The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-07-15
ANOTHER MUST
FOR VISITORS
in WASHINGTON
IT'S THE NEW NATIONAL
AIRPORT AT GRAVELLY
POINT: GOES ON LIST FOR
SIcHTSEERS
BY JACK sTINNETT
AP Feature Service Writer

WAoA1AisNA0 Ats ou1y 10 lac
new National Airport at Gravelly
Point is an airnan's dream-and
a passengers.
Along with the Jefferson Me
mortal, it gives Washington two
more ''musts" Cor the visitors
list.
l stood on the promenade of
the Terminal building the other
afternoon with a man who is an
expert on the worlds airports.
We looked out over the great
network of runways - broad
enough and long enough and solid
enough to take care of the great
est giants in the air today or even
of those greater ones which de-
signers and engineers have only
discussed in unguarded mo-
ments.
We could see much of the ports
759 acres and all of the $50 lift
ed out of the Potomac river bed
and laid out in the sun to dry"
We could see all of that 1000
foot-long north-south runway and
just west of it, at the south end,
the bay which someday will be
the marine airport.
Below US on the apron were
three huge airliners, two prepar-
ing to depart. One had just ar
rived, had TAXED slowly in,
dropped its right wheel into the
turntable saucer and gunned its
left motor to swing around in
formation. When it came to a
standstill, its passengers were.
only a few steps from the term
inal entrance. The plane itself
was directly over the paving-flush
steel doors out of which come
fuel and ACKNOWLEDGING hoses
and telephones and pneumatic
tubes by which pilots receive
last-minute messages.
The airport expert had had
nothing to do with this one,
which should make his comment
doubly worth while: 4 doubt if
there is anything Like it in the
world; certainly not in the west
ern hemisphere. I'll doubt it too
until / hear of something better.
A Project In Description
If / took a week off and wrote
about nothing else, | couldn't tell
you all that the architects, en-
gineers, Civil Aeronautics au-
thority officials, airliners, wea-
Their bureau and what-not have
poured into the new Washington
National Airport.
/ could do one of these pieces
on the six giant hangers (only one
of which is finished) in which, if
the floor were Of sod, it would be-
no great trick to play a football
game. anfv0tii i i
The Terminal building Itself is
worth a chapter in anybody S book
on modern Unitarian architec-
ture. It is semi circular affair
without a straight line in it. Huge
pillars rise from the promenade
to the roof, and between them is
nothing but great walls of clear
glass that make it possible for
persons in the spacious air-con-
ditioned waiting room to watch
ever take-off and departure.
On the roof is a complete
weather bureau laboratory, with
twin observatories at each end,
from which balloons are sent up
hourly to check wind directions
and speeds and gather instru-
ment readings.
In front and above the weather
bureau, rises the octagonal con-
troll tower, with walls that slant
out and then in to the roof. These
walls are fof tinted glass to pre-
vent glare and keep Old Soils
sqnburn rays from frying the OPP
orators. And FOUR Of them have
windshield wipers. Here is the
two-way radio system, carrying
a constant stream Of weather re-
ports and flight data, and a traffic
control board on which every
takeoff and landing is plotted to
the second. From here also the
men operate the elaborate night
lighting system, including the
big green arrow on the field that
flashes on to mean come on in
and the red cross that means
keep off until further instruc-
TONS.