Evening star., 1954-10-29
bricker 10 Call
Off Hearings
On I'd Airport
Solution Is Sought
AS CAB Sets Up
High Density Zone

As CAB Sets Up
High Density Zone
Chairman Bricker Of the Sem
ate Commerce Committee has
decided to postpone indefinitely
public hearings on the problem
Of q second airport for WASH
ington while administration ofi-
cials try to work out q solution.
it was learned today.
In the meantime. In what ap-
peared to be q further undercut-
ting Of Maryland legislators op-
position to construction Of q new
Washington airport, Baltimore's
airport boss warned that 1t Is
largely up to the airlines whether
his city's Friendship Airport win
be used as second washington
airport.
A third development In the
fast-breaking Washington avia-
tion picture came yesterday
when the Civil Aeronautics
Board tCAB) authorized estab-
lishment in this area-starting
November as, of the first "high
density air traffic zone"
Would Blanket Area.
The zone would blanket much
Of the Washington area and ban
all airplanes without two-way
radios. The Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association, which op-
poses the change. estimates the
move would prevent light plane
activity in the area.
One aviation official described
the plan as a squeeze play de-
signed to help increase the ca
pacity of National Airport to the
absolute maximum by permitting
close control of all planes in the
area by radar and other instru-
mentS.
He declared, however, that
"what we need Is another air.
port"
Commerce Plan Rum0red.
Meanwhile, a rumor spread
that Commerce Department Of
ficials are mapping a plan under
which the Air Force would be
entirely expelled from Andrews
Field to make room for COM
mercial airline use Of that site.
They have been unable to work
out details Of joint civil-military
use of Andrews under an agree
ment reached last year by Secre-
tary of Commerce Weeks and
Defense Secretary Wilson.
Precedent for such a solution
could be found in the IRON
handed decision by which Presi-
dent Roosevelt overruled mill
tary objections to estab ablishment
of National on its present site
This would remove from con-
sideration any plan to resume
development of the Burke (Va)
site where 1000 acres were pur-
chased for a second Washington
airport. Congress cut the purse
strings for the project and
blocked acquisition of the 5000
more acres at the site.
Senator Bricker's decision on
hearings in his current investi-
CATION of the Washington airport
problem - where National Air
port is described as already
saturated made yesterday.
He was offered two suggestions
- to hold the hearings next
month during the special session
Of the Senate, or to postpone
them until January, as requested
by administration officials. He
chose to postpone them indefi-
nitely, a staff official said.
Warning on Friendship.
The warning that use of
Friendship for Washington
bound passengers Is largely UP
to the Nations privately-owned
airlines came from Walter F.
Perkins, chairman Of the Balti-
more Airport Board.
He gave it In a letter to SEN
ator Bricker clarifying" an ear
Ier message which Senator
Butler. Republican Of Maryland.
has charged pulled the rug out
from under our feet"
Senator Butler, along with the
rest of Maryland's nine-man
Congressional delegation. has
bitterly opposed establishing a
new Washington airport any,
where, insisting that Friendship
be used for any traffic which
National cannot handle.
MIR. Perkins repeated earlier
statements that he would be
delighted to have flights now
scheduled into National resched-
uled into Friendship, still carry
ing passengers for Washington.
Voluntary Petition Needed.
However. he said, an airline
must voluntarily petition" the
CAB for the right to designate
Friendship as a terminal for
Washington passengers. And, he
added, that has never been
DONE"
Mr.. Perkins stressed that the
airlines are privately owned and
that the Government cannot
make them use Friendship for
Washington passengers, unless
they want to do so.
Also, he repeated recent state
ments that he does not oppose
construction OF q new airport for
Washington near the Nations
Capital.
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