In 1930 Washington was a city of just under a half million people. It was the seat of a limited government that was on the brink of expansion with Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” an expansion that continues with few slowdowns to the present day. To some extent, the interest of this story stems from Washington’s subsequent growth and prominence in American life.
Our main concern here is Washington’s collection of airports that Chet Warrington used in his aviation activities.
Although Washington was endowed with a good number of airports, three of them play a principal role in our story:
- College Park Airport, the oldest continuing airport in the U.S. and site of many of the air shows that Chet organised and oversaw;
- Washington-Hoover Airport, the capital’s first “main” airport; and
- Congressional Airport in Rockville, Maryland.
Other airports noted around the Washington area in our story are as follows (see map for location):
- Hybla Valley. North of Mt. Vernon, labelled as “Alexandria.”
- Beacon. Southwest of Alexandria.
- Intermediate 57-B. West of Bowie, MD, labelled as “Bowie.
Chet Aero Marine 