Evening star., 1936-04-17
RUNWAY SYSTEM
TO Be LARGER
At FLYING PORT.
Complete Radio Traffic Con.
troll Also Will Be
Installed.
NEW EQUIPMENT ON
HAND WITHIN WEEK
Movements of Airliners of Four
Transport Companies to Be
Directed From Tower.

With Military road traffic con-
troll assured by recent congressional
action, Washington Airport has
launched a program Of expansion
which will include extension of the
runway system and installation Of
complete radio traffic control, it was
announced today by Samuel ]. Sol-
omon, airport manager.
The Improvements are expected to
decrease greatly the hazards which for
several years have made the airport
one of the most dangerous of its size
and importance in the country.
The new radio equipment is to be
delivered next week and will be in
stalled in the control tower above the
passenger and administration building.
With this radio, the airport control
tower will control movements of all
airliners of the four air transport COM
panies operating out of Washington,
the Goodyear airship, and all radio
equipped commercial and private air.
planes, both on the ground and in
the air.
Atkut OIStCm W w.
The radio control system will do
away with the present method Of con-
trolling. air transport landings, take
offs and ground movements by lights.
The light system will be continued in
operation for the control of private
planes and smaller commercial planes
not equipped with radio, it was an
nounced.
The new equipment will permit the
airport traffic control officer to gov
ern the movements Of airliners and
the airship within a zone of 20 miles
around the airport, regardless Of
weather conditions, and is expected to
provide much greater safeguards for
all air traffic, especially in bad
weather.
The radio installation will be of the
largest type, especially designed for
airport control purposes, and will be
of two-way voice type. The control
officer will be in direct communica-
ton with the pilots not only during
the critical take-off and approach
periods, but also while they are on the
ground taxying to and from the load
ing ramps or along the runwayS.
Earth Already Dumped.
More than $4,000 cubic yards Of
earth already have been dumped be-
tween Military road and Boundary
channel to raise the level of the old
Hoover Field end of the airport and
for use in widening and extending
runways, Solomon said. Thousands
of yards Of silt deposited on the air.
port during the recent Potomac River
food, also is available for raising the
grade of the lower portion of the field,
he added.
The main airport runway, extending
across Military road and along the
length of both halves of the airport,
has been raised in grade and widened
to about 500 feet.
THE airport today is in better con-
dition than it ever has been" Solomon
said. II have been told by Federal
officials and airline pilots that they
now have less apprehension at Wash
| ington Airport than at some of the
| other major airports which formerly
were regarded as better than ours"
Most of the new earth has been
| dumped in the triangle between the
main runway. Military road and the
Boundary channel and is being per-
mitted to stand until this formerly low
area has thoroughly dried out. Then
it will be graded and Scraped, and
eventually a new cross runway will be
opened greatly improving take-off and
landing conditions across the former
short way of the field, Solomon ex-
planned.