Evening star., 1935-11-24

to get out safely, especially in cross
wind"
Samuel Solomon, manager of Wash
ington Airport, expressed the opinion
the new transport airplanes would be
able to operate safely from the long
runways at the local air terminal, but
that for safety under all conditions
the closing of Military road and the
enlargement of the airport which this
would make possible probably would
be necessary.
THE combined fields should be
large enough" Solomon said, "es-
pecially If the closing of Military road
we're coupled with burying of the
telephone and light wires now strung
along the old street railway right Of
way along the southeast border of the
field"
Estimates on the cost of burying
the wires have been called for by tele-
phone and power officials, it was ex-
planned, but no time has been set for
the removal of the overhead wires.
Much Larger Craft.
The new Douglas sleeper transport
is to have a weight of some 5000
pounds more than the present Doug
las airlinerS flown out of Washington
Airport. The new ship is to have a
wing span of 95 feet, an overall
length of IS feet and an overall
height of IT feet inches. 1t is to
carry "a passengers as day air.
liner or 16 passengers as a sleeper,
with a top speed of 215 miles per
hour and a cruising speed of 100 miles
per hour at 70 per cent of the avail
able 1000 horsepower. The landing
speed, it is estimated, will be about
IS miles per hour.
The first of the big planes prob
ably will not complete its flight tests
until late in January and 1t Is not an
ticipated that enough of the ships
will be delivered to American Airlines
to make possible Inauguration of reg
ular service with them before April.
Washington, despite the great need
for an adequate air transport terminal,
is not expected to benefit from the lat
est Works Progress Administration
airport program, which may involve
the expenditure of from S50,000,000
to $80, 900 900 in all parts of the coun-
try.
The w. P. A., it was explained, will
not authorize expenditure OF funds for
airport work except on project ap-
proved by the Bureau of Air Com
merce and unless the airport prop
erty is owned by the city, county, State
or Federal Government. Washington
Airport is barred from consideration
because it is pri' ately-owned.
Third Program Of Kind.
The w. P. A. program is the third
great Federal airport program, all OF
which have been carried through
without aiding the District Of Colum-
bia. The first of these programs, car
ried on by the Civil Works Administra-
ton. started with an ALLEGATION of
$4,000 900, which subsequently was
increased to about S20,O0O,000 all told
This was merged into the Federal
Emergency Relief Administration pro-
gram, which carried on the work of
improving and enlarging airports in
ali parts of the United States.
Today, as a result of local and Fed
eral airport programs, the United
States has more than 1000 airports
Of all kinds. military, civil. CONNER
cial and private, or one to each two
and one-half civil airplanes in the
country.
In anticipation of the coming of the
giant Douglas airliners into the air
transport picture, it is anticipated an
other effort will be made this Win
ter to obtain Congressional action on
the pending local airport matter.