Show l RU RUN DOWN S. S 1 AIRPORT L FAC FACES FACES' ES' ES C C. A A A BLACKLIST T- T j IL City Fumbles C J r. r J Federal e d. d era I. I i I II I Aid Pr Program gran i it f t f J I By THOMAS MATHEWS MATHEWS' tt S Salt Lake Le City once ra rated M d. d on ox on of minded air cities l sInthe Yn n. n ih the i nation is Ia I standing stan tr on the brinko brink koi of air travel oblivion t. t Like the m man n w who o. o liked to stand ri ii by the side of f the road and watch the rest of the world go by Jh the he city government during the put past 4 10 ye years rs has baa let lt the airport slide Into obsolescence The federal l l-gov l government Is ready ady to th spend hundreds of thousands of dollars I l rs to up date dats the a airport ori but r i its It advances h have ve b been cn repulsed d. d by an 1 airport irtO t management g ment w which ci fears outside supervision Jealous municipal al a authorities do not n t w v want nt j airport policy interfered with th t by the civil chril IV aeronautics administration adminis ts 1 I tr Uon the e federal agency which i supervises th the expenditure of fed era airport f funds funds' Improvements Haphazard tIr r. r The e minor 1 Improvements mid made at the airport have been haphazard I and without reference to any over all plan o of development The C C A A 1 is ready to Ifs 1 l s r mo most o i p potent potent- tent weapon If Salt La LaUe City continues es' es esita its its' n do-n nothing do-nothing thi g policy It has hu threatened to blacklist night flying the fi field ld S Since a city's dep depends on its transportation system the problem is la vital ta S Salt Lak Lakes Lake's s future in- in ture ecOn economic I lc t health ith S' S Salt Lake ke City is iE a n natural nuJ uI I crossroad of surface sur ur- ur f face ce travel It i is only cit anY any Bize tw n DeriVer e d th the Pacific coast ast It ft i is a a cross lane of ot Co continental air ain travel being located lo lou at the Junction i thel li yi Ii Ithe U e dombi dominant nt financial I. I commercial c and industrial center of the hiter mountain r region miles Across s Tourist recreation Is one of ot Jt It major business activities For Fol these reasons the C A A th the city one pt t its strategic c cen cent cen centers n t rs and hoped to esta establish a grea great traffic and nd air con control l' l here j Such SUch- thinking is n not hot t encountered in the thc city gove government ent nt which has done doie nothing to exploit these natural advantages gel since Bince 1937 1037 when it reluctantly nUy joined with the federal government to J build buil the present run runways YB Strips Too Short i The 1947 picture of of the airport rated one of ot the nations nation's best beat lit in I. I the middle 30 shows three l land landing nd ing strips which are admittedly too abort hort for scheduled operation of the new he heavier vier faster c com an outmoded lightIng light light- Ing lug system slated for change next year vear six which house air nh b ot carriers but do Io not begin to care for private flying a crowded administration ad a ministration building and about aboul acres s of land Servi Service e facilities s at the airport cannot accommodate unscheduled freight flights An emergency em su such h as as the weather holding over ove passenger planes throws the administration administration ad administration ministration building Into chaos Present operations include four scheduled air carriers making 65 flights per flights per day seven flying clubs 71 privately ely based planes plane 51 civil itinerant flights flights' per day and i a a number umber of ot military flights Rev Revenue Revenue Reve Reve- nu nue almost wholly froni from gaso gasoline n sales has more than tripled ovet over the le level el of 10 years ago The e. e 1948 1918 revenue reven ie e is estimated at T TIn In the thelast last the interval 1 during which airport rna management has had its head in the tho sand sandland land land- landings ings tugs h have ve Jumped five In InJune I June 1937 landings busied t the field compared with in June o of this 18 year J was designed to han ban handie die Boeing 2418 and DC com corn i See Bee Fags age 5 Column 1 Xv I I L l. AIRPORT RT Continued ned from Page Pago One light planes for Salt Cakes Cake's ake concrete landing strips 10 o runways were were of ample length 00 feet longer longe than the requirements of ot the he DC Is da decade w was the airports airport's hey hey- lay ay ay Extension planned Later developments s in commer commer- lal al aircraft veered toward heaver heavier ier er fast faster r planes which require longer anger Bl and d stronger landing sur sur- faces United Airlines Airline's s 's DC DC 4 4 hould should have ve Ii a foot strip t to icet C CAA A- A Asaf safely safey y requirements Lt t the present it is operating on the he foot strip at the Salt Lake However a C CAA A A ulti- ulti has has' squeezed the city into Tanning a 1200 foot 1200 foot extension on one ae e north north- south north o th r run runway u n w way a y next pring t The Tho airport li lighting hUng system on one the e main runway Is ailing so badly pom rom rain short hor circuits ts and leaking Its alts- it needs emergency em emergency treat- treat ent lent to keep it at arid and the the airport rp rt live After a CA CAA A threat to top op oj night flights th the f city agreed Install p t sia a a- a tem stopgap before stopgap p- p b before t r major re- re could could Je Le effected Then Thene ic e airport officials fals pl pleaded d d the mp m measure would l cost too uch luch and the C CAA A A agreed to tojo too jo o 0 along wong until spring If the resent present r sent system was efficiently re re- laired aired and ant maintained a practice apparently not followed before the trouble The growing obsolescence of Salt Lakes Lake's airport does hot not rest wholly on any individuals individual's shoulders shoulders shoulders ders implied d Commissioner ner Fred Tedesco head of if f S Salt lt Lake City d department of parks and public property He said about a year yeat ago he called a meeting of representatives representatives representatives of the airlines C CAA A A flight operators pilot groups and nd other aviation interests The brains of ot the industry were there and I asked them what would be needed at the airport during the next 10 years A number number number num num- ber of minor points were suggested suggested sug sug- but not one major recommendation recommendation recommendation was made he said |