Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-03-20
LETTERS TO THE STAR
Burke Airport

Burke Airport
Some letterwriter made the
asinine statement that the
proposed Burke airport threat
ened the lives Of 10000 school
children and that the runways
were pointed right at the
Fairfax and Annandale High
Schools. Nothing could be fur
ther from the truth. An honest
look at the map will show that
Fairfax High School is six
miles from the close end Of
the proposed Burke north run
way and more than two
miles to the left Of it. AMMAN
dale High School is So miles
east and four miles to the left
Of the eaSt-west runway. which
will carry only S per cent of
the traffic. according to the
Governments weather ex-
perts.
II this be a criterion of dam
ger. then virtually every school
and home in Arlington and
Alexandria is in greater peril
from the present National Air
port than the residents of
Fairfax would possibly be
from an airport at Burke.
l am sorry to see the die
hard enemies Of all progress
in our county resort to such
nonsense in their blind efforts
to kill Burke airport. which
offers Fairfax County resi-
dents tax relief. and which
promises better schools and
county services to all of US.
If we are to give our children
a decent education in Fair
fax. at a tax rate We can sup
port, we need the revenue of
a modern profitable airport at
Burke and the industry it will
attract to our county.
T. L. CreekmOre.
Opponents Of the Burke Air
port have cited the recent
accident in Van Mugs, Cali
fornia, in which two school
children were killed. as an
example of what would hap
pen here If we build another
airport in Fairfax County.
oucn freak accident--the
crash of a military training
plane into a commercial air.
craft on test more than 10000
feet in the air-could happen
anywhere in the country and
had absolutely nothing to do
with airport location. Attempts
to deceive and brighten Fair
fax residents by drawing par
allelS between the Van Mugs
incident and Burke Airport
are malicious mischief.
Opponents Of the second ma
tional airport in Fairfax Coun-
ty have been unable to secure
the support of one single quail
flied aeronautical or technical
expert to support their wild
charges concerning noise. dam
ger or altitude of aircraft.
They have been unable to pro-
duce one shred of evidence
that property values would be
reduced anywhere in Fairfax
as a result of the airport.
They have failed utterly to
discredit the benefits which
a modern, profitable airport
would bring to the economy
of our county through added
tax resources and encourage
ment of desirable industry and
business development.
Rather than remove thou
sands of acres from the tax
rolls, as the opponents Of the
airport claim. the construction
of Burke and its operation
under a taxable authority as
is proposed. would replace land
which pays less than SO per
acre in taxes with an area
which would produce over
5000 900 in tax revenue.
AirportS, like seaports. are
additionally operated under
nonpolitical authorities, open
to the commerce of the world.
These authorities are estab-
lished as proflt-making bust
nesses. which borrow money to
finance construction costs and
repay 1t in revenue collected
from the users. Airplane land
ing fees at modern airports
are established at a rate which
will guarantee a profit to the
operating authority. The Gov
eminent has already proposed
to turn over the present Ma
tional Airport, with its mil
lion-dollar-a-year profit. to a
Virginia authority, thereby in
surfing economic benefits from
the start.
The desirability of the air.
port is strikingly demonstrated
by the way in which Prince
William County, Loudoun
County and Maryland are
fighting to have the second
national airport located with
in their boundaries. These
proposals enjoy the unanimous
support Of citizens groups,