Evening star., 1938-01-09

Island. also Is to be q "made-land"
airport. Started with Public Works
Administration funds, It is being COM
pleted, as is the Baltimore project,
by the Works Progress Administra-
ton in cooperation with the city
government.
A tremendous amount Of work has
been done at Newark, where the
worlds largest hangar now Is under
construction as q w. p. A. project,
one of the many (Which have result
ed in modernization and enlargement
Of this airport, the busiest in the
world.
GINCE all Of the cities to the north
Of Washington on this run are
larger than the Capital, however, it
may be objected that the comparison
is not entirely fair. Let us turn to
another route:
On his way to Washington from
the Southwest. the traveller, at Men,
phis, Tenn, strikes chain OF splen-
did new airports extending all the
way to Washington. At one stop after
another he finds great construction
projects nearly completed or in proc
ess Of completion. If the sight Of all
this aeronautical progress, however,
arouSes In his mind any anticipation
Of even greater wonders to come at
the National Capital, fountain head
OF all this progress, 1t Is perhaps best
to draw q veil over the final scene
of disillusionment as he finally ar
rives.
Let us ride with our hypothetical
traveller on an American Airlines
Douglas from Memphis to Washing
ton and examine with him briefly
these new airports. Eighty minutes
after leaving Memphis the big trans
port rolls to a stop on the paved
terminal area at the Nashville Air
port, one of the outstanding exam
pies Of the modernization program
which has given Tennessee a COM
plete new deal In air-transport ter
minals.
There has been a succession Of w.
p. A. projects at Nashville, some spon-
sored by the city, some by the Ma
tional Guard and others by the Bu-
reau Of Air Commerce. An initial
group OF three projects, In the
amounts Of $380,00O, $249,500 and
$4,000, under municipal sponsor
ship, financed construction Of the air.
port proper. with its runways, admin
istration building, hangar. water sup
ply. lighting, drainage, taxi strips and
erosion-control program.
A MOTHER group Of three projects,
sponsored by the adjustant generals
department Of the Tennessee National
Guard, provided for the l05th Aero
Squadron Of the guard an initial
amount Of $4,000 for an assembly
building, $4,000 for an administra-
ton building. 100000 to continue
work on both and a supplemental
amount OF $500 for the administra-
ton building. Later the guard OBJ
tanned $24,62l with which to start a
hangar and $27,400 with which to
complete the hangar and approaches
to the buildings and for landscaping.
The city sponsored another project
late in the summer which provided
$4,000 for hangar construction, paw
ing OF aprons and roadwayS, landscap-
ing, minor grading work and removal
OF an old hangar. The Bureau Of
Air Commerce sponsored q $4,000
project for construction OF a radio
range beacon station at Nashville.
Just before noon We leave the thor
oughly modern. completely equipped
Nashville airport, and, after a flight
OF an hour over the increasingly
mountainous Tennessee countryside.
We land at Knoxville. where a brief
passenger stop allows time for only
cursory inspection of another beau
tiful piece Of airport construction.
Before We leave Tennessee however,
We are to see another fine example
OF modern airport construction This
terminal, just south Of the Virginia
line, serves three cities, Bristol, John
son City and Kingsport, and is known
appropriately as the Tri-City Airport.
This airport was literally hewn out OF
the mountains. work starting in No
vember, 1885, under an initial grant
of $555, 900. This was followed later
by additional grants for levee work
and an item Of nearly 100000 for
additional grading. drainage. fencing
and lighting. Another grant last Sep
tember provided for further grading
and drainage and for seeding and SIM
liar work.
No stops are made between Tri-City
and Washington. the Virginia airport
program not being so far advanced
as that of its neighbor State to the
southwest. Construction Is in progress
at Lynchburg. and this stop will be
added when the airport is completed.
WESTBOUND out Of Washington,
w American Airlines also operates
at splendid new airports at Elkins and