Evening star., 1937-04-27
D,C,A|RPORTUN|T
EXPECTED T0CALL
SESSION SHORTLY
Long Delay in Action for
Plane Terminal May
End This Week.
JOINT USE OPPOSED
FOR BOILING FIELD
King Discusses Possibility of Com.
bining Commercial and
Military Operations.

AM SOAASA CoCAOAldl 1OH JdUl W1l1I4l
has held up action on the District
airport problem for nearly four
months may be broken this week,
it was learned today as preliminary
arrangements were made for a meet
ing of the District Airport Com
mission, possibly before the end Of
the week.
The exact time of the meeting will
be determined by action on the Presi-
dents court program, which has pre-
vented Chairman King of the air
port group from giving his time to
the local matter, and by the return
to washington of Frederic A. Delano,
chairman of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission and
member OF the commission, recently
discharged from the hospital after a
long illness. Commission members,
however, hoped to be able to get q
quorum together during the latter
part of the week.
The commission has been given 4
fund of $4,000 with which to obtain
options on an airport site or sites to
hold the property until Congress can
act on the 10-year-old problem OF
providing an adequate air terminal
for Washington. No official in
formation has been given out as to
sites under consideration.
Objections to Combination Field.
1t is understood that Senator King
has discussed with aviation people
the possibility of combining local
military and commercial operations
at the new Boiling Field, soon to
become one of the finest landing fields
in this part of the country. It is
also understood that he had encoun-
tered great deal of opposition to
the plan on the ground that it would
create dangerous congestion, espe-
cially in bad weather.
The commission also is understood
to be considering the advisability Of
establishing two airports, one close
to the heart of the city for ordinary
air transport operations, the other 4
larger field further out for use in
bad weather to provide ample room
and good approaches for instrument
landings.
The commission, created more than
a year ago to settle the airport con-
troversy, was expected to report to
Congress last January. its recon-
mendations for a local airport site,
accompanied by suggestions as to
size OF landing area, facilities and
equipment. Because of the court
fight and other national legislation,
however, action was put of.
Baltimore Terminal.
While the local airport program
has been in abeyanoe, however, an
army of 1000 men has been at work
with a feet Of Is trucks, steam
shovels and pile driver construct
ing at Baltimore a complete flying
boat and land plane terminal, which
Is expected to be one of the finest in
the country. This terminal is to
serve as one OF the American bases
for transatlantic air transport op-
erations to be inaugurated jointly BY
Pan-American Anyways and British
Imperial Always this year. WASH
ington was one of the strongly con-
sidered possibilities for this terminal
and would have been chosen had it
possessed the necessary facilities at
the proposed Gravelly Point site, it
was said.
The Baltimore terminal, Like Gray
ely Point, is being made on filled
ground on river fats. Gravelly
Point now Is being filled as q part
OF the new channel-deepening pro-
gram, which is expected to create
approximately 100 acres Of made land
there before the end OF the Summer.
The transoceanic terminal at Balti-
more is expected to be ready for trial
hight operations by May Is and to
be ready for formal dedication by
January /.