Evening star., 1936-08-07
TWO j. s. UNITS
OCCUPY QUARTERS
AT AIR TERMINAL
Post Office Department to
Begin Work in Airmail
Building Today.
CONTROL CREW TAKES
SPACE MADE AVAILABLE
% to Handle Control System.
Line to Bring Maintenance
Base to Capital.
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

BY JOSEPH >. EDGERTON.
Two Federal agencies today COM
pleted moving into new quarters at
Washington Airport as part Of a
program designed to provide the air
terminal with the most up-t0-date
facilities in the country. At the same
time, Central Airlines, operating be-
tween Washington and Detroit, is
moving its entire maintenance base to
the local airport from Detroit The
changes now in progress will provide
employment at the airport for more
than 10 persons.
The Post Office Department today
was to open full-time operations in
its new airmail building, now being
completed. This structure, on the
edge of the flying field near the Air
port Administration Building, wi!
house II postal employees. 1t is dc
scribed by postal officials as the mo
modern airmail establishment in Il
United. States.
Into space vacated by the post
service in the Administration Bull
ing, the Bureau of Air Commerce
moving a new airways control crt
and equipment under supervision
Earl Ward. AS soon as the equ.
ment is installed, probably next wee
Ward and the three members of h
crew will take over the full respon-
sibility Of handling air traffic on tn
Federal airways leading out Of Wash
ington.
Control Tower in Use.
At the same time, the newly COM
pleted airport control tower, which
now is on trial operation basis. Will
go into complete operation in con-
junction with the new Federal air
ways control system and will regulate
all traffic operations on and in tn
immediate vicinity of the airport.
The postal station, Federal alrWa.
control service and airport contrC.
system will give full-time employmen
to a total of % persons and vii.
greatly increase the efficiency an
safety Of the air transport terminal.
Central Airlines, now engaged in
moving its maintenance base from the
west end of its route, eventually will
employ about so men at the field in
routine maintenance and overhaul
work, according to airport officials.
This will be the only airlines mainte-
nance base in Washington. 1t will be
housed for the present in one of the
hangers on the old Hoover Field end
of the airport.
AS result of recent expansions Of
service. Washington Airport now han
dies the arrivals and departures of 72
airliners in scheduled service. Air
mail is handled on approximately half
of these schedules. Non-scheduleG
operations, including sightseeing
flights and the movements of privat
and non-airline commercial aircraf..
increase regular daily operations al
Washington Airport to 100 or more
arrivals or departures each "a hours.
Installation Slated Today.
The new Airmail Building was oc-
cupied formally yesterday by The Post
Office Department, although still in
the hands of the construction crew.
Moving of equipment was completed
last night and installation work is
being completed today. The new struc-
ture provides three times the amount
of space formerly available for air
mail service. Greater and more eff
cient service to the public will be
possible in the new quarters, it was
said.
The one-story brick and concrete
building, with an inside area Of 35
by 80 feet, or 1850 square feet, will
permit the sale of stamps and ham
ding of registered mail, in addition
to full airmail operations. The Office
will be in operation "a hours day.
More than 10000 pounds of airmail
are flown out of Washington Airport
each month, according to postal fig
ures. Perhaps an equal amount is
received. The 3O,O00-pound figure
does not include mail handled here
for transfer from one airline to an
other. An interesting new airmail
service is the collection of mail from
railroad stations to the south Of
Washington into a separate pouch or
pouches, which are dropped from the
train at a signal tower opposite
Washington Airport and brought to
the airport to be loaded into planes
for the West.
Permits Complete Control.
The new airport control tower, re-
Gently completed atop the old tower
on the administration building, per-
| mits complete control of every air
plane on the airport or approaching
or leaving. The tower, manned by
Victor Kosicki, Brown Walter, Neal
Morrow and Paul Moore. contains
six radio receivers and loud-speakers,
broadcasting and telephone equip
ment and two sets of airport traffic
control lights. Weather instruments
are mounted above the tower with
dials inside.
BY light or radio, the tower is able
to control the movement Of every
airplane and to keep approaching
airliners informed from minute to
minute of traffic and weather condi-
tions at the airport. Radio control
up to a maximum of 80 miles Is pos
sible.
The control tower crew keeps a
permanent record of the arrival and
departure of every aircraft and of
every radio contact made. The sys-
TEN, although now only on trial basis,
is said to have contributed very ma