Department of Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1957

1. The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 created the Civil Aeronautics Authority to promote the development and safety and to provide for the regulation of civil aeronautics.

2. Public Law 674, 76th Congress, authorizes the operation of Washington National Airport.

3. Public Law 377, 79th Congress, and Public Law 211, 84th Congress, provide for Federal-aid in the development of public airports.

4. Public Law 562, 80th Congress, authorizes the maintenance, operation, and improvement of public airports at Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska.

In performing services essential to present-day aviation and its growth, the agency operates 24 hours a day, a national network of air-navigation aids; controls air traffic; certifies as to the competency of airmen and airworthiness of aircraft; develops and installs improved aids to air navigation; administers a Federal grant-in-aid program for a national system of airports; and related activities, including the operation of certain terminal airports.

The

For aviation the increasing density of air traffic is a grave problem. continued recordbreaking volume of aeronautical activity results in proportionately heavier demands for services that are statutory responsibilities of the Civil Aeronautics Administration. Future economical expansion of aviation requires more services from the Federal airways system, safe operating procedures and standards for more complicated and higher performing aircraft, additional airport facilities, and developing improved operating equipments. Air traffic is overloading the Federal airways system and growing at a rate which exceeds the progress being realized in expanding the capacity of the system. Dynamic changes and mechanization of the air navigation and air traffic control facilities are necessary and plans for such an improved and mechanized system are well advanced, looking toward traffic control being exercised over large areas rather than on the narrow airways. However, until such a system can be placed in operation, there is only one safe and reasonable course of action, namely, to strengthen the existing facilities with manpower and equipments of the types currently available and transition to the future concept by evolutionary, rather than revolutionary, changes.

Early action is required in the interest of safety, to avoid limitations on the growth of the industry and interference with the strengthening of our air defense. This involves providing additional manpower and establishing radar and communication equipments to improve and mechanize the system.

The workload of CAA is not controllable by the agency but, rather, results from our national need for air defense and dynamic growth of aviation and its influence on our national economy. Even the high current level of activity is dwarfed by the workload that will result from the forecasted expenditure of more than $100 billion in the next 10 years for civil and military aircraft. The new facilities needed by CAA to permit full and safe utilization of these planes are only a fraction of 1 percent of their cost. The agency plans have the concurrence of the airspace users and the CAA services that can be provided to assure safety in aviation are limited only by the availability of resources.

Expanding the Federal airways system so as to accommodate the traffic increases involves a capital cost. This cost, when considered alone, appears large but, when viewed as part of the total picture for operating the volume of aircraft our national defense and the expanding economy is placing in service, the cost is relatively small. Certainly, in any consideration, the need for facilities that will permit aircraft to be used safely is essential.

Requirements for the CAA are substantially influenced by the growth of military air strength and the expansion taking place in civil aviation as the services are required by all users of our airspace. It is, therefore, in the interest of efficiency and minimum cost to the taxpayers that duplication of facilities be avoided and that the Government obtain a true common system. The programs proposed in these estimates are primarily a continuation of going activities with several areas being strengthened by: (1) instituting control over all airspace above 24,000 feet, in order to safeguard the flight movement of jet aircraft; (2) increasing the manpower available for air traffic control; (3) operating facilities that have been established by the military but are serving both civil and military aviation; (4) commissioning new facilities which are or will be ready for service in 1957; (5) providing for the full-year cost of facilities operated only part of 1956; and (6) improving air traffic-control facilities and communications equipments so as to increase the capacity of the Federal airways system.

The principal items proposed to increase the capacity of the Federal airways system are radar equipments to increase the effectiveness of air-traffic control;

improved communications facilities to extend the coverage of positive air-traffic control; very high frequency radio ranges to increase the en route capacity of the Federal airways; and aircraft with associated equipments to test and prove the accuracy of air navigation aids. The agency's plan for strengthening the Federal airways system is part of a 5-year program, which has been reviewed and concurred in by all agencies of the Government vitally concerned with aviation. The radar equipments constitute a large bulk of the total request for improvements of the system and are fundamental to relieving the congestion of large segments of terminal and en route air space.

The aviation safety program involves devising safe standards for more than 100,000 miles of airways, 59,600 active aircraft, 797,000 airmen, and 300 manufacturers of aircraft and parts. The industry now employs more than 1 million persons and furnishes air transportation to the equivalent of one-fifth of the Nation's population. To handle this growing volume of activity, no increase in the aviation safety program is planned. The increased workload requirements will need be met by either transferring additional responsibility to industry and/or delegating to responsible industry representatives authority to act on safety measures, based on a system of quality checks to insure compliance with CAA standards.

Public Law 211, 84th Congress, authorized the obligation of $63 million annually through 1959 for grants-in-aid for airports. This level of program will create substantially more workload than the authorized staffing is prepared to handle. To cope with the expanded volume of activity, an increase in staffing in the airports program will be required. It is planned to operate through the established district offices. No changes are planned in any of the airport activities that do not relate directly to the grant-in-aid work. From information available from eligible airport sponsors, it is clearly evident that sufficient funds will be available to match this level of Federal support in the development of a national system of airports. There is an associated item for liquidating contract authority already granted, which reflects the estimated amount of funds needed during fiscal year 1957.

The program for developing the equipments needed for the common civilmilitary use of air navigation and traffic-control facilities is planned on the basis of the Department of Commerce providing one-third of the total cost of the activity, including the full cost of administration.

Mr. THOMAS. May I repeat one or two sections of this.

Well that says a whole lot in a very few words. Here is another statement that bears repetition:

The workload of CAA is not controllable by the agency, but, rather, results from our national need for air defense and the dynamic growth of aviation and its influence on our national economy

and so forth.

The new facilities needed by CAA to permit full and safe utilization of these planes

which is indicated here to involve an expenditure of $100 billion over the next 10 years—

are only a fraction of 1 percent of their total cost. The agency plans have the concurrence of the airspace users and the CAA services that can be provided to assure safety in aviation are limited only by the availability of resources.

Mr. Reporter, will you follow that by inserting pages 206, 207, 208, and 209.

(The pages referred to follow :)