Washington-Hoover Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Washington-Hoover Airport
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A DC-2 takes off from Washington-Hoover Airport in 1935, passing over Military Road
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| Summary | |
| Owner | National Aviation Corporation |
| Serves | Washington metropolitan area |
| Location | Arlington County, Virginia |
Washington-Hoover Airport was an airport that served Washington, D.C. from 1933 to 1941. It was created when two older airports, Hoover Field and Washington Airport, joined together on August 2, 1933.
The airport was located in Arlington, Virginia. This area is now where The Pentagon stands. Washington-Hoover Airport, like the airports before it, had many safety problems. Its runways were too short, and there wasn't much space for it to grow. The airport closed to the public in June 1941. The United States Department of War bought the land in September of that year, closing it for good. A new airport, Washington National Airport (now called Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport), opened in June 1941 to replace it.
Contents
Hoover Field: The Beginning
Hoover Field was built in 1925 by Thomas E. Mitten. It was located on a 37.5-acre piece of land in Arlington, Virginia. This land was right across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The airport had one grass runway that was 2,400 feet long. It also had one hangar, which is a building for planes.
The airfield was made bigger and officially opened on July 16, 1926. It was named after Herbert Hoover, who was the United States Secretary of Commerce at the time. He was a big supporter of flying.
Safety Problems at Hoover Field
Hoover Field had many serious safety issues. An amusement park was located next to the airport. There was also a landfill (a place where trash is buried) nearby. The trash in the landfill was often on fire, and the smoke sometimes made it hard for pilots to see the runway.
A large farm owned by the United States Department of Agriculture was also right next to the runway. There was even a public swimming pool at the airport. Children would sometimes cross the runway to get to the pool! Because of these dangers, local businesses and city officials quickly asked for a safer, city-owned airport.
In February 1927, a group of pilots and aviation companies suggested building a new, larger airport. This new airport would be across Military Road, which was the southern edge of Hoover Field. This idea wasn't acted on right away.
A fire at Hoover Field on July 3, 1928, destroyed eight planes and a hangar. This caused $100,000 in damage. After this, the airport changed owners several times over the next few years. In mid-1932, safety improved a little when Arlington County stopped trash from being burned at landfills, including the one near Hoover Field.
Washington Airport: A New Competitor
Washington Airport was built because a new airline needed a place to operate in Washington, D.C. It opened quietly in late 1927, mainly for sight-seeing planes. Its owners included Robert E. Funkhouser and Herbert Fahy, a famous test pilot.
Washington Airport was not much safer than Hoover Field. The owners could not afford to pave the runway. Also, burning trash dumps near Hoover Field and at Washington Airport's own eastern border often made it hard to see the runways.
The airport was made much larger in April 1928. The shoreline of the Potomac River was even changed. Safety improvements were also made. The nearby Arlington Beach amusement park was bought and torn down. Three new runways were built where the park used to be. A new terminal, hangar, and office building were also constructed.
In May 1932, the airport paid electric and telephone companies to bury their power lines. These lines were in the way of planes landing and taking off. However, many other safety problems remained.
In 1931, Washington Airport faced another safety issue. Plans were made to build two 200-foot granite columns near the Arlington Memorial Bridge. These columns would have been very dangerous for planes landing at Washington Airport. After a long battle, the plan for the columns was stopped in February 1932.
The Airports Merge
First Try at Merging
The owners of Washington Airport tried to take control of Hoover Field and combine the two airports in the late 1920s. In 1929, a company called Federal Aviation Corporation bought Washington Airport. This company then tried to buy more land to merge the two airports. They wanted to create a large airport with six runways.
However, this plan did not work out. In December 1929, Federal Aviation sold Hoover Field. The two airports were no longer under the same control. Still, around 1930, the two fields started working together. Hoover Field handled sight-seeing flights, flight schools, and small planes. Washington Airport was used by larger military, mail, and passenger planes.
Second Try and Success
Both Hoover Field and Washington Airport faced big money problems during the Great Depression. In 1933, the two airports finally merged after a series of quick sales.
Washington Airport was sold first. It was bought by the Ludington brothers, who were wealthy owners of an airline. On July 17, 1933, an unknown buyer purchased Washington Airport for $432,000.
Hoover Field was sold just a few days later. The Ludington brothers bought Hoover Field for $174,500.
The evening after the Hoover Field sale, the secret buyer of Washington Airport was revealed. It was National Airport Corporation, a part of National Aviation Corporation. Within 24 hours, this company bought Hoover Field from the Ludington brothers. This completed the merger of the two airports.
Airlines at Washington-Hoover Airport
Many major airlines used Washington-Hoover Airport.
- American Airlines flew north to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. They also had flights west to cities like Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Chicago. American Airlines also offered cross-country service to places like Dallas, Fort Worth, and Los Angeles.
- Eastern Airlines also flew to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. They had flights south to Miami, Tampa, Houston, and Brownsville, Texas.
- Pennsylvania Central Airlines operated flights from Washington to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Chicago.
How Washington-Hoover Airport Operated
The new Washington-Hoover Airport was 143 acres in size. Its runways were made of dirt and partly oiled to keep dust down. It had no paved runways. The airport also lacked a proper drainage system and full nighttime lighting. It did not have a radio system for controlling air traffic. Its three hangars were already old-fashioned.
Safety Concerns and Road Closures
As soon as the airports merged, Washington-Hoover Airport was heavily criticized for being dangerous. Pilots called it the most dangerous airport in the country. Famous aviator Wiley Post even said there were better airstrips in Siberia.
One major problem was that Military Road crossed the airfield. At first, airport workers tried to stop traffic with a rope when planes landed. This was dangerous, so they tried using guards. Then, a traffic light was installed in 1934 to stop cars. But Arlington County fined the airport manager for blocking traffic, so the light was removed.
Other dangers included tall electrical wires and radio towers on the west side of the field. A high smokestack and U.S. Route 1 were to the south.
Some safety improvements were made over time. In 1934, two new terminal wings were added, making the building more than 50 percent larger. A new control tower with glass walls also improved air traffic control. In September 1935, a power company agreed to move its high-tension electrical lines that were in the flight path.
Even though Military Road did not close, Congress passed a law allowing traffic on the road to be stopped. On January 31, 1936, Representative John D. Dingell, Sr. warned that Military Road was a serious flying hazard. The United States Post Office Department even said it would stop airmail operations if the road wasn't closed.
Finally, Congress passed a law that allowed traffic to be stopped temporarily whenever planes took off or landed. Guards were paid to stop the traffic. Airport officials then planned to extend one runway across the road. This would allow larger planes to land more safely. Even with these extensions, the runways were still too short for the new, heavier aircraft like the Douglas DC-3.
Other Improvements
The airport continued to grow slowly through the late 1930s. A new Airmail Building was built in August 1936. A new radio and arc lamp control system for planes was installed. The runways were paved, and a new drainage system helped keep the field dry. The control tower was also made bigger.
In December 1936, some dangerous electrical wires and tall trees near the field were removed. However, in June 1937, Representative Charles Plumley said the airport was still unsafe and a "national disgrace." A month later, the Air Line Pilots Association voted not to fly planes to the airport because of the safety issues. Short flights between Washington, D.C., and New York City even stopped because of the dangers.
Congress tried to pass laws to improve the airport, but President Roosevelt vetoed them. In September, the Bureau of Air Commerce said all airports should be responsible for directing large planes. But Washington-Hoover staff refused because their radio and lighting systems were poor. After talks, special rules were made for Washington-Hoover to allow large planes to land, but the pilots' association still wanted the airport closed.
One important improvement at Washington-Hoover Airport went almost unnoticed. J. Willard Marriott, seeing that many passengers needed food, opened the world's first airline catering business there in 1937.
Closing Military Road and Approving a New Airport
The year 1938 finally saw the closure of Military Road. In February, Time magazine called Washington-Hoover "one of the world's most dangerous" airports. This national attention led to action.
In late March, the Senate approved two bills. One was to close Military Road, and the other was to make the airport bigger. The House passed both bills in early April. President Roosevelt signed the bill closing Military Road on April 14. Military Road officially closed on Monday, May 15, 1938.
Washington National Airport is Built
In a surprise move, President Roosevelt announced on September 28, 1938, that a new 750-acre airport would be built at Gravelly Point. Roosevelt was worried about war in Europe and Asia. He believed a new, modern, and safe airport was needed for national defense.
Roosevelt approved spending $9 million to build the new airport. Construction began in November 1938. This new airport would be called National Airport.
The Air Commerce Act of 1926 had stopped the federal government from building commercial airports. But new laws were passed. On May 28, 1938, Roosevelt signed the Civil Aeronautics Act. This law allowed the government to spend money on airports if it was needed for national defense. This is how Roosevelt was able to build National Airport, which for many years was the only commercial airport operated by the U.S. government.
Over the next two years, improvements were made around Washington-Hoover Airport. These changes were mostly to prepare for the new National Airport and for military facilities as World War II approached. The Arlington Radio Towers, which had been a hazard to planes, were removed in early 1941.
Closure of Washington-Hoover Airport
Washington-Hoover Airport closed as a public airport in 1941. This happened when Washington National Airport opened on June 16, 1941. After passenger and air transport flights moved to National Airport, Washington-Hoover was used for a short time as a private field for a pilot training school.
In late June 1941, the Army chose Washington-Hoover as the site for a new supply depot. However, the supply depot was never built. Instead, The Pentagon was constructed on the land where the old airfield used to be.
On September 16, 1941, the War Department bought Washington-Hoover Airport for $1 million. This was for the construction of The Pentagon. The Goodyear Blimp, which used to dock at Washington-Hoover, moved to National Airport in November 1941. Ground was broken for The Pentagon on November 8, 1941, and Washington-Hoover Airport officially ceased to exist.
Images for kids
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The Arlington Radio Towers, one of the many dangerous safety hazards near the edge of Washington-Hoover.
