ISew international airport and seaplane base on Davis Island, Tampa, Flo., a
minutes from the heart of the city—built entirely under the Works Program,
THE WPA airports and airways program is a good example of how
idle men pleading for work, given a big and vital job to do, have
created new national wealth and far-flung public benefits. Local
officials requested projects and contributed local funds for materials.
The Bureau of Air Commerce coordinated these projects on a basis
of national planning. All phases of flying were assisted—great ter¬
minals for commercial transport, emergency fields, seaplane bases and
markers for private pilots, a variety of facilities for the military.
MSfm The people in need came first. The work had to be of a kind
they could perform, and four-fifths of those on the relief rolls were
unskilled. Moreover, the largest possible proportion of the Federal
money had to go directly into wages. Clearing, grading, and drainage
of airports was admirably suited to these requirements. When local officials were willing to make heavier
local contributions for materials, major structures were built and jobs were provided for skilled workers in many
fields. In this booklet is recorded how idle men found new hope, the Nation got valuable facilities, and the
groundwork was laid for a host of future private jobs in an expanding industry.
Harry L. Hopkins, Administrator,
Works Progress Administration.
UNDER THE FEDERAL WORKS PROGRAM
Army bombers in flight.
ONCE man learned how to fly, it did not take many years to transform a scientific novelty into a new, vast, and
highly utilitarian form of transportation. In slightly more than three decades we have advanced from crude
beginnings to the perfection of aircraft which carry human cargo from one coast to the other within the short
span of a single night. Every ocean has been successfully conquered, and yet engineers tell us that the science
of aeronautics has just begun to unfold its infinite possibilities.
We, in the Department of Commerce, recognize that the safe development of aviation is largely dependent
upon the adequacy of its ground facilities. Aircraft must have safe airports on which to land and take off, and
they should be located in every section of the Nation. While it is improbable that the time will ever come when
we can say that the Nation is adequately equipped with airports and airway facilities, the Federal Works Pro¬
gram has made possible a vast increase in these very vital physical resources so necessary to the development
and expansion of flying.
The Department of Commerce, through its Bureau of Air Commerce, was pleased to contribute its share of
responsibility and effort in the airport work under the Works Program. It has done so with the gratifying
knowledge that with each day's effort expended in the continuing program the Nation's aviation ground facili¬
ties are being made more adequate to serve the ever-increasing needs of commercial, military, and private
aircraft.
Daniel C. Roper,
Secretary of Commerce.
mMm
mmm
TVT 0 LONGER do people stand and gaze with
-1- ' incredulity at airplanes flying overhead.
Aviation is still front-page news, but air transpor¬
tation is an accustomed method of travel for a
large part of our traveling public. The private
flyer is no longer the novelty that he was two
decades ago. Military planes are a common¬
place—at least from a distance—to most of our
population.
Aviation has grown with breath-taking rapid¬
ity. It was only 35 years ago—December 17,
1903—that the Wright brothers flew the first
motor-propelled airplane in history at Kitty
Hawk, N. C. How short a time has passed—and
yet how long! In a little more than three decades
we have seen an entire transportation industry
grow from infancy to become a major factor in
modern life. From a flight lasting but a few
seconds to a Nation-wide network of airways
along which huge transports are speeding every
hour of the day and night. From one passenger
to more than a million in a year. From home¬
made aircraft to large factories turning out thou¬
sands of aircraft with the most modern produc¬
tion equipment.
A few years ago it was not necessary for air¬
planes to have large landing fields, paved run¬
ways, hangars, and administration buildings.
The pilots of the early days landed or took off
on any level bit of ground available—cow
Airline passengers—going up!
'929 .
L L L /V L—-
hnn
1932
kkkkkkkkki
fl
1936
Z'Z Z Z Z Z t • • m • •
kkkkkkkkkkkk
EACH FIGURE REPRESENTS 50,000 PASSENGERS
ikkkkkkkki
More airports alloic more route mileage.
module the largest eommercial and military
aircraft.
The old cow pasture cost little. Often the land
was donated by well-wishers of the art and sci¬
ence of flying. A barn or a shed served to house
the plane if, indeed, it were housed at all. The
need for larger and more adequate facilities,
pastures, wheat fields, and even vacant lots in the
less-populated sections of our cities. The planes
of those days were not fast, and flying was for
the average person distinctly a sport with all the
hazards of pioneering.
It was not long before the airplane became
faster. Instead of one passenger the plane would
carry two. three, or more. Pastures and unculti¬
vated areas gradually became known as landing
fields, and some of the more foresighted com¬
munities purchased ground which was set aside
for flying activities. More frequently, enterpris¬
ing farmers on the outskirts of cities, or real-
estate operators, or a local pilot were instru¬
mental in setting aside a field which they proudly
called a landing field or an airport.
But aviation grew even more rapidly than its
most devoted followers dreamed of and adequate
1929
Iff , <e>^
1932 <S<r^r-^~'C5
- . _• v. -. , . . • - • I- - -
1936
MW.V
Phenomenal growth of air express.
airport facilities were not able to keep pace with
the growth of aircraft. Soon it was found that
a vacant lot or a small meadow was much too
small. Instead of needing a level strip of ground
500 to 800 feet long on which to land or take
off, the plane required 1,000 feet and then 1,500.
It was not so long ago that an airport with a
landing strip a half mile long was considered
sufficient. Today the finest airports have run¬
ways a mile or more in length in order to accom-
1926
it]
1929
I
iiiiiiilllllllllliiii^!
11fiif 1$ ill * ill //
gp rill rlh ?lh 'lh f/jjj *lh
I 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 II 1 1 ITT.rTT
II AIR MAIL |
1936
'III: III: ill: ill: ill: 'ill: III: lllll: III: ll
' III' III'III' III' ll
i
EACH SYMBOL REPRESENTS ipOOpOO POUNDS
Air mail jumps millions of pounds.
however, brought several problems. If the air¬
port were privately owned, the manager had to
earn a profit and, like many new enterprises, the
financial returns were not always in sight, con¬
sidering the initial expenditures. It soon became
evident that communities would invariably have
to adopt the policy of owning and operating air¬
ports for the public benefit. Many cities found
airports to be a definite asset in advertising value.
Also it was soon seen that with the public taking
an interest in aviation an airport could be classed
with parks, streets, and other public improve¬
ments by city and county officials.
Passenger-miles have multiplied.
There are more places to land.
to work building or improving airports. This
vast program continued under the Civil Works
Administration and much was accomplished.
When the Works Progress Administration was
created, airports were given prominent consider¬
ation, and today there are hundreds of airports
either completed or nearing completion that have
been built jointly by the Federal Government
and the local community. Many of these air-
1930
SSJ
1933
EACH SYMBOL REPRESENTS 10 RADIO RANGE BEAMS
By the time it was generally realized that air¬
ports were needed in every community of any
size, and that a farmer's field was no longer ade¬
quate, the depression struck the Nation with full
force. In the meantime a number of pioneering
companies had begun the operation of mail and
passenger lines and the matter of public safety
became uppermost in the minds of those who
were attempting to deal with the problem. As
the depression wore on and the number of sched¬
uled air lines increased it became evident that
Lighted airways help night flying.
unless the Federal Government aided the devel¬
opment of airports, aviation as a whole would be
seriously retarded.
Hence it was that when the Federal Emer¬
gency Relief Administration was established in
1933, many thousands of relief workers were put
Radio range stations are in demand.
ports are adequate in every respect to accommo¬
date all types of aircraft, private and military,
and with this stimulus provided by the Gov¬
ernment relief programs has come an inspiring
new interest in aviation.
The accompanying pictography reveal far
more clearly than words the rapid growth in
every phase of aviation. Air lines within the
United States alone fly each day a distance
equivalent to seven and one-half times around
the world, or three-fourths of the way to the
moon. Municipal airports in more than a hun¬
dred cities are busy terminals for these passen-
Teletype lines report the weather.
Civil aircraft on the increase.
ger lines. Every night planes t arry passengers
from sunset to dawn entireh across the country
between New York and California—an air-line
distance of 2,600 miles. Our forefathers could
not have believed tbis possible. Breakfast in
New York, luncheon in Chicago, and back to
New York in the same day is an experience
known to many business and professional people.
And with tbis new form of transportation have
come thousands of new jobs, hundreds of needs
for new materials. Aviation is a new industry
and the Government is doing its part in providing
the necessary ground facilities.
Building airports lias been only part of the
work of the Government to make aviation safe
and practical. Modern air transportation re¬
quires much more than level ground to land and
take-off. It requires radio equipment, lighting,
beacons, and many other accessories. Cities bur¬
dened with debt and shrunken revenues could
EACH SYMBOL REPRESENTS ipOO LICENSED PILOTS
The industry provides new jobs.
not afford this equipment when it was most
needed. In this the Federal Works Program has
aided considerably.
Air mail and express have increased enor¬
mously in the short space of a decade. These are
but two public benefits that ha\e aided industry
in every section of the Nation.
The Spoilsman flyer has not been neglected.
The prixale plane owner has welcomed the new
airports. For bis benefit the Government has
provided air markers which are to him more
valuable than signposts on highways. The mo¬
torist can stop his car to learn his location or
direction, but the flyer can't come down to earth
1927
f f
1933 ^
1 ■MpfjM M'MTM'MWM MYMTMTM
I ■till! BilYtif.li ,1,1,1?
1936
1 M M M MTM M MTATM M<MTMTMTM {I<TM M MJMTM MM
Hi 1 , 1 ill 1 ililili itinfili ill 1 iliti 1 1 ill
MTM MTMVM
EACH SYMBOL REPRESENTS 1,000 STU0ENT PILOTS
Student pilots flock to schools.
so conveniently in order to find his way. On
roof tops, on highways, or embedded in the
ground, are names of towns which give the pilot
his location at a downward glance.
Aviation has presented peculiar problems.
Sewer systems, schools, farm-to-market roads,
bridges, and many other works projects are
purely local or regional in character. It is quite
true that airports are local in that they are con¬
structed in or near local communities. But the
needs of aviation are national.
Visualize yourself, for example, as a private
flyer living in the Northwest. You want to fly to
Chicago or to Detroit on business or pleasure.
Such distances are easily accomplished within a
day's flying. Fine airports at the city of origin
or the city of destination are not enough, for it
is necessary to land for refueling at intervals.
Longer runways are required.
Also for safety purposes it is necessary that there
be landing fields at frequent intervals should a
Speed is mounting steadily.
landing he required. Through the Federal
Works Program it has been possible to start a
well-balanced system of airports and landing
fields in every section of the Nation.
For military purposes, also, a Nation-wide
system of airports becomes a prime requisite in
national defense. There is scarcely an airport
Transports carry more people.
Planes grow larger and heavier.
in the United States that has not been used at one
time or another by military planes. It is neces¬
sary for purposes of rapid maneuvers to have
ample landing fields even in sections of the coun¬
try that are sparsely settled. Next to speed the
primary benefit of aerial transportation is its
flexibility of routing. Unlike travel by railroad,
the air traveler flies air-line distances in any
direction he desires. In conquering both time
OIL
GAS0LINE
1929
■
9 • 'OLc—• a -A
1932
lit
1936
tin
EACH SYMBOL REPRESENTS
300P00 GALLONS
EACH SYMBOL REPRESENTS 6j000,000 GALLONS
Aviation spurs other industries.
and distance, it has been evident that local com¬
munities were not able in themselves to construct
airports commensurate with the national needs
in aviation.
But at the depth of the depression, from mil¬
lions of willing workers unable to find jobs, the
Federal Government supplied the needed man¬
power. The men, certified from the relief rolls
as in need, received enough pay from Federal
funds to maintain their families. Local govern¬
ments which had requested airport facilities con¬
tributed local money for nonlabor requirements
such as materials. And the airport and air-
marker program shown on charts appearing here¬
after in this pamphlet was the result.
\ V
N—•-
THE keynote of the whole Works Program has been
the putting to work of idle men on projects of use¬
ful and permanent value. The airways and airports
program has been no exception to this policy.
Airports are tangible and have permanent useful¬
ness. By providing work for many thousands of men
who otherwise would have been unemployed, the
Nation's physical forces have been lastingly and im¬
measurably enhanced. More than that, the airport
system of the Nation is being brought up to a par
with the rapid strides made within the past decade
by the science of flying.
Most important, however, the airport program is
not only providing temporary employment to many
thousands of men, but is creating a wide diversity of
new jobs, new occupations, and new lines of endeavor
in an infant industry. With every completion of a new
airport and with every improvement of an existing
field have come jobs of a permanent character for air¬
line personnel, for flying schools, for charter services,
for mechanics, pilots, and airport superintendents.
Hence three distinct benefits are derived from the
airport program: (1) the immediate employment of
many thousands of men, (2) the enrichment of the
Nation's physical resources, and (3) the means for
the creation of numberless new and permanent jobs
in a growing industry.
The airport program has demonstrated that it is
well suited to the fundamental objective behind the
Federal work relief program—the employment of
Clearing, g r ad i n g.
ditching, draining,
construction of all
k i n d s — translated
into jobs for men.
AMERICA'S AIRPORTS AND AIRWAYS
large numbers of men. Construction work involved in the
building of new airports and improvement of the existing
fields often requires a maximum of human labor and a
minimum of materials. Much of the early stage of con¬
struction is the clearing and grading of land. Airport
projects have heen welcomed by hundreds of communities
because the ratio of labor has been high, enabling a large
share of the project costs to go for human employment.
In other ways, also, the airport program has aided the
recovery efforts of the Government. Certain types of
skilled workers—engineers, draftsmen, construction fore¬
men, etc.—were needed. The manufacturing of materials
that have gone into administration buildings, hangars,
lights, and paved runways has provided employment
indirectly through private industry.
Like other improvements constructed by the W PA, air¬
port projects must originate within a local governmental
unit—cities, towns, counties, or States. No airport proj¬
ects, with the exception of a few initiated by the Army and
the Navy and a number of intermediate landing fields
sponsored by the Bureau of Air Commerce, have been spon¬
sored by the Federal agencies. Another requirement has
been that no airports may be constructed or improved
unless the land on which they are built is owned by a public
agency.
To insure the technical efficiency of the program, each
project must be approved for technical worthiness by the
Bureau of Air Commerce of the Department of Commerce.
This bureau has a trained field staff whose services have
been available not only to Works Program officials but to
H ere are typical
exam pies o f air¬
port work from
coast to coast and
Great Lakes to the
Calf.
Hangar a 11 d terminal
building construction is
an essential i t e in at
every well • equipped
airport.
localities desiring to sponsor airport projects. This close
liaison between the Bureau of Air Commerce and the Works
Program has resulted in a well-balanced program, the result¬
ing airports meeting or surpassing the most rigid standards.
To insure further that the airport program would meet the
highest requirements of all concerned, the Works Program
has sought the advice and counsel of other Federal agencies
concerned with air transportation. These have included the
Army and the Navy, both of which are vitally interested from
the standpoint of national defense. The Coast Guard has
been of much advisory service because airports are an essen¬
tial backbone of its aerial efforts in emergencies, in capturing
smugglers, and in its routine customs duties. The Post Office
Department, concerned with the extension and maintenance
of air mail, has provided valuable aid, as have also several
other agencies. Outside of the Government itself, other or¬
ganizations have contributed much. Notable among these is
the National Association of State Aviation Officials, many State
units of which had already prepared State-wide plans for
future development. These plans were merged into the
Works Program, wherever feasible, to insure the development
of airports along the most practical and far-sighted lines.
Thus it can be seen that the airport program has had no
haphazard evolution. Although the
Works Program itself could not origi¬
nate or initiate airport projects, the
cooperation of numerous agencies,
both Federal and local, has made
possible a comprehensive and well-
rounded expansion of the Nation's
airport system.
Under WPA, emphasis has been
placed first of all upon the improve¬
ment of existing airports, to bring
their facilities up to par with the
rapidly growing needs of the most
modern aircraft equipment. When
After the grading come pared runways for
the larger airports handling heavy traffic.
This illustration shows that 67.1!
percent of each UP A airport dtdlar
expended to December 31, 1936,
went to labor and 32.2 percent was
spent for materials and equipment.
Sponsors have contributed 9.7 cents
of each dollar expended on aviation
projects.
Many types of skills are em-
played on airport projects.
Here men are at work build¬
ing a hangar.
an existing airport was not suitable for
future expansion, a new site was obtained,
and consequently a number of tbe airport
projects bave been entirely new fields.
Many of tbe airports started under the earlier
Works Program—CWA and FERA—bave been
or are being completed under WPA. Empha¬
sis lias been given, then, to improvement and
enlargement, rather than to wholesale and ill-
planned launching of numerous new airports.
It is to be noted also that tbe airport work is largely
dependent upon the availability of labor. Private employ¬
ment lias absorbed many workers in some parts of the country,
hence the airport program has been subordinated to fit tbe
availability of workers. Other types of projects, such as
schools and sewers, are sometimes given precedence over air¬
ports because of the pressing need for these resources.
Above all, tbe Works Program lias been an enormous impetus
to a new industry that will provide more and more new avenues
of employment. Many communities bave found that on tbe
completion of an airport, permanent jobs are created imme¬
diately. One city had no private planes until it got an airport.
Then a flying school was started, 25 residents (including tbe
mayor) became pilots, six bought planes. A mechanic was
hired, an airport manager employed, and an air-mail stop
obtained.
Below: Even painters have
their share of work.
Bottoin: Paved runways, hang¬
ars, and terminal buildings
create more jobs for men.
it '*
v
if ■ ' •- ';,'t
V * {;
r -'V;*' w?
Typical roof
marker show¬
ing true North,
distance, a n d
direction to
local airport.
Right: WPA worker
erecting airport
"PK ,'v
■>
PAINTING the name of a
town on the roof top of
a prominent structure may
sound like an exceedingly
small part of a program de¬
signed to build airways. But
no single phase of the airways
and airports program has heen
of more importance to the private
flyer than air marking.
Those who fly know only too well
how easy it is to get lost, particularly
on days when the sun is hidden from view,
or when the flyer is over new territory. On
the ground the motorist is confronted only with fol¬
lowing roads; he may turn off on the wrong highway,
hut today there are signs at frequent intervals to guide
him and all of the main roads are numbered. A
quick glance at a map will give tlie motorist his
proper route, and even if he is confused it is a simple
matter to stop and ask directions.
Quite different for the flyer winging his way over¬
head. His highway is an airway in any direction he
chooses to fly. Unless he has radio—and few private
planes are thus equipped—he must depend on a com¬
pass and an airway map. Even though he may he an
expert, there are many times when the flyer needs to
know the name of a small town over which he is flying
in order to check his hearings. Unlike motoring, it
isn't a simple matter to stop and ask directions, par¬
ticularly when there is no airport near. And while
railroads, highways, rivers, and similar objects are
guides for the airmen, these landmarks sometimes
become confusing from tlie air. Those who have
flown know how different is the perspective of the
terrain from above. Many persons who have lived
in a community all their lives have been unable to
Air Markers Guide
0 The Pilot 0
r
ON ROOFTOPS, HIGHWAYS AND EMBEDDED IN THE GROUND
THEY POINT THE WAY ALONG THE AIR ROUTES WPA
WORKERS HAVE BUILT THESE AVIATION SAFEGUARDS
recognize their own town from the air on their first
trip above.
With the cooperation of the Bureau of Air Com¬
merce, a definite goal was established for air marking.
It was decided that there should be a marker approxi¬
mately every 12 or 15 miles in every direction over the
country—at least one marker for every town. A sur¬
vey indicated that 16,000 markers were needed. At
the time of writing, some 10,000 of these have been
painted or constructed.
A proper air marker gives much more information
to the airman than the name of the town. It also
includes arrows or symbols indicating the direction
of North and the direction and distance to the nearest
airport. In some instances the marker indicates the
direction to the two nearest airports. These markers
are usually visible at from 2,000 to 5,000 feet, depend¬
ing on their size and weather conditions.
The most common type of marker is painted in
large letters on the roof top of large buildings such as
office structures, railroad sheds, and warehouses. An¬
other method is to paint them on paved highways.
The letters on highways are so large that many motor¬
ists pass over them without observing their presence,
hut they are clearly visible from the sky. A more
permanent type of marker, developed particularly in
Illinois, is constructed with crushed stone or brick¬
bats on a large, grassy area, commonly in public parks,
golf courses, or on the grounds of public institutions.
The letters are dug out of the earth and the trenches
filled with stone, then painted white. So large are
the letters usually that the names can be seen
clearly from as high as 7,000 feet.
Stone and concrete
markers such as these
aid aerial navigation
and publicize communi¬
ties.
Chicago Municipal Airport, one of the Nation's busiest air-traffic
centers.
IN THE same way that every large
city is a terminal for railroads con¬
verging from many points of the com¬
pass. so every large city is also a termi¬
nal for air lines reaching out to every
part of the \ation. These superter-
minals experience a large amount of
air traffic, with huge transport planes
departing or arriving with passengers,
mail, and express at all hours of the
day and night.
Commercial aviation has grown rap¬
idly into the category of big business. Today the
major air terminals have all the bustle and bustle of
railroad centers, and the control and regulation of
transport traffic lias become an important operations
problem demanding the attention of specialized ex¬
perts. In a few short years the passenger capacity of
transports has grown from 4 to 21, and during the
coming year planes carrying 32 passengers will be
placed in service. In the same short period of time
it has been necessary to modernize and enlarge every
airport terminal in the Nation.
Todav some of our terminals rank among the finest
in the world, largely made possible by tlie Works Pro¬
gram. Several years ago paved runways were con¬
sidered a luxury; today they are considered a prime
requisite of every major terminal. Adequate lighting
facilities have become a necessity because much of
the air-line flying is accomplished at night.
Among the superterminals where the ^ orks Pro¬
gram has contributed greatly in the way of construc¬
tion and improvements are Newark Airport, Newark,
N. J., the busiest air-traffic center in the world; Cleve¬
land Airport, which is now considered the largest com¬
mercial airport in the world; Chicago Airport, where
six of the Nation's air lines meet and whose air traffic
rivals Newark's; San Francisco, a busy terminal on the
West Coast, where a seaplane base is being constructed
in conjunction with the existing airport, thus
providing a modern junction for landplanes
and the flying boats of the Pacific route; Salt
Lake City, Detroit, Boston, and others. In
the major terminal class is Floyd Bennett Air¬
port in New X ork City, while another great
airport development is projected at North
Beach, on Flushing Bay.
How these superterminals fit into the
scheme of national air transportation mav
readily he seen by observing some of the
swiftest of air schedules. The entire Pacific
coast is only overnight from Newark. Ber¬
muda is a between-meals hop in a great flying
hoat. Miami is but 8 hours from New York,
San Diego less than 10 hours from Seattle.
And as the great air liners grow in size and
comfort, their few stops must be at larger
and better-equipped airports.
Kansas City Airport. important superterminal close to the city,
on which the Works Program also accomplished much irorfc.
Above: Shushan Airport in New Or¬
leans, one of the South's finest termi¬
nals, and (at left) Floyd Bennett Air¬
port in New York City, complete in
every tear, with the city's skyscrapers
in the distance.
t ort Horth,
Tex., has one
of the largest
air-traffic cen¬
ters i n the
Southwest.
Cleveland Airport is the largest terminal in
the world.
St. Louis, Mo., Airport.
St. Petersburg's airport, adjacent to the center of the Florida
resort citv.
!Seic Haven's
Program.
(Conn.) airport improved by the Works
FILLING IN THE DISTANCE GAPS
WITH NEEDED TERMINALS, WPA
PROTECTS AND FACILITATES AIR TRAVEL
Buffalo's important terminal is being enlarged and
improved.
WHILE it is obvious that superterminals are essen¬
tial to the network of airways over the Nation,
an integral part of the system is the intermediate air¬
port serving almost every city in the country. In one
respect these airports might he considered as second¬
ary terminals, for many of them are served by one or
more air lines. On the other hand, the very concep¬
tion of aviation itself gives these airports a major
standing with regard to the entire picture of air trans¬
portation. A major airport is a center for aircraft—
commercial, private, and military. It must be ade¬
quate to serve the largest of airplanes.
A city's airport is its connection by air with the rest
of the Nation. If it is adequate in size and facilities,
it provides the means for opening up air lines to it
from any point in the compass. A typical city with a
major airport is Akron, Ohio. Akron is not in the
superterminal class, for it is not the converging point
for many air lines. Yet it is an important stop on the
air line from Detroit and Cleveland to Pittsburgh and
A large aircraft factory adjoins Santa Monica's airport on
the West Coast.
UHES
Orlando's (Fla.) airport is picturesquely located between a
lake and orange groves.
CREATING NEW JOBS...HELPING
LOCAL BUSINESS ADDING TO
AMERICA'S PHYSICAL RESOURCES
An important airport terminal at Charleston, S. C.
Washington, and by any one of numerous connections
passengers to and from Akron have rapid air service
to every important city in the country. Akron is also
the center of operations for many private aircraft,
while military planes use the airport frequently.
Other major airport cities are Springfield, 111.,
served by two air lines; Denver, San Antonio, Charles¬
ton (S. C.), Spokane, San Diego, St. Paul, Miami,
Tulsa, Harrisburg, and Rochester. Much of the air¬
port improvement efforts of the Works Program has
been directed to major airports, for they are a vital
part of the airport system.
Aviation is flexible. Airways do not follow river
valleys; they do not have to wind around mountain
ranges.
A network of modern airports is an important item
in the national defense; and recent great floods have
proved that inundated cities sometimes can be reached
from the air when all other avenues are cut off.
Sacramento's (Calif.) airport is a beehive of activity.
The Nation's southernmost flight strip on the Florida Keys.
Left: Bar Harbor Airport, in Maine, servini
summer-resort area.
Franklin Airport.
at Turners Falls,
Mass.
Left: Near lakes
and recreation is
new Ap ok a Air-
port in Florida.
The State Park in Brown County.
Ind., is easily accessible by air.
and within a few minutes be hunting or fishing in
virgin vacation territory. In Florida, a State abound¬
ing in lakes and resorts, landing fields have been con¬
structed along lakes or short distances from golf links.
Some of these resort areas are now more accessible by
airplane than by automobile. Some of these fields
have been constructed within a few hundred yards
of the ocean. Traveling by plane, anyone can leave
the northern cities in the heart of winter and within
a few hours be in the land of golfing, boating, and
fishing. In the mountains of the Far West, the air¬
plane brings the vacationist to the very threshold of
the great outdoors, often permitting him to make a
trip in a few minutes that would require many hours
by surface transportation. In the summertime, the
residents of cities are enabled to spend week ends far
to the north in the mountains and woods, something
Below: On the ocean front is this landing field at Flagler
Beach, Fla., used by many famous flyers and sportsmen.
A seaplane ramp in midtown New York brings air passengers
to the doors of office buildings.
COMBINING recre-
ation witli utility,
the Works Program
has opened up vast
playgrounds to
sportsmen and vaca¬
tionists w h o h a v e
taken advantage of the
swiftness of air travel.
Landing fields and sea¬
plane bases are being con¬
structed in the hearts of for¬
ests, in the secluded valleys of
mountain ranges, on the ocean shores,
and in the lake regions. Within a few hours flving
time the sportsman flyer can transport himself by air
from the busy industrial cities to the woods and water
that have previously been all but inaccessible.
Not only do these isolated landing fields bring vaca¬
tion grounds close to our cities, but they provide
emergency landing facilities for planes flying over
the route and form a vital part of the Nation's na¬
tional defense system for the military services.
The wooded sections of northern Michigan and New
England are being dotted with landing fields hewed
out of heavy forests. The sportsman pilot can fly
into these regions, land his plane in perfect safety,
Gm*»ma AH* utveckiHo
■Mem/ LAWNS', T*£*S.
'ypLAA/oeCAPlMa
CoHCACre PA/CM CI
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Every airport is the result of careful planning. Above is Wichita
Airport, Kans., when only the terminal building was completed.
that would be impossible by surface transportation
because of the travel time necessary.
Seaplanes also have their part in aerial vacationing.
The Works Program is constructing seaplane bases in
the resort sections as well as at the front doors of
large cities, making it possible for the seaplane owner
to enjoy the same service and facilities as the land-
plane owner, no matter where be flies. Leaving a
seaplane base on Long Island, for example, he can fly
into the lake region of Maine, land on the water, and
park his plane on a seaplane ramp while he fishes and
hunts. Or he may even fish directly from his sea¬
plane anchored on the water.
These seaplane bases, however, benefit many more
than the private flyer. The Coast Guard employs a
large fleet of seaplanes in the line of its regular duties
of guarding our coasts. Smuggling is detected and
prevented with far more ease and efficiency as the
number of seaplane bases is increased. In addition,
commercial aircraft operators make possible the swift
transportation of passengers to resort areas where
landing or docking facilities are available. In New
England, for example, passengers arrive by land-
planes from New York and other cities, transfer to
amphibians or seaplanes, and are transported quickly
to secluded islands and bays far from office buildings.
Improvements made by the Works Program at the Wichita Airport
after the picture at the left was taken.
Seaplane bases in downtown Philadelphia and New-
York have made possible the opening of a seaplane
air line transporting passengers from the heart of one
city to the heart of the other.
Still another type of landing field is the air park,
a combination landing field and recreation center.
In Alabama an extensive program of construction is
making possible a new development which will greatly
enhance the value of landing fields as beauty spots
and playgrounds. Surrounding the runways for air¬
planes are golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools,
and other recreational facilities. The air park not
only forms a part of the Nation's airport network, but
is at the same time a park and a beauty spot to be
enjoyed by everyone. Beautification of the grounds
is always a feature of air-park developments.
In tlie air park, the Works Program has made a
distinct contribution which will undoubtedly prove
of great value in the coming years. Part of the prob¬
lem of operating airports is the cost of maintenance.
This problem is easily solved in the large cities, but
the maintenance of landing fields in the small county
seats and other small communities is burdensome.
Under this plan, however, maintenance of the field
becomes simply a matter of maintenance of the
park.
A typical intermediate landing field constructed for the Department of
Commerce at Fort Plain, N. Yfor emergency use. Note proximity to
highway.
Above: The Works Program carried out this beautifi-
calion project at Shushan Airport, New Orleans, La.
Left: An air park combines aviation and recreation facilities. At
Shushan Airport, New Orleans, the Works Program built a swimming
pool near the terminal building.
Becoming more popular and useful are "highway
strips" such as this one at Bostwick, Fla., built
adjacent to roads and maintained by State highway
departments.
Newark* s (N. J.) airport
terminal buihling, shown
nmler construction, is now
one of the world*s finest.
Below: Typical of mili¬
tary projects are these
National Guard hangars
ami offices at Hirming-
ham, Ala.
T<.rm«nal
c°n*
b>" >a ot
si"1;
The tr<,n ,
oc'an?C J under con
SS32--charl"
to"? S-
GUIDED BY FEDERAL
MODERN AIRCRAFT AND
IMPROVED IN THEj
Above: Administration build¬
ing at Chattanooga, Term.
Left: Administration building
at Jackson, Miss.
NO SMALL part of the airport program has been
the construction of hangars and terminal build¬
ings. Hangars are necessary for the storage and serv¬
icing of planes and are part of the equipment of every
adequate airport. \isiting aircraft are accommo¬
dated as well as aircraft owned within the community,
and transients, military planes, and air-line aircraft
make use of the refueling and servicing facilities.
Terminal buildings have become a necessity at
every super and major airport. In addition to han¬
dling passengers, mail, and express, these buildings
provide quarters for air lines, for the Weather Bureau
stations, and for Bureau of Air Commerce regional
and local offices. Often there is space provided for
operators of charter services, and every large airport
terminal building has a traffic control tower from
which every part of the airport is visible. Here an
operator directs incoming and outgoing planes by
means of radio or visual signals. Many of these build¬
ings have dining rooms or lunch counters open to the
public.
Planes depart for foreign countries from many air¬
ports in the United States, and at these ports the
terminal building usually includes offices for the
United States Customs, Health, and Immigration in¬
spectors. San Diego, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle,
Brownsville, Albany, and other cities are typical of
these points handling international air traffic. At
San Francisco the airport now being enlarged and
improved will have a seaplane base and terminal
facilities for the trans-Pacific Hying boats to Hawaii
and China.
Airport terminal buildings often provide new func¬
tional treatments in architectural style.
and Terminal Buildings
AND LOCAL EXPERTS, WPA WORKERS BUILD TO MEET THE NEEDS OF
AIR SERVICE...HANGARS AND ADMINISTRATION BUILDINGS BUILT OR
WORKS PROGRAM ENHANCE THE NATIONS PHYSICAL ASSETS
Right: An attractive airport terminal
building at Charleston, W. Vawhere
landscaping made a beauty spot out of
a traffic center.
Left: Architect's drawing
of the world's largest
hangar building now un¬
der construction at Newark
Airport, a testimonial to
the rapid growth of air
transportation.
Right: On duty every night are revolving
beacons ichich mark the airways for the
pilots. Installation of many such bea¬
cons has been part of the Works Program.
Above: Seen at every airport is the ever-
present wind sock, which indicates the
direction of the wind.
Below: Floodlights are included in light¬
ing projects for airports handling night
traffic.
This wind indicator
and moves with the
men about to land.
is in the shape of a T
wind as a guide to air-
it night it is lighted.
Lighting ■ Beacons and
Communication
WPA WORKERS, EXPERT IN THEIR FIELDS, ERECT GUIDES AND
SAFEGUARDS...ON THE JOB. DAY AND NIGHT, THESE FACILITIES
HELP TO MAINTAIN AND SPEED AIR PROGRESS
TO COMPLETE a well-rounded program of con¬
struction and improvements, the Works Program
has provided lighting equipment at many airports.
This makes possible the landing and taking-off of
planes at any time of the night, and since 40 percent
of all air-line flights are made at night, it has become
necessary for every well-equipped airport to have
adequate lighting.
Lighting includes powerful floodlights, which are
turned on to illuminate the landing area when air¬
craft is about to land; revolving beacon lights; bound¬
ary lights which mark the extremities of the airport;
and runway lights, which indicate the boundaries of
the runways. Lighting is not only important for
landing and taking-off, but it directs the pilot to the
airport when he approaches a city. The revolving
beacon light first catches his attention, and as he riears
the airport the boundary, runway, and other airport
lights clearly distinguish the airport from the myriad
other lights in the city.
Since aircraft always land against the wind, it is
essential for the airmen to know the direction of the
wind day and night. Wind indicators, which show
the direction of the wind, are lighted at the large air¬
ports. Many of these indicators are large, flat T-
shaped instruments something like the needle of a
compass, which swing about with the wind, and which
are lighted at night with series of electric bulbs.
The Works Program has also contributed substan¬
tially to the development of radio communication sys¬
tems. In Florida a network of radio stations was
constructed for use by the State police and by the
Weather Bureau, providing among other things
hourly weather reports for airmen. At Indianapolis
the Works Program is installing a blind-landing in¬
strument approach system under supervision of the
Bureau of Air Commerce. This system is a combina¬
tion of special lights, a long runway, and radio-signal
instruments which give the pilot his exact position,
no matter how foggy the weather. It is an important
forward step in the technique of flying by instruments
rather than by vision.
Passengers boarding a night plane for distant cities.
A Florida radio
station con¬
structed for
weather re¬
porting.
Right: Depart¬
ment of Com¬
merce airway-
beacon and
wind sock.
GROUND SCHOOL CLASSES IN PRACTICAL AERONAUTICS
ARE DEVELOPING WORKERS FOR SERVICE IN ALL BRANCHES
"m" "I"
Students using modern aircraft engines as
subjects for study.
Right: WDmen, too, join the attentive
ground school classes to learn about fly¬
ing and airplanes.
Air Education
Eager students
study funda¬
mentals of avi¬
ation in prac¬
tical courses
sponsored by
t h e W o r k s
Program.
THE WORKS PROGRAM is not only building air¬
ports but is also building men. As aviation has ex¬
panded and developed into a thriving young industry
with limitless potentialities, the need for trained men has
become more and more apparent. In fact, the training
of skilled men for this industry has lagged far behind the
demand, and, as a consequence, shortages of men have
existed in many fields of endeavor within the aviation
industry.
In several States, notably Florida, Michigan, and New
Tork, the educational divisions of the Works Program
have conducted schools where hundreds of young men
and women were taught the fundamentals of aviation.
These "ground schools" did not involve any flying
instruction other than a limited amount of glider train¬
ing, but they did teach aerodynamics, construction of
aircraft, meteorology, mechanics, and other related sub¬
jects. In Florida nearly 1,500 persons have attended
the adult schools, in Michigan some 2,700. Instructors
were men experienced in aviation but who were, at the
time, unable to find private employment. Those who
attended the schools were in most instances unable to
pay for such training.
Model-building classes also were conducted for
younger men and hoys. Laboratories and shops some¬
times were available for the study of construction, main¬
tenance, and repair. This training has led many into
Dermanent private employment.
Projects of W PA ■*)
HERE YOUTHS AND ADULTS GET THEIR CHANCE TO LEARN
AND ACHIEVE IN A FAST GROWING INDUSTRY- • • • : • •
Through the shop courses of the Works Pro
gram, many students have secured permanent
iobs in the aviation industry.
Students ohta i n -
in g practical
training by con¬
structing glider
tvings.
I I' • '» ( ",
AIR MARKERS PROMOTE SAFETY
THOUSANDS OF TOWNS NOW EASILY IDENTIFIED FROM THE AIR
Each dot represents one air marker
on a building, roadway, airport, or
embedded in the ground, placed
there by the Works Program.
AIRPORTS AND LANON
□
BUILT OR IMPROVED BY WORKERS OF THE CWA, FERA AND WPA
W PA AIRWAYS
AND AIRPORTS
Total Airport Program Approved
by the President and Eligible for
Operation
Projects Sele
Ml for Operation by State Administrato
STATE
: Number
ap-
1 proved
projects
N u m ber
airport
sites
Total
estimated
cost*
Number
projects
selected
for oper¬
ation
Num¬
ber
air¬
port
sites
Tolul
estimated
cost*
Actual Federal
expenditures
to date
Num¬
ber
projects
com¬
pleted
Avorage
n n m ber
men em¬
ployed on
air|K>rt
projects
from Jan. 1,
1937, to
May 31, 1937
102
13
s-b 414.895
21
15
81,181,685
350,439
250,836
11,562,409
894,013
$998,137
119,861
148,074
7,897,816
585,156
1.037
It
-
509,771
10
1
I
73
23
14
468,389
14,893,831
1,127,480
8
3
I
85
81
12
55
30
10
2.118
Colorado
21
16
14
8
5
613
Connecticut.
26
8
3,894,490
15
7
2,561,412
1.110,052
1
807
1
1
264,647
3,156,917
1
1
264.617
2,462,544
111,777
Florida
99
61
75
52
1,838,088
32
913
10
25
1,608,899
727.910
25
20
1,351,633
825,101
5
616
Idaho
32
8
6
6
341,558
103,780
213
Illinois
71
9
4,122,637
23
22
3,310,129
2,270,105
8
2,156
Indiana
27
19
2,781,339
19
12
2,448,260
1,181,823
7
922
Iowa
118
12
762,049
7
1
192,918
115,135
1
68
Kansas
16
11
619,077
9
7
393,612
231,297
2
71
Kentucky
5
3
197,986
5
3
151,779
71,827
2
15
Louisiana
13
8
849,311
10
7
570.501
353,312
2
510
Maine
11
27
1,611,311
22
II
1,317,187
782,143
1
778
Maryland
10
6
1,021,964
5
2
259,456
187,916
1
174
-Massachusetts
78
39
7,610,516
36
9
2,503,819
1.150,782
8
1,436
Michigan
113
82
2,822,301
80
61
2,252,727
1,655,752
25
418
Minnesota
11
48
1,621,538
17
12
997,101
616,123
7
246
Mississippi
64
27
2,086,586
32
21
1,321,613
395,365
7
718
AI i ssou ri
34
11
1,395,112
11
7
682,233
191,111
1
305
Montana
58
39
795,706
28
19
381,372
251.832
8
85
Nebraska -
18
8
1,720,123
12
6
1,449,313
996,501
3
395
Nevada
32
16
1,062,712
8
1
173,480
57,137
118
Includes Federal and sponsor.
Total Airport Program Approved
by the President and Eligible for
Projects Selected for Operation by State Administrators
Operation
Average
STATE
number
Num¬
N u ru¬
men em¬
Number
Total
projects
ber
Total
Actual Federal
ber
ployed on
ap
airport
estimated
selected
air¬
estimated
expenditures
projects |
airport
sites
for oper¬
port
cost*
to date
com- j
projects
ation
sites
pleted i
from Jan. 1,
1937. to
May 31, 1937
New Hampshire
21
u
$992,925
13
4
$648,629
$347,520
l
438
New Jersey
41
9
4,590,544
23
8
3,745,058
1,999,742
7
1,260
10
9
851,021
2
2
741,397
48,497
112
8
3
6,278,205
3
2
5,064,193
4,372,815
1.868
New York State...
61
36
12,565,404
36
27
5,804,049
2,028,705
6
1.457
North Carolina
25
19
2,277,987
19
12
1,404,274
975,029
2
515
North Dakota
14
5
214,810
12
5
201,574
103,676
6
61
Ohio
75
23
7,298,123
39
13
6,100,662
5,019,853
16
1,572
Oklahoma .
25
22
1,670,810
10
8
417,859
250,479
1
102
Oregon
41
35
2,741,248
22
16
2,499,985
1,700,251
3
1,289
Pennsylvania, __ ..
104
82
20,157,939
41
29
13,951,189
10,190,247
2
4,716
Rhode Island
8
10
736,277
4
3
147,122
51,496
1
107
South Carolina
42
20
2,448,924
24
12
1,626,762
1.018,002
7
694
South Dakota
16
10
304,070
14
8
276,081
212,548
5
98
Tennessee
41
15
3,832,209
27
8
3,820,740
3,035,296
4
1,572
Texas
93
75
3,206,068
28
22
865,325
449,093
11
993
Utah
35
12
1,911,473
25
6
1,440.703
571,601
4
632
Vermont 1.
14
8
532,747
9
4
244,919
148,097
3
141
Virginia.
49
24
1,048,967
17
11
412,990
282,957
3
168
Washington
48
28
2,824,418
31
22
1,940,346
950,764
4
1,096
West Virginia-.
22
14
4,109,381
9
7
694,541
535,803
1
391
Wisconsin.
30
16
1,328,834
20
12
1,147,657
576,362
4
475
Wyoming -
15
12
331,465
8
5
210,922
138,302
4
52
Hawaii
6
7
490,181
6
7
155,391
130,988
1
259
United States..
2,028
1,095
144,924,893
1,002
609
93,498,650
60,517,789
245
35,408
* Includes Federal and sponsor.
OTHER WPA WORK
ALREADY COMPLETED
123,000 miles of roads, 29,000 miles of which was
completely new construction.
21,000 bridges, more than one-third of them new.
8,300 school buildings, of which 1,100 were con¬
structed in their entirety.
5,000 administrative and recreational buildings, more
than 2,000 of them entirely new.
1,000 hospitals and other institutional buildings.
3,000 athletic fields and playgrounds, about 1,400 new.
1,500 parks and fairgrounds built or improved.
400 swimming pools and golf courses built or improved.
4,500 miles of sewers built or repaired, and 2,300 miles
of water mains.
1,252 sewage-disposal plants, 1,155 of them new.
1,600 new dams for water storage.
2,300 miles of stream beds improved, 650 miles of river
banks riprapped and improved, 112 miles of canals
and 375 miles of levees built or strengthened.
23,000,000 fish planted in lakes and streams.
500,000 acres of malaria swamps drained.
I,000,000 acres cleared of diseased plants.
4,700,000 trees planted (reforestation).
II,000,000 books repaired and reconditioned.
9,500,000 books catalogued.
72,000,000 school lunches served.
9,000,000 visits of doctors and nurses to homes of the
needy.
60,000,000 garments or articles for the needy made in
10,000 sewing rooms.
2,500 new libraries and 2,000 traveling libraries estab¬
lished.
U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTPNO OFFICE 21004 1937