Evening star., 1954-11-08
Our Airport Crisis

Our Airport Crisis
President Eisenhower is showing the
sort of determination to solve Washington's
critical airport problem that is called for
by the gravity of the impasse over sites.
It will take firm leadership to end the long
Squabble over where to put an auxiliary
air terminal, just as it took presidential in
tervention to bring the present National
Airport into being at Gravelly Point. The
continuing stalemate over establishment Of
second airport for airliners In this area is
attaining intolerable proportions. Public
safety as we'll as the economic well-being of
the Nations Capital is at stake.
The President has moved to end the
impasse by delegating to a high-level group
of Federal officials the responsibility Of rec
on1mending positive course of action. At
the top are Budget Director Hughes, Com
merce Secretary Weeks and Defense Secre-
tary Wilson. Representing them in an inten-
sive staff operation are Assistant Budget
Director Pearson, Undersecretary of Com
merce Murray and Major General Wiley D.
Ganey of the Air Force These officials are
under pressure to come up with decision
which may be incorporated into the Presi-
dents next budget message in the form Of
definite recommendation.
Squirting the White House action are
reports of constantly increasing congestion
at Washington National Airport, now rated
the third busiest air terminal in the world.
Only New York, with it's three airports, and
Chicago with two, handle more commercial
airline traffic than that which is overlooking
the facilities at Gravelly Point. Yet this
huge air traffic is being forced to use not
only one local airport, but what, in general
practice, amounts to one main runway
Weather conditions, "gate" parking space
limitations and other restrictions combine
to hold the average operations at National
to about 43 landings and take-offs an hour.
But the demand today Is for an average
of So such operations an hour, which means
that some flights must be Cancelled at New
York or other relatively nearby cities when
word is flashed of "stack-up' conditions
here.
The presidential committee faces a
strange and troublesome problem. Congress
has authorized the building of a new airport
at Burke, Virginia, but opposition of nearby
property owners and of Virginia. legislators
has blocked further funds for that project.
It seems to be more dead than alive, al
though legally the Burke authorization still
stands. In April of 1853 the President di-
rected the Budget Bureau to try to bring
about agreement between the Commerce
Department and the Air Force on an al
tentative plan, involving partial use Of
Andrews Air Force Base by commercial air.
liners That PROPOSAL ran headon into
opposition both from the Air Force and
from the Maryland delegation in Congress,
The latter group at that time was opposing
any auxiliary airport for Washington in the
hope. of winning support for the in-conSid-
cred scheme to use Baltimore's Friendship
Airport as Washington's alternate air ter
minal Recently, however, the Friendship
balloon belatedly blew up in the faces Of
its promoters, when the Baltimore Airport
Board tabooed the plan. Why the attitude
of the board was SO long in the making Is
an unexplained mystery. Friendship never
was an answer to Washington's airport
problem, anyway. But its advocacy by the
Maryland delegation at the Capitol helped
to impede WaShingtons efforts to solve its
own airport plight.
One thing is certain: The relief Of air
traffic congestion at Gravelly Point cannot
be put off indefinitely without prolonging
the hazards too long prevailing there and
without impairing the development Of the
Capital. real crisis exists, warranting the
best efforts of the administration and Of
Congress to meet it forthrightly and
promptly.