Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-07
Work Rushed
To Finish New
Ford Airport
Field Needed Soon
TO Test Bombers
OF Giant Plant
By FRED COLLINS

pletion today as hundreds OF
workmen operating score of
drag-lineS. fleet Of tractor scrap
ers and the worlds largest cement
roadway builder fought against
time 10 beat frost which would de-
lay concrete laying operations.
The airport is the new Ford air
port adjoining the Ford Motor
Company's bomber plant at Will
low Run three miles east Of
Ypsilanti on Ecorse road. Cost Of
the latest project is 81 900, 900 and
will be owned by the government
and operated by Ford aircraft and
army experts as the chief testing
grounds for four-motored bombers
IN this area.
Conceived by Edsel Ford. presi-
dent Of the Ford Motor Company
when he visited The West Coast on
tour OF aircraft plants. the air
port in rapidly gaining form
through the genius OF The com
pany'S vice president, Charles f..
Sorensen. and staff OF engineers
under ". r. Hanson,
Realizing that tour million dol
lar airport could not ne con
Strlcted IN the fai wooded area
v1thout superhuman effort Soren-
sen took personal charge Of the
task
THIRTY five acres NJ woods were
cleared and saw mill erected ~
make the surplus available for
shipping and Grating lumber Drag
line operators 10 man % ditch dig
gers 10 lay 20 miles n drainage
crock from SlN-lnch 10 N-lnch pro-
portions Immediately followed the
vood-cutterS
The the most modern Scraping
and lev ling equipment was
brought into play 70 level me field
that 30 miles Of four-lnCn field
drain tile might ne laid 10 keep
the area IN the best condition for
tho arrlval and departure Of the
new bomberS the aircraft plant
VIII turn ouj
Today tho worlds largest road
WAY builder - stretching concrete
around and across me ..720-acre
landing field
All ~ these operations arc going
IN ~ Tho same time Tor ~ SOren-
son points oui ~ starting one crew
on an area JuSt completed ~ an
other saves Valuable hours and
speeds America preparedness pro-
gram
In addition 70 rushing work on
the sWpoit. me Ford company is
also We'll ahead nj schedule on
tho -prnfhlci4nn ef- high-powered
Frau & Nhtney alrplane engines
for ho [ n!f.d States Arm, The
first engine was produced carly IN
August and tho motors now are
hcinG turned out ~ the rate NJ
one a day Within 2 fcv months
the rate viii exceed rs engines
daily.
The airport. when completed
will cover more than quarter
n ? section Of land while thC sd-
joining factory property viii
Hi'rNult -. iNV'NN' NNhNI' i'''f
2.547 00o m which. viii he floor
space The entires project VIII
occupy 975 acres or slightly less
than iwo miles square
THE field IL natural air
port property, S0TcnSpn DC
ciared 1T IL being built near
the Huron River ~ that sde
auste drainage IL Afforded.
when completed the fall from
the farthcst point 10 the drain
age outlet will only he thee feet
hut with the system Of draining
there will hc no problem.
For efficiency reasons n was
necessary that the airport and
hirplane factory he placed close
together. This area afforded
that opportunity without too
many natural hazards to impede
the work Of construction. We
arc doing everything humanity
possible 20 complete the project
nv Christmas, which really Isn't
much time when one considers
the tremendous amount OF work
10 he accomplished.
I'VE have had the co-opera-
ton ~ the county highway de-
partment In closing some roads
inside the property, hut will en-
roupter difficulty In getting
60. 600 workmen 10 and from the
nlaut unless some definite action
10 taken nv the federal govern
ment very soon 10 widen present
highways and build new ones
"The county commission and
state highway department real
Ire the need for these facilities
hut there apparently IL not SUI
hcient money available 10 90
tho job"
The immensely Of the airport Is
.een in the size of the runWaAs'
spount Of concrete and tile neceS-
sarv for It's completion. The short
est runway will he 4,970 feet long.
the largest $500 feet long.
There are seven runwayS requlr-
inc 10000 yards of concrete, eacn
runway being $50 feet wide. In
two-line highway patterns the
rlnways. If placed end TO end'
would stretch % miles or IA miles
Of single line highway.
The entire project as approved
Nv the government-for both arr
port and facilities and bomber
manufacturing plant was award
cd under q SAT .62017l contract
For