Too often cities have delayed in purchasing land for air terminal facilities. Acreage near a population center was either not available or too expensive. Many landing fields, excellent in themselves, are so remote that the primary appeal of flying, namely, its time-saving element, is hopelessly offset by the waste of time in getting to and from the airport.
Notable among the cities attacking the problem is Chicago. A five million dollar bond issue is being put through there which will finance the creation of a model airport. It will be situated close to the very heart of the city itself, actually only ten or fifteen minutes by automobile from Chicago’s business center. This is in contrast to the forty or fifty minutes required to reach the present municipal field. Chicago’s lead may well be followed by other American cities—although, of course, a number are already well equipped.
Hind-sight is so easy—and so costly. If, for instance, in the development of our larger cities, especially the comparatively new towns of the middle western states, we had been able to visualize the present day requirements of the automobile, how easily modern traffic problems could have been prepared for. All our cities have faced the experience and the expense of widening streets already built; and all of them are shadow-boxing with the unsolvable puzzle of forcing a thousand automobiles through inadequate thoroughfares designed to handle perhaps a hundred facilely.
It is possible, of course, that long runways won’t be necessary for the aircraft of the future. Science may teach us how to alight and take off from very small areas, such as the tops of buildings. Even if such events do eventually come to pass, there will be plenty of meantime for the cities to reap reward for their investments in landing fields. At the worst, in after years what a generous gesture it would be for the municipalities to plan to turn these unused fields into playgrounds for the derelicts whose mentality has finally snapped under the strain of a too enthusiastic promotion of aviation!
Just another word about fields—a word of warning, if you will. A great many communities, even really small ones, can support and will be benefited by landing fields. But the smaller community should not strain its resources trying to create elaborate airports, for which economic support reasonably cannot be expected. After all, the field, if adequate in area, can grow into an airport.
The activities of the Department of Commerce are admirably summarized in the Air Craft Year Book published by the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce of America, from which the following paragraphs are quoted:
“Civil aeronautics made great progress during the first year of Federal cooperation and supervision under the Air Commerce Act of 1926, efficiently administered by the Department of Commerce, under the direction of Assistant Secretary William P. MacCracken. New airways were laid out, lighted and mapped. Improved lighting equipment was developed and installed. Many municipalities with Federal encouragement and assistance other than monetary established adequate airports. Airway bulletins containing airport maps and information were published and distributed. Radio aids to avigation passed through their laboratory tests and started on service tests. Plans for better aeronautical weather service have been formulated and partially installed.
“Undoubtedly the outstanding accomplishment of the year was the promulgation and enforcement of the air commerce regulations with practically no friction or upheavel, at a time when the industry itself was undergoing tremendous expansion....
“One of the greatest problems confronting the Department of Commerce in its aeronautical duties was to secure adequate appropriations. Civil aeronautics in this country is being successfully developed without Government subsidy, but this does not mean that the Federal Government will not have to spend large sums of money for aids to avigation, and to promote the use of aircraft in commerce....
“One of the most interesting problems has been that of organization. The Air Commerce Act provided comprehensively for the promotion and regulation of civil aeronautics, but it did not create a new bureau in the Department of Commerce to perform the functions. The intention was that so far as practicable, the duties imposed by the act should be distributed among existing agencies of the department.