Evening star., 1937-12-01
PROTEST |SMADE
ON BL|MP HANGAR
Airline Operators Plea May
Be SheIved by Muddy Sit
uation, However.

In view of the muddled status OF
the local airport situation, the vir-
ginia State Corporation Commission
is expected to pigeonhole for the pres
ent petition from air stranspert op-
orators that the Goodyear airshir
hangar be ordered removed as haz-
ard to airline operations.
Following a hearing before the COM
mission at Richmond yesterday. State
officials agreed to lay the matter aside
temporarily. with the hesunde1StSndine
that officials OF Wasaimgtoa Airport
and the Goodyear TiEe & BubbefsCp
would attempt to work out a prJvate
agreement covering the situation.
The commission, according to m
Associated Press dispatch ASm RitH-
mondsa issHe,I .rnle rss,aitspg TINT
all aifplSnes uslng Vlasii3iisjfon Air
port be eQNirte,ed. sbeeiaisk December
10, with - radio receiving set II, good
operating condition ? Ti4e;or1 serves
to put State authority. behind some
what similar airport reglztions which
have been in effect for nearly year.
Exemptions Allowed. "a
The commission order =specifes that
under unusual circumstances" per-
mission to land or take OF might be
granted to airplanes not having
radios, provided the operator Of such
plane shall first have communicated
his flight plans in advance to the, air
port control tower and shall have re-
ceived notification -" to land or
take off only on the conventional, red
and green signals" -:
r. E. Steel, director OF aviation for
the commission, told the commission
such an order is necessary because
of heavy air trafic at Washington
Airport. ! ~ -, =
1t was indicated that the commits
sion would not consider further action
in tine Washington Airport matter until
present legislation before Congress is
acted upon, the Associated Press re-
ported. ~
Comdr. Carl Lange. in charge Of local
Goodyear airship operations, explained
today that his company wishes to CO.
operate in any measure which will
make for increased safety. He ex-
planned that the company hasraslarger
investment at Washington Airport
than any of the. airlines and that 1t
would be futile to attempt to move the
big airship hangar until the local air
port situation has been settled defi-
nitely. -
Move Might Not Be Needed.
Should the airlines move from
Washington Airport" he explained,
there would be no necessity to move
the airship dock. The situation Is too
unsettled to permit sound planning"
Ofhcials Of atr transport lines OPP
Grating out Of Washington appeared
before the commission to seek re-
moval Of the Goodyear hangar, chsrr-
ing 1t constituted a hazard to airliners
operating from the long runway.
Samuel ]. Solomon, manager of
Washington Airport, testified that the
Goodyear company operates q COM
mercial airship under . lease arrange
ment with the airport which sub
jects the company to rigid airport
regulations. The field regulations are
more rigid than those of the Depart
ment Of Commerce. Mr.. Solomon told
the commission. They prohibit un-
docking of the airsKip from the
hangar when the ceiling is less than
1,5oo feet and visibility less; than 3
miles. s ~7fr
Goodyear Opposes Move.
Carl Fickes, assistant operations
manager of the Goodyear company
lighter-than-Air divisions said bis COM
pany in the past has enjoyed 4 III
most amicable relations with IN dir
line companies, but that Il vpald
oppose the request Ia, move its haneel
until the site of the prppde4 tsxminal
airport for Washington has heen 81
lected by Congress. ,s
w. H. Miller, director of f,yiHf -
tivities for American AiriinUs; i; II Il
Neale, operations manager for renxi.
sylvania- Central Airlines, who opesASet
from Washington AIRPORT - . ptlS4 III
six years. and Edward "a. Hauaiatcn
Washington Representative OF the. M.
tional Air Line PilOts.s Association
testified the hangar oogstitutea Z
hazard. - ~ t.tst ~ In III
Mr.. Hamilton, who. told this COM
mission his organization inchis q
members virtually every cosnmsrcial
pilot flying into Washington. said
that in his opinion Washington Air
port still would remain. unsafe even
II the airship hangar we're .remsved. 4
Other airline -repFeleateatyesestn1d
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