\IKn\U riCS .ND rRANSPORTATION 757 



\tur a number of battles over the years with the Senate, which 

 had traditionally funded a much lower figure for aeronautics, the 

 joyful news arrived in 19~4 that the Senate not only had adopted all of 

 the House increases in aeronautics but also had added $1.1 million 

 on top ot th.it for "supersonic research technology." This made it an 

 easy matter to "give in" to the Senate increase, in contrast to the 

 bloody confrontations of past years which usually ended 111 stalemates 

 and the splitting of the difference. The phrase "supersonic research 

 technology" was one which always caused some trouble on the House- 

 floor as some Members were apprehensive that it connoted a revival of 

 the supersonic transport plane which had been killed by a vote of 

 Congress. This item was annually challenged by Representative 

 H. R. Gross (Republican of Iowa \ and in recent years by Representa- 

 tive led Weiss (Democrat of New York), without success. NASA's 

 research was concentrated on providing an advanced technology base 

 for possible future civil and military supersonic cruise aircraft, as well 

 as data on economic and environmental impacts of present and future 

 United States and foreign supersonic cruise aircraft. 



In the final year of Hechler's chairmanship of the subcommittee 

 in 19"4, two more sets of hearings were held and reports issued in the 

 area ot general aviation and aircraft noise abatement. They represented 

 a continuing pressure in these areas to expand research and develop- 

 ment to focus greater attention on the problems and potentialities 

 involved. 



GENERAL AVIATION 



The oversight hearings on general aviation were held on May 14 

 and 15, followed by a field trip to general aviation manufacturers in 

 Kansas on May 31 and June 1, 1974. The hearings were made more 

 meaningful through the active participation of two general aviation 

 pilots serving on the subcommittee, Goldwater and Parris. Two full 

 committee members who took part in the hearings lent their expertise 

 as pilots — Milford and Cronin. Parris chaired the hearings. The sub- 

 committee concluded that much of the technology in the 1970's had 

 been developed through the leadership of the National Advisory 

 Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the 1930's and 1940's, necessi- 

 tating an updating and concentration on new technological break- 

 throughs to keep pace with future demands in such areas as noise, 

 safety, and exhaust emissions. The subcommittee had long felt that 

 general aviation was being treated as a stepchild by NASA. Having 

 spurred NASA to give more visibility to the general aviation R. & D. 

 program through the establishment of a separate office, the subcommit- 

 tee continued to exert leadership toward more emphasis in this area. 



