Evening star., 1949-11-04
Airports
Continued From First Page

law IIAd0 VIC NAA Oil Cduy 1ldS
tentatively allotted funds for con-
struction of such an airport with
in the District. Fred B. Lee, depu-
ty CAA administrator, said the
limitation as to location within
the District was necessary be-
cause the fund was allocated by
geographical areas.
Thus funds allotted the District
must be spent here, he pointed
out, and added that there's not
much area for an airport within
the District" Neither the District
Commissioners nor Congress have
provided matching funds for con-
struction of such a small plane
airport. he said.
johnson Questions Idea.
But Senator johnson took issue
with the idea that an airport
must be built within the District.
He saw the funds provided by
Congress as a national fund"
MY idea is that another air.
port should be built for smaller
craft and combat planes as far
away from National as possible
preferably in the opposite direc-
ton from National" he said.
"As a matter of fact, a combat
plane, converted to civilian usage
or being bought by foreign pow
er or what have you, should never
be allowed to be tested at Ma
tional Airport" the Senator
added.
The P-38 which crashed into
the Eastern Air Lines plane, kill
ing SIS persons aboard the trans
port, was being tested by a Boliv-
ian government pilot at the time.
The craft was to be bought by the
Bolivian government.
Ready at Last Session.
Senator johnson said his bill
was ready for introduction at the
last session but that it was held
up pending a CAA report.
The Colorado Democrat said
that he had been battling for such
legislation ever since a Navy fighter
crashed into the Eastern Airlines
transport over New Jersey last
July.
The Senator said that he had
been raising the devil" ever since
that crash and now was deter
mined to get results. He added
that he understood that the CAA
had been held up in giving a report
on his bill at the last session
because they couldn't get budget
clearance"
Worked Out Problem.
Senator johnson said that as a
result of the New Jersey crash
the CAA and the military had
worked out the problem of military
planes getting into commercial air
lanes.
Following the crash of the air.
liner as result of the stunting
Navy flyer, I drew up a very severe
bill making it a penitentiary
offense for a military plane to get
into commercial airlane," he
said. THE CAA told me that they
felt it was bit too harsh and that
the problem could be worked out
between the agency and the De-
fense Department."
He added that he had asked
CAA Administrator D. w. Rented
yesterday how this plan was work.
ing out and had been informed
that it was most satisfactory.
-Four or five military pilots
have been court-martialed for
getting into the course of the COM
mercial aircraft and disobeying
the rules" he added.
Mr.. Lee said that CAA had not
come around to segregating traffic
according to type as yet, but
added that If we can build small
er airports at lesser cost at metro
politan centers. that might get
around the problem.
AirpOrts Now Open to All.
"The public policy up to now
has been not to segregate but to
keep the airports open to all users,
like public roads and other utili-
ties" he said.
The CAA official pointed out
that the airport construction
funds provision that money allot-
ted a State, territory or the Dis
trict must be spent in the particu-
lar geographical area to which it
was allotted was the same princi-.
pie followed on funds for public
roads.
The CAA has underway a..
$500, 100000 airport plan for the
Nation which 4iS doSipnad to ra