The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-23

Difficulty of the city authorities in obtaining suitable land for a mu- nicipal airport site borders on the tragic if it should reach proportions whereby the city's aviation future is curtailed in relation to the same advance in this field made by other communities.
 At present the city is contemplat- ing a possible proposed site to be located near Lake Winnemaug in WatertoWn or else in Southington, near Plantsville. While negotiations for the Wolcott site, the original chosen area, still are pending, city authorities are not too optomistic about success.
 Tremendous Future
 Aviation authorities are tremend- ously enthusiastic about the future of the business after this war, and the ma jority, in all saneness and soundness declare the field to be practically unbounded and unlimited in its possibilities and potentiali- ties.
 It is undoubtedly true that avia- tion is going to affect the people of the world even more than did radio, or automobiles or fast ocen- liners and transcontinental trains. Millions of people are going to be- come buyers of commodities they haven't even heard of to date; thus affecting living conditions and stan- ards. IndustrialiZation of small and up-to-now remote localities will be affected by the swift airships; Countless other benefits will result. Some of which might be enumerated here just for the sake of exercising the imagination.
 For example: In instances of dis aster and emergency all medical and relief supplies will be rushed by air thus preventing epidemics and bringing relief to all. Perish able foods will be flown to domes- tic and foreign markets as will rare flowers, etc. Business and profess sional people will utilize the air ways to expedite their business and duties.
 Thousands will become flyers just as they now are motorist and will use these planes for recreation as well as more important affairs. If you can't buy plane-Tent one" will be the theme of enterprising airportS.
 If you don't believe such enthus- iasm will be shown then recall to mind the statistics revealing that applications have been filed for ap- proXimately one-half million miles of new air routes within the United States as compared with 48,O00 functioning in 1941.
 Aviation and Waterbury
 Up until now the majority of us have considered the airplane, par ticularly the transport plane, as something We have utilized rarely or else medium of transportation confined to the wealthier or to the metropolitan areas of our nations.
 An airport and its nestling trans ports was not for Waterbury ex- cept possibly in the year of l9?? So we have believed! But the tre- mendous thrust forward of the aviation field during this war has made antiquated this belief.
 Aviation, after this war, won't be the responsibility of the Army or Navy or the government but of communities like Waterbury if such communities are to be permitted to exist. If we fail to obtain suit able tract of land and thus are stymied in our efforts to construct an airport, then we might well start now to relegate Waterbury to a third-grade community, at best. We will be out of the picture insofar as the development of our community is concerned in relation to the communities of America.
 We might say-'wait!" But there is no time like the present for facts show that the aviation industry isn't waiting by any means.
 In considering the construction of municipal airport it is well to consider also, from layman's view point, the numerous obstacles and factors which must be met.
 First of all, of course, following determination of the economic feasibility of an airport construction in community. there must be found . suitable tract of land for