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The weakest link in our air transportation system is the long surface time to airports. Washington passengers to such cities as New Orleans, New York or Pittsburgh spend more time on the ground than in the air. In 27 out of 50 of Washington’s leading markets, including such important markets as Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Miami and Minneapolis, surface time is over half the air time. (PHS 417) A modern air transportation system cannot long tolerate these conditions. 

If jets are to serve their full purpose, helicopter service at major airports is essential. The irony of our present air transportation system is that as jets decrease air time, the distance to jet airports increases surface time. This is illustrated by Chart B. Today, it is faster, overall, to fly a piston-engine from Chicago or Detroit to National Airport than to use jets to Friendship. Even at Miami the jet time advantage is minimal. Indeed, surface time eats up the increased speeds of jets for all cities within a range of approximately 900 miles.

The situation is getting worse. Surface congestion is increasing, particularly at rush hours which coincide with peak flight hours. (PHS 410-413) Jet airports have been moved farther from the city centers. As more and more passengers use jet airports, more and more passengers must suffer from undue ground time.

If the Government is to get its money’s worth out of the $200 million invested in Dulles, (NYA 109, p. 10) helicopter service in the Washington-Baltimore area is essential. In its absence, the opening of Dulles will merely mean that the journey of more and more passengers will be blighted by bad surface transportation. The protection of this investment alone is worth the relatively small helicopter subsidy. With helicopter service there will be a saving over surface time of 39 minutes or 78% between Dulles and Downtown Washington. These same savings will occur in other markets. Between Baltimore and Washington National Airport, there will be a

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