| Show an airport for every town will be possible if pla plan n before congress granting federal aid Is passed s U S fun funds ds would match dollar for dollar in building by walter A shead SUIT correspondent taking a page from the book of the public roads administration the civil aeronautics administration is asking congress for an appropriation to provide for a billion dollar postwar airport construction program to be allocated the states as federal 9 grants rants on a fifty fifty cost basis in asking for this federal aid or subsidy for the development of air transportation the CAA is not without v ut precedent declaring that we are entering an air age of transportation vital to the unified growth of the nations commerce it points out that the government has always aided all forms of transportation in their early stages CAA estimated that it will cost approximately spread over 5 to 10 years to carry through a a national airport program adequate to the nations aviation needs including purchase of land and construction of terminal buildings A detailed survey of the nations airport facilities by CAA indicates that for this billion and a quarter dollar cost 1625 of the count rys existing airfields can be improved i m and new airports can be constructed for a total of airports five classes of fields for the basis of allocating funds to the several states the CAA has made a study of community needs and set up five classifications for airports necessary for communities on the basis of population and need these five classifications are class I 1 suitable for private owner small type aircraft with two L shaped airstrips 1800 to 2700 feet long feet wide class 2 tor for larger type private owner aircraft and smaller transport planes for local and feeder service with A shaped airstrips 2700 to feet long and feet wide class 3 to accommodate present day dav twin en gine transport aircraft with several landing strips to feet long and feet wide classes 4 and 5 to serve the largest aircraft now in use and those planned for the immediate future with multiple landing strips to feet long and feet wide the proposed national plan of the CAA would provide for improvement of existing airports as follows class 1 class 2 class 3 class 4 and 61 class 5 in addition construction of new airports is provided as follows 2597 of class 1 1101 of class 2 class 3 class 4 and class 5 according to this CAA survey of the towns of under population only 1500 now have airports of which are not now usable the proposed program would im improve I 1 existing ports and build new airports in these towns for a total of in setting up the total cost of these proposed airports CAA did not include cost of land or buildings it does include however preparation of the land such as clearing grubbing excavation and grading drainage surface conditioning a and nd fencing paving of runways taxiways and aprons installation of al all I 1 lighting including beacons obstruction runway and taxiway flood or contact lights radio facilities and miscellaneous such as approach clearing access roads marking and landscaping small ports get 60 per cent approximately 58 per cent of the total appropriation would be spent for new airport facilities with 42 per cent for improvement of existing airports funds for class I 1 and 2 airports comprise per cent of the total proposed appropriation or approximately for class I 1 1 airports and for the class 2 ports parts the legislation now before con 77 zi aw N 4 1 agg 15 0 ft 5 1 I 4 a 0 T 0 4 ar 1 1 14 M t at A V the class I 1 airport known popularly as an airpark is designed for small private owner type planes up to pounds gross weight fields of this class are designed to serve small communities and as auxiliary airports in larger metropolitan areas there are no paved runways but landing strips with clear approaches must meas measure u re 1800 to 2700 feet long and feet wide recreational facilities such as parks tennis courts and golf courses will surround the airpark in many cases gress for approval would provide that the state designate a single agency through which the CAA could negotiate contract for construction st etc and all construction would be in charge of local sponsors on plans and specifications reviewed and approved by CAA the plan would work in much the same manner as highway construction for secondary and feeder roads local communities would make arrangements range ments with the designated state agency to take advantage of the federal grant and with the CAA dealing with the state agency subject to revision the proposed plans call for the following total construction st costs for new and improved airports alabama arizona arkansas california colorado connecticut delaware florida georgia idaho illinois lUi nois indiana iowa 9 p kansas kentucky louisiana maine maryland massachusetts michigan minnesota mississippi missouri montana nebraska nevada new hampshire new jersey new mexico new york north carolina north dakota 0 ohio hio oklahoma oregon pennsylvania rhode island south carolina south dakota tennessee texas utah vermont virginia washington west virginia wisconsin wyoming total 1021 surveys may start sa soon the civil aeronautics administration in the department of commerce will furnish detailed information to any of the cities and towns selected to become a part of this national airport network of the total appropriation the CAA is asking congress for a appropriation to be immediately available for detailed plans and surveys according to estimates of the CAA and private aeronautic agencies such as the aeronautical chamber of commerce 65 per cent of the people will fly airplanes or the air lines after the war X y n 1 01 am 6 VA f 7 the all A sha shaped p ed runway is designed tor for class 2 airports serving communities muni ties of 0 to population it will accommodate planes plane s weighing between and pounds it is pointed out that even those who do not fly will utilize airport facilities as patrons of air mail air air i freight and air express ton exiles miles of mail flown in the last four years has increased from in 1940 to in 1944 up to 1912 approximately 0 passengers a year rode the air lines predictions are that this air travel will see a 10 fold jump during the first postwar decade in addition there will be private pilots owners and renters of planes drawn from such sources as the army and navy pilots the present civilian pilots and students the students taking aeronautical courses in the high schools each year the men trained by the armed forces in aviation skills other than piloting and the almost equal number employed in aviation la factories clones at the present time there are five federal aid airport bills pending in congress three in the house of representatives and two in the senate the senate measures however are identical with the house bills since all measures carrying an appropriation must originate in the house in support of this federal addair aid airport legislation secretary of commerce henry wallace testified recently before the aviation sub com cittee asserting that action taken on the measures proposed would determine the progress of airport development in the country for the next quarter of a century would provide employment 1 I believe mr wallace said that civil aviation will be a most important factor in the postwar drive for economic expansion and full employment our aircraft manufacturing industry employing workers must like all munitions industries undergo very drastic deflation while in the past a considerable portion of aviation activity has been confined to the larger cities and towns the proposals of the CAA are designed to take aviation to the country and the small rural communities muni ties throughout hout the nation if these communities take advantage of the federal grants in aid once they are authorized it will bring aviation direct to the farmer at least insofar as he wishes to use air transport in fil the shipment of farm commodities and the use of air transport and travel in his business of operating a farm merchants in the small communities too will be placed on a par with his city brethren in the receipt and shipment of freight and express once aviation service has been brought to the small towns as is proposed under this national network plan it however is up to the local communities muni ties included in the proposed plan to take up the cudgel for local sponsorship and local expenditure of 50 per cent of the funds necessary to comply with CAA plans and specifications ficat ions then it apparently is U up P to these local sponsors to contact their state agency designated as the proper source for collaboration with the federal agency in order to obtain the grant in aid as autho authorized prized by congress |
