Evening star., 1949-12-12

| scarce lnQc6Q. f1OWtVeI, cuIOpc lldS IklCAls
and it might not be hard to induce Ger
man or French professor 70 come here.
Also. let us note that fame awaits those
scholars who can find keys to the Etruscan
and Cretan languages
| CORLEY McDARMENT.
Baltimoreans Insist Friendship Airport
| Could Solve Our Air Terminal Needs
| To the Editor Of The Star:
read the story by W. H. Shipper, jr., in
| the December issue of your publication
| and wish to offer the following comments
| in order to set the record right
| First. with regard to the location of
Friendship International Airport in relation
| to Washington, it is common knowledge that
| Baltimore and Washington are only 40 miles
| apart-center to center. Yet the article by
| Mr.. Shipper states, THE new airport is
| about eight miles south Of Baltimore and
some 40 miles from Washington"
The distance from downtown Baltimore
to Friendship is 81 miles. and when the
Baltimore Washington freeway Is completed.
the distance from Friendship to the Capital
will be about % miles.
| Detroits only airport is 81 miles from
town; Frankfort. Kentucky's. is "a miles.
and the airports of many other commune
ties are between Is and 20 miles from town.
Los Angeles Is IA: Durham. North Caro-
lina's, is 14H Cleveland's is l3. and so on
down the list. Contrast these distances and
the need for a second airport at Washington.
With regard to the second argument. "A
| survey Of motor traffic by the CAA, it was
| said, reveals that it would take four times
| as long to reach Baltimores new airport as
to drive to National Airport" I call your
attention to March release Of the American
Road Builders Association, Airport Division,
entitled. "Expressways Needed to Airports,"
wherein they show the peak-hour time from
downtown Washington to the airport as 20
minutes. No time is given in this report from
Friendship International to downtown
Washington. but an official CAA publication,
washington and Baltimore Regional Air
port Study" dated January, 1949, page 20.
states, when discussing the time between
Baltimore's new airport and the Willard
Hotel "This time distance of a little over
an hour is not entirely correct because, in
making the survey, it was necessary to use
small local road as detour over portion
of the route from the airport site to Route l.
When the new express highway is in opera
ton. it is reasonable to assume that the
time distance will be reduced to approx
mately 40 minutes"
Travel Time Compared.
With regard to the comment in Mr.. Ship
pens article, 1.-THE CAA committee reported
that no competing carrier would consent to
land passengers at Friendship en- route for
Washington II rival air lines could deliver
them in the Metropolitan Area" may ask
If this statement has been checked with any
air carrier?
draw your attention to the following
factors: Flying from New York to Washing
ton requires at least ten minutes more than
the same fight to Baltimore. Combining this
figure with the present peak-hour travel
time from the Washington Airport to down.
town Washington, total time of 40 minutes
is then allowed for surface passenger travel
from Friendship international airport 10
downtown Washington. Obviously. no COM
petitive advantage would exist under tnese
conditions to either airport for north or
south bound traffic, originated or terminated
at WASHINGTON, when the CAA admits to 40
minutes as reasonable from Friendship TO
Washington.
Using the same type of figures in an
examination Of traffic from Western cities
to Baltimore and Washington, it Is revealed
that q passenger using Friendship Inter-
national Airport would be at four minute
disadvantage. Do you consider four minutes
q factor?
Both the CAA and the City Of Baltimore
have big investment in Friendship Inter-
national Airport. In the Washington and
Baltimore Regional Airport Study, the CAA
saws 1.-THE 1858 estimate Of movements per
peak hour at Baltimore Is 70. Ih1S means
that this airport will not be used to capacity
on scheduled operations for some, years to
come and would be able to handle a portion
of the scheduled air traffic to Washington
under instrument landing conditions. This
proposal seems practical in view Of the new
express highway that will soon connect
washington and Baltimore. The time dis
tance from the Friendship International Air
port to downtown Washington should not
prove excessive for express. de luxe, or
international flights" Does this indicate
the need for third airport?
Doubts d. C. Needs Second Field.
The present Washington National Airport
is only used to capacity during specific
periods. This does not seem to justify q
further expenditure Of public funds merely
to meet the specific peak periods This is
especially true in view Of the CAA state
ments Of the adequacies Of Friendship to
meet the needs far and. beyond 1858. and
the recent action by the CAB discontinuing
international air service to Europe from
washington by Trans World and American
Overseas Airlines. The board had preEtovsly
n yl