This Day in FAA History: May 12th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19450512: CAA announced the iniation of tests to determine the radius of interference from low- and high-frequency radio stations on radio reception by airplanes. The tests were considered highly important because of their general applicability to the airport construction program being considered by Congress.
19770512: Administrator Bond imposed an agency-wide hiring and promotion freeze. At FAA’s national Headquarters and its Metropolitan Washington Airports office, the freeze affected both external and internal hiring. Field offices, however, could fill positions from within FAA, as long as promotions were not involved. The few exceptions to these rules included hiring required to meet air traffic training schedules. To further trim back Washington Headquarters personnel, Bond later instituted a field placement program between March 27 and October 24, 1978. Under the program, field offices could not fill vacancies until it was determined that qualified candidates were available at the Washington Headquarters. During his tenure, Bond succeeded in reducing overall FAA employment from 58,081 at the end of fiscal year 1977 to 55,340 on December 30, 1981. During the same period, Washington Headquarters personnel fell from 2,683 to 2,069.
19800512: Maxie and Kris Anderson, father and son, completed what is considered the first nonstop balloon crossing of the North American continent, after a four-day flight from Fort Baker, Calif. They landed at Matane, on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula, about 160 miles from the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
19820512: Braniff International Airways suspended operations, quickly filing for protection under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. (See March 1, 1984.)
19970512: FAA announced its selection of the FAA/NASA Joint University Program for Air Transportation to receive the first Excellence in Aviation Research award.
19970512: FAA proposed an airworthiness directive requiring ice detector systems on Embraer 120 aircraft. (See January 9, 1997.)
19970512: FAA proposed converting two flight-free zones over the Grand Canyon into new flight corridors. The agency stated that one of these was to be an “incentive corridor” for quieter aircraft, and the other was intended to address Native American concerns by preventing overflights of their cultural properties and sacred sites. (See February 21, 1997; May 19, 1997.)
20100512: U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the members of a new committee on the future of the U.S. aviation industry. He had formally created the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee in March to provide information, advice, and recommendations principally on five issue areas: ensuring aviation safety; ensuring a world-class aviation workforce; balancing the industry’s competitiveness and viability; securing stable funding for aviation systems; and addressing environmental challenges and solutions. The members selected represented airlines, airports, labor, manufacturers, environment, finance, academia, consumer interests, and general aviation stakeholders. Susan Kurland, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the Department of Transportation, chaired the committee, which included: Juan J. Alonso, Associate Professor, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University; Susan M. Baer, Director, Aviation Department, Port Authority of NY/NJ; David Barger, President and CEO, JetBlue Airways Corporation; Bryan K. Bedford, Chairman, President and CEO, Republic Airways; Severin Borenstein, Professor, HAAS School of Business, University of California, Berkeley; Thella F. Bowens, President and CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority; John M. Conley, International Administrative Vice President and Air Transport Division Director, Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO; Cynthia M. Egnotovich, Segment President, Nacelles and Interior Systems, Goodrich Corporation; Patricia A. Friend, International President, Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO; Robert L. Lekites, President, UPS Airlines; Ana McAhron-Schulz, Director of Economic and Financial Analysis, Air Line Pilots Association; William J. McGee, Consultant to the Consumers Union; Daniel McKenzie, U.S. Airlines Research Analyst, Hudson Securities; Jack J. Pelton, Chairman, President and CEO, Cessna Aircraft Company; Nicole W. Piasecki, Vice President, Business Development, Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Raul Regalado, President and CEO, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority; Glenn F. Tilton, Chairman, President and CEO, UAL Corporation; and Christopher J. Williams, Chairman and CEO, The Williams Capital Group. The committee held its first meeting on May 25. (See December 15, 2010.)