Evening star., 1950-02-10
Suitable Site Sought
In Fairfax County for
New District Airport
By W. h. Shippen, yr.


BY ". H. Shippen, Jr.
Federal planners are renewin
efforts to find a new airport sit
for Washington following approva
of the project by the Senate Com
merce Committee.
A location on relatively unde
veloped areas in Fairfax Count
appears most likely, in view @
informal surveys conducted b
the Civil Aeronautics Administra
ton over a period of years.
While CAA experts, for obviou
reasons. will make no prematur
recommendations, they are agree
on the urgency of acquiring a sit
before residential development
further increase the cost of Ian
within easy committing distanc
of downtown Washington.
Land Values Increasing.
Projected subdivisions in vari
Gus stages of planning and de
velopment already are encroach
ing on several desirable sites, tn
experts reported. Their growti
is increasing land prices and tn
possibility that residents may seel
to block aircraft operations il
the neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, Chairman johnson
of the Senate Commerce Commit
tee. with the backing of the Presi
dent, the CAA and the Bulge
Bureau, hopes to obtain congres
sional approval at this session 10
his airport bill. He introduced
similar measure last year. Sine
then, two disastrous crashes nea
National Airport have emphasize
the necessity for new terminal ia
cilitieS here.
Without recommending sit
Senator johnson has suggeste
that the new airport to reliev
congestion at National be con
structed away from the Potoma
River fogs within easy access c
a four Lane highway.
Several Locations Studied.
These and other desirable ad
vantageS, such as unobstructe
approaches and removal from con
flicting air traffic. apparently ar
offered by locations near Spring
field on the new Shirley Highway
or Annandale, not far from LIE
Boulevard.
Both are some 10 miles ives
and southwest of Washington.
| A site near Chintilly, some
miles farther west in Fairfa
County, also has been suggested
| Participation in the project b
the State of Virginia was indicate
today at Richmond when tn
General Assembly received reso
luton calling for a legislativ
commission study of a propose
airport in Fairfax County.
Delegates Edwin w. Lynch c
Fairfax and Armistead Booth c
Alexandria introduced the meas
ure to provide for a study of pro
posed sites, financing. construc
ton and the like by the Virgini
Advisory Legislative Council-th
Legislatures interim study groul
A report would be requested b
October /, 1851.
|, Military to Keep Andrews.
/ Partial use of the. spaciou
/ Andrews Air Force Base in nearb
Maryland was ruled out in Actin
Secretary of Commerce C.
Whitney's report to the Senat
Commerce Committee.
| Although military officials wer
| quoted during the war as sayin
the multi-million dollar fiel
would be turned over to civilia
use after the war, Mr.. Whitne
reported he had been informed b
the Air Force that the installation
will be exclusively required fo
military purposes within the fore
seeable future"
Two other localities in nearb
Maryland east of Andrews Fiel
were considered by the CAA /
search of sites reasonable from a
aeronautical point of view. TIL
localities, however, have the dis
advantage of being near the bus
Washington-New York airwa,
Traffic patterns around moder
airports are being extended alon
with the size and speed of tn
carriers.
The new airport, it was saie
would have to be constructed fo
use of jet and other advance
types of aircraft expected to com
into commercial service in the mex
few years. Long runways wit
long, fiat approaches will b
needed.
The CAA would be require
under terms of the bill to consul
with the National Capital Par
and Planning Commission to in
sure that the airport site will nc
conflict with long-range plans fo
development of the Washingto
AREA. 1t was understood that
site in the Annandale -Springfiel
aera is contemplated under tn
tentative plan.
Public Hearings Refused.
The Senate committee con
sidered but did not approve
request from the Fairfax Boar
iof Supervisors that the bill b
Iamended to require public hear
lings before any site is chosen.
/ Mr.. Whitney made it clear tina
the CAA was not prepared as We
to make a definite recommends
tion as to the site.
He wrote Senator johnson tina
funds for land acquisition an,
detailed engineering surveys vii
be required before tentative selec
ton of the site can be effected.
The bill suggests an expenditur
of up to $14.000,000 for purchas
of land and construction of tn
first runway to handle traffic ex