Evening star., 1938-04-14
ROOSEVELT SIGNS
BILL CLOSING ROAD
FOR SAFE AIRPORT
Right Of Way for Military
Highway to Be Given on
$4,000 Payment.
MODEL DEVELOPMENT
, is SOUGHT BY PILOTS
Solomon Makes Public Petition
OF "a Flyers-Railway Line
May Be Relocated.

President Roosevelt has signed the
Copeland bill authorizing the closing
OF Military road as an emergency
measure to increase the safety of flying
operations al Washington Airport. it
was announced today.
The right of way of the highway will
be conveyed by quit claim deed to the
National Airport Corp on payment of
$4,000 to the Board of Commissioners
OF Arlington County for construction
OF substitute road.
Meanwhile, Samuel J. Solomon.
manager of Washington Airport, made
public a petition signed by "a pilots
OF PENNSYLVANIA Central Airlines. rec
ommending that permanent model
airport be developed on the Washing
ton Airport site. together with the run
way plan for such an airport.
Five Runways Laid Out.
The new airport plan. which would
necessitate not only the closing of
Military road, but also relocation of the
Pennsylvania Railroad branch line
sklrting the airport would provide a
landing field with a minimum run
way length of 4,6S5 feet. Five run
ways have been laid out. two of them
extensions of the present runways.
The length of the run-ways. all in
excess OF the 4.000-foot minimum
recommended by the Bureau of Air
Commerce for air transport terminals,
are $3.50 feet, $3.50, 4,57O, 4.535 and
4S85.
In their petition. the airline pilots
advocated that part of the United
States experimental area and ul-
tlmately the boundary channel lagoon
area be added to the airport to provide
for future expansion.
1T has been announced that the
Arlington Radio Towers will be re-
moved in the near future" the pilots
said. "All Instructions within the
area should be removed
Auxiliary Airport Favored.
1T is also our recommendation that
an auxiliary airport far out so as to
be obstruction free, be provided for
landings and take offs under the
worst weather conditions. To permit
the maximum development of traffic,
the auxiliary airport should be located
on the same side of the river as the
principal terminal.
These recommendations are based
on observations made in the course
of many landings and take-offs at
Washington Airport. during which
comparison has been made with all
possible sites.
I'VE nave given careful considera-
ton to all factors nvolved-safety Of
passengers, personnel and equipment;
conflict with traffic in and out Of
Boiling Field and the Naval Air Sta
ton, anticipated percentage of per-
formance; maximum development of
the passenger, mail and express serv-
ice, and to the fact that the present
site can be readily developed with
out undue interference with opera
tions"
Five-Year Fight Ended
Signing of the Military road clos
ing bill brought to an end fight
which had continued more than five
years. At one time. the Bureau
of Air Commerce threatened to abol-
ish all airline operations out of Wash
ington unless the road were closed
or a system of adequate safeguards
provided. Traffic was permitted to
continue after traffic control lights,
sirens and barrier chains had been
erected, blocking the road during
landings and take-offS.
Mr.. Solomon. who left Washing
ton for Baltimore Immediately after
receiving word that the bill had been
signed, is expected to confer with
Arlington County officials soon to ar
range for payment of the SIS, 900 re-
Qulred in the law. 1t was thought
likely payment would be made be-
fore the end of the week, and ar
rangements made at once for construc-
ton of substitute connecting link
between Columbia pike and Mount
Vernon avenue near the southeast
corner of Arlington National Gene
terry.