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[[3 images]] LOUIS R. INWOOD Director of Aviation WALTER M. PHILLIPS Director of Commerce PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SITE OF THE 1955 NATIONAL AIRCRAFT SHOW PHILADELPHIA'S great International Airport moved about a mile less than two years ago and, in the simple movement, gained millions of miles in cargo and passenger business. Today the port is one of the world's largest air, rail and marine terminals. passenger travel last year topped 1,000,000 for the first time in history. Freight and cargo shipments, including mail, totaled 74-million pounds. The International Airport, and the city's other flight terminal, North Philadelphia Airport, represent a $50,000,000 investment with another $12,000,000 already ear-marked over the next five years. The magnificent terminal building at International was opened late in 1953, costing $15,000,000. The original site, on Hog Island Shipyard, where the National Aircraft Show is now being held, consisted of only 500 acres in 1940 and the longest of four runways was only a mile. The new site embraces 2500-acres and the main takeoff strip projects 7,300-feet with a width of 200-feet. Two other runways, each 150 feet wide, measure mor than a mile in length. The fourth strip, for light planes (except in emergencies) measure three quarters of a mile. Walter M. Phillips, director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia, is of the opinion that the current layout is more than adequate to handle prospective as well as present airline users. Mr. Phillips and Louis R. Inwood, his director of Aviation, point our that International Airport has three rare advantages—found nowhere else in this country: (1) Its proximity to center-city and accessibility to rail and water transport facilities. (2) Its freedom from obstruction even though the port is less than 15 minutes from the heart of Philadelphia. (3) Its location in an uninhabited area, free of noise and other problems which plague development programs in other large urban centers. Today no fewer than 10-schedule airlines fly in and out of International Airport with TWA and Pan-American conducting regularly schedule trans-Atlantic flights. [[image]] A fleet of official cars consisting of 1955 Oldsmobiles furnished by Oldsmobile Dealers plus these Dodges, provided by Dodge Div., Chrysler Motor Corp., are seen on the highways of Pennsylvania and adjacent states. Shown with the cars are the field representatives of the 1955 National Aircraft Show. In addition to their use on the highways, these cars will be used by officials of the Contest Committee at the airport, doing constant field service necessary to the conduct of the Show. Hovering over is a Piasecki H21B USAF "Work Horse". NATIONAL AIRCRAFT SHOW 55