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Phoenix Airport Should Rival World's
             
Present Air Field Inadequate For Needs of Growing City

Location and Topography Excellent, Says Noted Aviation Expert, But Field In Present Condition Not In Keeping With Progress of Aviation; Suggests Remedies

By Howard Franklin Wherle

Governor National Aeronautic Association

At the request of The Arizona Gazette, Major Howard F. Wherle, one of the foremost aviation experts in the country has prepared the following article on the present and future of the Phoenix airport. It is undoubtedly, the mode comprehensive treatise on the subject yet prepared and will be read with interest by everyone who realizes the importance of coping today with the problems that air transportation will present within a very few years. 

"What we do not possess attracts us; no one loves daylight better than a blind man. The dwarf admires the giant, and the frog has his eyes fixed on heaven to see the bird fly."

It is oftimes very difficult for a community to become interested in a new industry, especially when that industry is located at a distant place or places and when its results are not readily noticeable in the daily life of the community. Here in Ari-zona we have heard about and read about flying ever since the Wrights first accomplished the trick at Kitty Hawk, N.C., in 1903 but there has been no particular effort on the part of anyone to bring home to possi-bilities of the new mode of transportation. We call flying a new mode advisedly because tradition and legend record many attempts to fly but nothing conclusive has been handed down that would lead one to believe the Wright Brothers claim to being the first man to fly, was not just.

Since we are to discuss the Phoe-nix Airport as it is and as it must be improved before we many expect any consideration from the flying world, it may be well to give the following nomenclature as outlined by the Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Branch; Aeronautics- The science and art pertaining to the flight of aircraft.Aviation- The art of operating heavier-than-air craft. Aiport- A locality, either water or land, adapted for the land-ing of taking-off of aircraft, and which provides facilities for shelter, supplies and repair of aircraft; or a place used regularly for the re-ceiving or discharging of passengers or cargo by air.

Airway-an air route between air traffic centers which is over terrain best suited for emergency landing, with landing facilities at intervals, equipped with aids to air navigation and a communication system for transmission of information pertain-ing to the operation of aircraft. The term "Airway" may apply to an air route for either land or seaplanes, or both.

If we use the definition of airport as outlined above, and apply it to Phoenix we will have to stop after saying "a locality," for in reality that is about all the Phoenix Air-port is at the present time. It is a locality consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of land five miles west of Six Points on the Christy road, purchased by the city for use as a flying field. By purchasing the land the city has taken what might be called an important step but it is only one of the many necessary steps to be taken in the creation of an up to date, standard airport that will be used by fliers instead of finding more suitable landing space on the desert, as was the case a short time ago with the two experi-enced army pilots who were assist-ing in the search for the lost war veteran.

A great clamor of criticism arose at the time but it did not come from persons who were thinkers or had a vision enough to see beyond the incident. It costs some considerable amount to build an airport as will be shown later in this article. The city manager of Phoenix is very open minded and will probably do the proper thing in building up the airport but he must have funds to do it with and the funds will have to be provided. The Chamber of Commerce has worked for some time to get the airport going and it is reasonable to suppose the cham-ber will be in favor of and support any reasonable and feasible method of raising the necessary funds. H. B. Watkins, manager of the Cham-ber of commerce says, "Phoenix, to maintain her standing among her sister cities in the United States, must have suitable facilities to handle all types of aircraft in ex-istence today and we must build with vision enough to take care of the flying machines of the future."

The difficulty seems to be that no one is charged with and responsible for the specific job of having the flying field really made into an air-port.

Henry Rieger, city manager, says,        


by the end of 1928, some 262 of these fields will be properly lighted and marked as compared to the [[?]] at the present time. The department of commerce has on record about 3,000 unimproved fields, such as pastures or similar areas throughout the country on which landings and take-offs have been made or can be made. It is hoped that by the close of 1927 the 804 fields may be increase to 1,000.
    Progressiveness of Other Cities
  It is interesting to note the forward movement of some of our cities in preparing themselves for air traffic. Buffalo, N. Y., has built an airport of 518 acres at a total cost of $727,- 255, since the passage of the Air Commerce act of 1926. Chicago is laying out an airport with 18 runways in all directions. It is to be fully equipped and prepared for both day and night flying. Oakland, Calif., is constructing an airport likewise. San Francisco is developing a modern air terminal to accommodate traffic from the transcontinental and Pacific coast lines. Sacramento is making very noticeable progress with its new municipal airport. Portland, Ore., is using Swan Island and will equip it for both land and seaplanes. new Orleans has proceeded with the development of its field which was made available for flying operations in November of 1926. Cleveland, Ohio, continues to improve its already well designed airport, adding hangars and other new equipment as the expanding business demands it. Many other cities are going ahead or have voted funds to build airports. Schenectady has a commercial airport representing an investment of $120,000,000 while the city of Baltimore, Maryland, has voted $1,500,000 for a municipal flying field. San Diego, Calif., has been authorized to proceed with a large airport for both land and seaplanes. Kansas City Mo., has developed aviation to the point where the old established and well known Richards field is inadequate and the city is spending $500,000 on a new airport within five minutes of the center of the city. Moline, III., Saint Joseph, Missouri, Wichita, Kansas; Oklahoma City,  Ponca City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, have improved their fields and installed night lighting. All this is in addition to the department of commerce lighting program which calls for the lighting and marking of intermediate fields along airways between cities, not including 92 fields taken over from the Post Office department. 32 of such fields have been established in the past year, 80 more will be added by November of this yea and 58 by June of 1928. In addition beacon lights have been placed on five airways and are being installed on 7 others. These intermediate fields