This Day in FAA History: May 14th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19650514: The formation of a 12-member NASA-FAA Coordinating Board for the exchange of research and development information and for joint planning of related activities was announced. The aim of the Board was to strengthen the coordination, planning, and exchange of information between the two agencies.
19690514: Hamburger Flugzeubau GmbH and Messerschmitt-Bolkow GmbH merged to form Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm, the largest aerospace concern in Germany.
19710514: In United States v. Lopez, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York declared FAA’s antihijacking profile system constitutional (see July 17, 1970). The court found that the system had provided the “reasonable suspicion” required to justify a personal search. On another key point, that of the characteristics contained in the profile for identifying potential hijackers, the Court said that careful adherence to the absolute objectivity and neutrality of the system as designed would avoid discrimination on the basis of religion, origin, race, or political views.
The case arose when two men preparing to board a New York-San Juan flight were arrested and charged with concealing a packet of narcotics. Charges against one of the men were dropped. The other man–the defendant in this case–was acquitted on a motion to suppress the evidence, which the court found had been gathered outside the government’s system to deter and apprehend hijackers.
19730514: In Burbank v. Lockheed Air Terminal, the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited states and municipalities from using their police powers to impose curfews on jet aircraft operations. The City of Burbank, Calif., had passed an ordinance banning turbojet takeoffs and landings between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. at the Hollywood-Burbank Airport, a privately owned and operated facility. Pointing to the Noise Control Act of 1972 (see October 27, 1972), the Supreme Court concluded that the noise-regulatory powers granted by Congress to FAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were so pervasive that the Federal government had preempted state and local authority. The Court also noted that upholding the ordinance could lead to “fractionalized control” of takeoffs and landings that would severely limit FAA’s flexibility in controlling air traffic. Under the Federal Aviation Act, air traffic control had been preempted by FAA. Thus, the Court concluded, it was “not at liberty to diffuse the powers given by Congress to FAA and EPA . . . . If that change is to be made, Congress alone must do it.” In what came to be known as the “Burbank exception,” however, the Court stated that the Burbank decision applied to the exercise of police power, and did not pertain to “what limits, if any, apply to a municipality as a proprietor.” (See March 5, 1962, and October 17, 1977.)
19730514: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Project Skylab orbited the first U.S. space station, designated the Orbital Workshop (see April 19, 1971). The Workshop was damaged during the launch, but astronauts were able to make repairs during the first of three flights to the station during 1973. The station later disintegrated when it entered the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris along a path from the Indian Ocean to western Australia.
19870514: President Reagan announced his nomination of Lawrence M. Hecker as FAA’s Deputy Administrator. The nominee was a former pilot and vice president of flight operations for Western Airlines. Hecker withdrew his candidacy in September because the Senate failed to act on the nomination.
19910514: DOT completed the LORAN-C long range navigation system by closing the mid-continent coverage gap. (See June 2, 1986.)
19910514: As the Gulf crisis waned, DOT announced that airport security measures would soon be adjusted to a modified Level 2, a transition that was completed by May 27. The Defense Department deactivated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) Level 2 on May 17, then deactivated Level 1 on May 24. During Operation Desert Shield/Storm, 27 U.S. carriers had flown 5,441 CRAF missions, carrying 709,000 people and 126,000 tons of equipment and supplies. (See January 16, 1991.)
19970514: FAA awarded a contract worth up to $250 million for computer support services to the Department of Agriculture’s National Information Technology Center. The center would establish the Integrated Computing Environment – Mainframe and Networking (ICE-MAN) system, a follow-on to the computer resource nucleus contract. May 20, due to questions raised by industry about this controversial government-togovernment award, the FAA associate administrator for research and acquisitions suspended work on the ICE-MAN contract. FAA’s ICE-MAN acquisition team and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials reviewed the original contract, and determined that the program met OMB’s A-76 guidelines. June 10, FAA lifted the suspension on the contract and formally announced resumption on June 20, 1997. Agriculture delayed resumption of work until the deadline for appeals had passed.
19970514: FAA issued an airworthiness directive requiring operators to check an engine fire switch override button on Boeing 777s.
19970514: The Air Transport Association stated that its members would begin installing fire suppression systems in cargo holds of passenger planes. The first of these might be installed in the last quarter of 1997, and the program would take five years to complete its work. FAA reportedly proposed to require the action within three years. (See November 14, 1996; June 10, 1997.)
20090514: FAA proposed to rescind the October 10, 2008, final rules regarding slots at three New York airports citing the impact of the Omnibus Appropriations Act on the rule and the state of the economy in general. The comment period closed June 15, 2009. FAA received five sets of comments, all of which supported rescission of the rule. October 9, 2009, FAA rescinded the final rules. (See March 11, 2009; June 17, 2009.)
20120514: FAA announced interim rules allowing public safety agencies to fly drones weighing as much as 25 pounds without applying for special approval needed under previous regulations. The rule required agencies to show they could operate a drone before getting a FAA permit. Drones had to fly within 400 feet of the ground, remain in sight of the operator, and stay clear of airports. FAA also streamlined its approval process for the special certificates it required for other agencies to fly drones and for flying larger drones. The new application process expedited approvals for time-sensitive emergency missions and included a procedure allowing for applicant appeals if a permit request was denied. (See June 9, 2010; February 14, 2012.)