yields an annual rental of approximately 36 cents per square foot. Pursuant to an offering in 1962, the Agency has received a proposal submitted by D.C. Realty and Development Corporation to purchase this land. At this time, it is anticipated that construction will begin within 18 months to 2 years.

While final plans for the development of the Portal Site are being prepared, the Redevelopment Land Agency would be pleased to lease a portion of the so-called Portal Site to the General Services Administrator at a rental equivalent to the income which is presently derived from the site. For some time we have attempted to find a suitable site for a temporary and permanent heliport. The Portal Site is a suitable location for a temporary heliport as it is conveniently available from the Capitol, downtown and neighboring sections of the District. At the same time, with flight approaches from the South and West, this site will not inconvenience the residents of the community which has developed in the Southwest urban renewal area.

Respectfully,

THOMAS APPLEBY,
Executive Director.

Senator YOUNG. I observe there are a great many witnesses here, and we are going to hear the Members of Congress first. In the case of those witnesses who are scheduled later in the day, if their testimony is repetitious of preceding testimony, we hope they will summarize their presentations and the complete statement will be entered

in the record.

The first witness is our colleague, Congressman Kenneth J. Gray. If he is here, we will hear him.

STATEMENT OF HON. KENNETH J. GRAY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ILLINOIS

Representative GRAY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator YOUNG. We are glad to see you here, Congressman, and you may proceed.

Representative GRAY. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Senator YOUNG. By the way, my Senate colleague will take over shortly, because I am leaving for a subcommittee hearing, as I am very proud to say the President nominated two distinguished lawyers State.

in my

Representative GRAY. Wonderful. I understand perfectly.

I am scheduled to be three places this morning, myself.
Senator YOUNG. Go right ahead.

Representative GRAY. Mr. Chairman, first I want to thank you and the members of the committee for scheduling these hearings on this important piece of legislation.

I do not have a prepared statement, but I shall be very brief, because I understand there are a number of witnesses here today.

Mr. Chairman, the bill, H. R. 15024, which I authored in the House, was passed by the House of Representatives without one single dissenting vote. It was debated, and everyone felt, both Democrats and Republicans, that the time had come when we must provide an expedient way of getting to our outlying airports, and the helicopter service that is proposed in this legislation certainly will take care of the problem.

I want to briefly point out three reasons why I feel this legislation is a "must" in this session of Congress.

As a helicopter and fixed-wing pilot myself, I became alarmed about congestion, in flying in and out of National Airport, after the advent of jet service in April. This scheduled helicopter service that

we propose by building a heliport in downtown Washington will alleviate much of the congestion out at National Airport, both on the ground and in the air.

The second reason for needing this piece of legislation is to be able to save the $100 million investment that the taxpayers of America have in the Dulles International Airport.

We might as well face it, Mr. Chairman. At this time it is a white elephant, and unless we can get an expedient way of getting travelers from downtown Washington out to the outlying airports, we certainly are going to lose this large investment.

The third reason, and a very important reason, for providing a heliport for Washington, is to make it convenient for those who want to go to Dulles and Baltimore, to get there in a reasonable length of time.

We have had test runs from the capital area out to the outlying airports in from 10 to 12 minutes. We will be able to airlift approxi mately a half million to a million people that we fell would avail themselves of this service if it were available, out to Dulles and to Baltimore. The price would be very reasonable, from $6 to $7. This compares to $12 now for a taxicab out to Baltimore.

I am not sure what the rate is to Dulles, but it certainly would be more reasonable, and it would be about one-third to one-fourth of the time.

I would call your attention, if you have a copy of the House hearings, to page 15, to the remarks of General McKee, who is the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency.

I will not bother to read all of the statement of General McKee, but I would like to read a portion of it. I quote General McKee in a letter to our committee dated earlier this year. He said:

Although there is at present no scheduled helicopter service to the District, commercial helicopters are available and are used on a charter basis by private citizens, and some Government agencies use helicopters from time to time.

The need for scheduled helicopter service may be greater in the future, and unscheduled use will increase. Establishment of downtown heliport facilities could lead to sharply reduced travel time from Dulles and Friendship Airports to downtown Washington and would thus work for the benefit of the Government and investment of Dulles Airport by providing an additional means of increasing the volume of that now under-used facility.

This in turn would assist in relieving the congestion at Washington National Airport. It would provide an additional segment in the development of a network of helicopter facilities in the area.

So stated General McKee, who is the Administrator, as you know, of the Federal Aviation Agency.

Mr. Chairman, I think everyone who appeared before our committee on the House side was in agreement that there was an urgent need for scheduled helicopter service from downtown Washington to the outlying airports. The only objection came from people who opposed the original site called for in the House bill.

This original site was at M Street and Maine Avenue, down on the channel where the Santa Maria ship is now located.

After consultation with officials of FAA, the General Services Administration, the Redevelopment Land Agency, and other people, we came up with what we consider to be a very good compromise of locating the heliport on a lot now bounded by Maine and Maryland Avenues very near the Department of Agriculture.

Incidentally, let me state first that it is not in a residential section. There would be no noise factor whatsoever. The Federal Aviation Agency people say that the clear zones are adequate for complete safety.

So all the people involved in this matter are for this particular site called for in the bill, H.R. 15024, that is pending before the committee.

The only objection that you will hear here today, in my opinion, comes from those who park on this lot and who work at the Department of Agriculture.

Certainly all of us do not want to preempt parking space for Government employees, but, Mr. Chairman, this question is moot as far as this parking lot is concerned, because Mr. Ò. Roy Chalk has a lease on this particular site from the Redevelopment Land Agency and any day that he gets ready, he can start construction on a hotel or other facility.

So these people are going to be removed from this lot whether we put a heliport there or whether we allow a hotel to be constructed.

I think the question that this Congress must resolve is: Which is more important, an additional hotel, of which we have many, or a heliport, of which we have none?

I have spoken to the General Services Administration and asked them if we do use this as a heliport, what they can do to find additional parking space for the Department of Agriculture employees. I am sure all of us want to assist them, and the General Services Administration is here today prepared to testify as to what they might be able to do in finding alternate sites for parking.

But let me reiterate to the committee: These people have a 30-day lease. That is, they rent it month by month, from the Redevelopment Land Agency and any day that Mr. Chalk wants to take up his lease and start construction, they are going to have to move off of this lot.

So they have no claim to it, as they allege in some of the correspondence that they have had with this committee.

Secondly, if a heliport goes in there, only a 200-by-450-foot square is going to be needed, which means that we can still allow perimeter parking on this lot.

We would fence in with the $75,000 authorization called for in this legislation this 200-by-450-foot square, and the rest of the lot, comprising about an acre and a half, could be used for Department of Agriculture employees.

So, frankly and I am a little put out at them-I think they should be up here urging the passage of this bill, because they would have more parking space than if allowed to be leased to Mr. Chalk, who certainly has a commitment from RLA.

So, Mr. Chairman, with that I would again thank the committee for scheduling these hearings. This is an important measure.

This is one of the very few cities in the United States that does not have scheduled helicopter service. It is our Nation's Capital.

The average airport in our major metropolitan cities is only 5 to 10 miles from downtown. Dulles and Baltimore are more than 30 miles.

So we have a much more pressing need here in the Nation's Capital for scheduled helicopter service. We are living in a modern city with horse-and-buggy transportation.

So I would urge that the committee take favorable action on H.R. 15024 or similar legislation in order that the Civil Aeronautics Board in its wisdom can pick a qualified operator or operators to operate from the heliport that we would provide.

Seventy-five thousand dollars is a very small and reasonable amount. We spend, as you know, millions of dollars to provide airport facilities for fixed-wing aircraft, and I think the $75,000 is a very small amount to be able to get scheduled helicopter service available in the Nation's Capital.

I thank you very much for the opportunity of appearing here today. Senator YOUNG. Congressman, we thank you. You have made a most impressive statement, and you have really been most helpful to this subcommittee.

I am impressed by the fact that this bill was passed without a dissenting vote in the House of Representatives, and I am also very much impressed by your statement that this is a matter that is really moot for the reason that Mr. Chalk could take over and build a hotel any time at all.

Representative GRAY. Any time at all.

Senator YOUNG. May I say to you that I think you made a rather conservative statement when you said you were a little put out by the attitude of these Department of Agriculture employees. Some of them will testify later, and I want them to know right ahead of time that I have received at my residence many, many letters from them complaining, and when I received these I had in mind at the time, and I have in mind today, that we in Congress have been very liberal to the civil service employees of the Government, and obviously and very definitely the public interest takes precedence over a matter of inconvenience to some employees.

Representative GRAY. I share the chairman's view completely, and we certainly are on their side, and will try to find them alternate parking.

I am sure Mr. Chalk is not going to find them space.

Senator YOUNG. Very definitely he would not do that, and the private pleasure and convenience of those Agricultural employees should not, and I am sure will not, prevail in this committee any more than it did in the House of Representatives.

Representative GRAY. Thank you again, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.

Senator YOUNG. I think it is very essential to the public interest that this bill be passed in this session.

Senator INOUYE. Congressman Gray, I appreciate the testimony very much. It has been most helpful.

Can you advise the committee as to approximately how many parking spaces would be relocated by this lot 200 by 450 feet?

Representative GRAY. This picture gives a very good view of the parking lot.

About 60 percent of it would remain as parking facilities for the Department of Agriculture, that is, on the perimeter, around the fence that we would construct.

So they have everything to gain by seeing this bill passed and everything to lose if Mr. Chalk builds a hotel, as far as parking is concerned. I don't have the exact dimensions of the lot, but I believe it is some

thing like an acre and a half, and 200 by 450 feet would be used for the heliport itself with the rest preserved for parking.

Senator YOUNG. Thank you very much.
Representative GRAY. Thank you.

Senator YOUNG. Senator, will you take over?

Senator INOUYE (presiding). Our next witness will be Congressman Hervey Machen.

Is the Congressman here?

(No response.)

Senator INOUYE. Is Representative George C. Rawlings, Jr., of the Virginia House of Delegates, here?

(No response.)

Senator INOUYE. Then our next witness will be the Honorable David Thomas, Deputy Administrator of FAA.

Mr. Thomas, we are very happy to have you with us, and you may proceed, sir.

STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID D. THOMAS, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR, FEDERAL AVIATION AGENCY

Mr. THOMAS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I have a very short prepared statement which I submit for inclusion in the record.

Congressman Gray did read from General McKee's previous testimony outlining our view of the growth of helicopter operations in the area, which is repeated in the statement. I will not repeat it now.

The heliport site as proposed, 200 by 450 feet, located at 12th Street and Maine Avenue Southwest, is considered an appropriate site in the downtown Washington area for scheduled helicopter operation, using multiturbine helicopters with a minimum of operating restrictions.

The approval of a single-engine air carrier helicopter operation appears questionable, because of the limited emergency landing sites available.

The Federal Agency supports the enactment of H.R. 15024.

I think that concludes our statement, in view of the Congressman's statement.

Senator INOUYE. I notice the bill provides for authorization for an appropriation of $75,000. What, in your estimation, would be a proper sum for the construction of an appropriate heliport?

Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Chairman, I understood that the $75,000 was for the fencing and the paving of the site, and was submitted as the appropriate sum. As far as I know, we have not made an FAA estimate.

Senator INOUYE. There are no plans and specifications for this at the present time?

Mr. THOMAS. There are in terms of size, which is 450 by 200 feet. and there are specifications for paving thickness. But since this is not a Federal Aviation Agency project, I don't believe that this is our estimate, but it is an estimate that has been made on just the paving and fencing.

Senator INOUYE. According to the bill, the Administrator of your Agency is authorized to construct all necessary improvements.