Evening star., 1937-09-02
VET0ES
D. c. AIRPORT BILL;
urges TWO FIELDS
Says Principal Site Should
Not Be Controlled by Pri.
vate Interests.
PRESIDENT TO REQUEST
NEXT CONGRESS TO ACT
Says He Favors Gravelly Point
Development for Use in All
Good Weather.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
For 10 years efforts haze been
mdde to obtain an adequate airport
tor Washington. On July II, dur
ing last session of Congress, Airline
Pilots Association serued ulti-
n1atum on Bureau of Air Com
merce, declaring Washington
Hoouer Airport dangerous and
refusing to use it after so days un-
less assured a ne1o field Legisla-
tlon authorizing new airport at
Camp Springs, Nd, Jailed.
President Roosevelt, disappearing at
Hyde Park today the Copeland May
bill for the development of the Wash
lngton- Hoover Airport, declared that
the principal aviation field Of the Ma
tional Capital should not be owned
or controlled by any private corpora
ton
The President said in his veto mes
sage, the Associated Press reported,
that he favored development of the
OAN'SAAJ 4 o1A1C SltC dllO dQU6Q LQdI
because of the importance of air traffic
here the Government could well af-
ford two fields"
Ihe Washington-Hoov Airport.
owned by the National Airport Corp,
has been condemned by the Airline
Pilots Association as dangerous. The
pilots have served an ultimatum
threatening to quit using the field un-
less assured that new and ADEQUATE
one was under way.
T\o-Year Program.
The Copeland-May measure, passed
after the bill to establish a new air.
port at Camp Springs Md, had failed,
called for two-year program of
modernization at the Washington-
Hoover Airport, with the field enlarged
and new runways provided.
In his veto message the President
said:
After careful consideration" he
said, Il am of the belief that the
Gravelly Point site should be developed
for use in all good weather when there
are no river fogs or bad flying con-
dltlons. This site is within 10 minutes
OF the center of Washington. 1t could
be used by the large transport planes
on probably 80 per cent of all flying
days"
At the same time. the President said
he believed the Government should
develop an additional field-on high
land not subject to fogs.
"Such field" he added, "either at
Camp Springs or at some similar site,
could be made ready in a very few
months OF work and would be used
during the comparatively small num-
bers Of days when the Gravelly Point
site is unsafe because Of river fogs"
Will Ask Congress Action.
He said he would ask Congress i'm
mediately upon re-convening to take
up this matter as quickly as posi-
BILE"
Further" he continued, Il am ask
ing the Secretary of Commerce, until
such time as high-level field can be
made available, 10 close the Wash
ington-Hoover Airport to all planes,
whenever, in the judgment of the bu-
reau of Air Commerce, landing on or
taking of from that field is unsafe.
If the Congress provide for high
level field in the early part of its next
session, there is no reason why such
field cannot be made available, at
least for emergency use, within COM
paratively short time.
Such a field, however, would OF
necessity be nine or ten miles from
the center of the District and hope
that the Congress will also see At to
| develop the Gravelly Point site which
would. OF course, require two or three
years to complete"
The President said he vetoed the
bill with regret because failure to
provide an adequate airport may lead
to serious accidents before one can
be built"
Subject to Fogs.
But he pointed out the present field
was subject to fogs and even with the
addition Of SO acres taken from the
Agriculture Department, it would still
be one Of the poorest fields in the
entire Nation for large planes carrying
passengers and mail"
Furthermore, he said, the bill pro-
vides for the closing Of an important
highway leading to the heart Of the
Capital and for the lease of Govern
ment land for so years to a private
corporation. This in itself, he added,
was sufficient justification for disap-
proving the bill.
Washington's prospects for COM
merce air service this Winter appeared
today to be completely in the laps of
the Commerce and War Departments
The pilots stood firm in their refusal
to use the Hoover Air
port except in good weather under
rigid restriction, but would be willing
to use Boiling Field as an emergency
Winter terminal.
The position Of the pilots organi-
zation, first made know early in the
Summer, was reaf1irmed during the
last few days as representatives Of
that group conferred with officials Of
the Bureau Of Air Commerce and
spokesmen for the operators and the
Washington Airport.
At final conference yesterday, the
bureau promised some decision on the
problem before the deadline Of Sep
tember II set in the pilots ultimatum.
Concerning good weather use Of the
present airport, the pilots are asking
that operations be confined strictly to
the long runway with specific regard
for wind, fog and other flying condi-
tions. Even such limitations, they
contend, would not be sufncient to
make the field safe for use of the