. F. E. Scheer, chairman Of the
Northeast Conference and president
of the Dahlgren Terrace Citizens As
sociation. said the citizens association
favors the Benning site only If an
airport's cost is to be Shouldered onto
the District. "If we must have an
airport inside the District" Scheer
declared, I'VE believe we should CO.
operate with the Kenilworth group
and indorse the Benning race track
site"
At the conference meeting Harry
N. Stull, delegate from Stanton Park,
said the private airlines should be
compelled to share a proportionate
burden of the expense of construct
ing an airport within the District.
The commercial airlines use and de-
rive the most benefit from the prof.
ects in carrying out their business, he
declared.