It is estimated, according to the last estimate we have, that they will receive in the neighborhood of $200,000 as the share to be used for aviation purposes in Alaska in this next year. The Territorial aeronautics commission is the principal sponsor of these projects which Mr. Cook read off and in two large projects--the one at Anchorage and the one at Fairbanks. Mr. STEFAN. But there are six projects where the sponsors are paying something toward them, the same as the sponsors in the 48 States; but these Territories like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands stick out like a sore thumb, and they are going to be discriminated against if we adopt a special program up in Alaska to be paid for solely at the expense of the taxpayers of the United States without any sponsor contribution. Did the air lines oppose this $200,000 gasoline tax at the time? Mr. STEFAN. Can you give us the information if they did? Mr. NYROP. I will try to get it. (The information requested is as follows:) There was no organized opposition to the Alaska gasoline tax. However, a fe w of the small operators in southeastern Alaska objected primarily to the manner in which receipts from the tax were to be administered. Mr. STEFAN. Will that $200,000 be used as the sponsors' share in improving aviation? Mr. NYROP. Yes, sir. Mr. STEFAN. Can they use that on this other $14,000,000? Mr. NYROP. We can use a similar tax if they have sufficient money. Mr. STEFAN. It just does not seem right that Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are participating in this Federal airport program in the same way as sponsors in the communities of the 48 States of the Union and you have six projects in Alaska that sponsors participate in, but not in the others. Perhaps we did not go far enough in a search for some sponsorships in the program that we are now asking funds for and putting the Government in the airport business. Mr. NYROP. I would like to talk about that when we get into that. Mr. STEFAN. I want to go into that when we get to that item, because I want to be as constructive as I can in my questions. PROJECTS IN FISCAL YEAR 1951 PROGRAM How many projects are in this total program for 1951? Mr. STEFAN. How many of them are new airports? Mr. STEFAN. In what State? Mr. MOORE. It is in Texas. Mr. STEFAN. Are there any other brand-new airports? Mr. MOORE. In the class 1's and 2's, there will be approximately 50 percent new projects. Mr. Cook. Those are small fields. Mr. STEFAN. How many new airports, small and large, DLA, or anything else? How many new ones? Mr. MOORE. There will be about 70. Mr. STEFAN. There will be about 70 new airports? Mr. STEFAN. Including this one class 4 airport? Mr. MOORE. Yes, sir. Mr. STEFAN. And we have presently 6,400 airports in the United States? Mr. MOORE. Six thousand four hundred and eighty-four. Mr. STEFAN. How many airports have been abandoned altogether? Mr. MOORE. Approximately 400 landing strips. They were not airports. Mr. STEFAN. How many airports? Mr. MOORE. Not any. Mr. STEFAN. No airports have been abandoned? Mr. MOORE. No, sir. Mr. ROONEY. These landing strips were counted as airports up to now; were they not? Mr. MOORE. We list them here as airports, but really they are just grass strips anywhere from 800 to 1,800 feet long. Mr. RENTZEL. The answer to the chairman's question is they were airports and were privately owned. Mr. ROONEY. How many of those do we have? Mr. Cook. That will show in the tabulation. Mr. ROONEY. You are going to show those in the tabulation? Mr. ROONEY. Fix it up so that they will stand out by themselves. Mr. STEFAN. If, out of the 6,400-plus airports and the 70 new ones you are putting into operation, only 400 landing strips have been abandoned, that will give us how many airports of all classes in the United States when those 70 are completed? Mr. MOORE. That will give us about 6,560. Mr. STEFAN. Mr. Rentzel, when will the Federal Airport Act be concluded? Mr. RENTZEL. It is a 7-year act which will expire on June 30, 1953. It was passed in 1946. Mr. STEFAN. In fiscal 1946? Mr. RENTZEL. In the fiscal year 1946. Mr. STEFAN. Are you considering an extension request? Mr. RENTZEL. We stated in our report to Congress that it will have to be extended at the present rate of expenditures if we are to complete the original program contemplated by the plan submitted to Congress. COST OF THE 7-YEAR PROGRAM Mr. STEFAN. What do you estimate will be the cost to the Government over all when this thing is liquidated in 1953? Mr. RENTZEL. If we stop in 1953, at the present rate of expenditures, it should be approximately $280,000,000. Mr. Cook. Approximately $300,000,000. Mr. STEFAN. Oh, no. You did not answer my question. My question was what do you estimate will be the over-all cost of everything when you complete this 7-year program? Mr. RENTZEL. It would be approximately $300,000,000. That would be the amount at the expenditure rate at the present time. Mr. STEFAN. Does that include administration? Mr. RENTZEL. Yes, sir. Mr. STEFAN. That is the over-all cost? Mr. Cook. Yes, sir. It is a 7-year program. Mr. RENTZEL. Originally, Congress contemplated $500,000,000. Mr. STEFAN. That is what I was thinking-that it was a half-billiondollar program; but you think it will be an over-all cost of $300,000,000 if it is liquidated in 1953? Mr. RENTZEL. Yes, sir. Mr. ROONEY. We will take a recess at this time until 2 o'clock. ESTABLISHMENT OF AIR-NAVIGATION FACILITIES WITNESS JOSEPH H. TIPPETS, CHIEF, MAINTENANCE DIVISION, OFFICE OF FEDERAL AIRWAYS Mr. ROONEY. Gentlemen, the item we have first for consideration. this afternoon is entitled "Establishment of Air-Navigation Facilities." It appears beginning at page 37 of the committee print and at page 269 of the justifications. We shall at this point of the record insert pages 269 and 270 of the justifications. (The matter referred to is as follows:) Summary of requirements Summary of requirements by activity-New program authorization (a) Air-navigation electronic and visual aids. (b) Intermediate landing fields. (c) Air-traffic-control towers and centers (e) Housing and utilities__ Total requirements... 1951 $20, 745, 111 1, 008, 972 11, 168, 378 6, 810, 759 266, 780 1 40, 000, 000 1 Includes amount of $560,000 to be transferred to "Salaries and expenses, Civil Aeronautics," including 171,000 for initial flight checking and $389,000 for administration. REQUEST FOR FISCAL YEAR 1951 Mr. ROONEY. It is to be noted that the request for the coming fiscal year is in the total amount of $69,961,500, which is made up of cash in the amount of $40,500,000 plus contract authority in the amount of $20,461,500. This is a very substantial increase over the current fiscal year's appropriation of $18,650,000 in cash plus contract authority of $26,800,000. GENERAL STATEMENT Do you have a general statement to make with regard to this matter before we get into the details of it? Mr. HORNE. Mr. Chairman, I would like to say a word about the purpose of this program. We have two main purposes in this estab-. lishment program. One is to obtain and install new equipment in accordance with the basic plans which were developed by the Special Committee 31 of the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, and which were approved by the Congressional Air Policy Board. Our second purpose is to bring up to date and to consolidate the common system elements which we now have. Of the total of $40,000,000, which is the program level of new things which we are requesting, approximately $25,000,000 is intended for the new equipments in accordance with the RTCA-SC-31 program, while $15,000,000, approximately, is for bringing up to date and consolidating the elements of the common system which we already have. PROGRAM-STATUS DOCUMENTS I have here some exhibits showing the locations of the different types of facilities throughout the country in map form which might provide a quick and easy way of identifying the scope of the program and the locations of certain types of equipment. In addition, Mr. Chairman, I have another exhibit which you may be interested in, "Operations data," which shows the actual aircraft operations handled by the CAA, number of instrument approaches, fix postings, and so forth. Mr. ROONEY. Before we get to that, we shall insert in the record at this point the pages of the document just handed me. (The matter referred to is as follows:) 4 68 of the presently commissioned VAR's are to be converted to VOR operation at the end of this fiscal year and early in fiscal year 1951. The above tabulation does not include facilities assigned for experimental and training purposes. 338 406 |