This Day in FAA History: June 5th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19270605: Charles A. Levine, a New York businessman, became the first person to cross the Atlantic by airplane as a passenger when he flew nonstop between New York and Germany in a Bellanca monoplane piloted by Clarence Chamberlin, whom he had sponsored.
19610605: FAA announced a program of improvements to Washington National Airport that would include easier highway access, upgraded baggage handling, enclosure of walkways, and a new taxiway near the North Terminal, a facility that had been added in 1958.
19630605: President Kennedy announced his decision to proceed with the development of a U.S. supersonic transport (SST) in an address at the Air Force Academy’s commencement exercises. In a June 14 letter to Congress, Kennedy wrote that the national interest required a U.S. SST superior to any comparable transport, and he formally recommended a program to develop such an aircraft. He suggested that private industry bear 25 percent of the development costs, with the Federal government paying the remaining 75 percent. To provide this Federal share, the President on June 24 requested Congress to appropriate $60 million. The money was subsequently included in FAA’s appropriation for fiscal 1964. (See January 16, 1963, and July 29, 1963.)
19630605: Administrator Halaby announced the establishment of an aviation mechanic safety awards program, to be administered by FAA in conjunction with the Flight Safety Foundation of New York City. Under the program, annual awards would honor airline and general aviation mechanics at state, regional, and national levels on the basis of their suggestions for improving either maintenance procedures or the mechanical reliability of aircraft and component systems. State aviation officials and representatives of FAA and industry would select the winners at the state and regional levels. FAA, the Flight Safety Foundation, and a committee of prominent members of the aviation community would select national winners.
19670605: The Boeing Company assumed from FAA responsibility for allocating supersonic transport (SST) delivery positions to purchasers (see November 19, 1963). At the same time, FAA raised the cost of reserving future positions from $200,000 to $750,000. The $750,000 deposit would be made directly to Boeing, would be in the form of risk capital, and would bear no interest. It would be used by Boeing in lieu of Federal funds to help finance the prototype program. Boeing agreed to honor the 113 delivery positions already allocated by FAA among 26 airlines. (See April 29, 1967, and January 15, 1968.)
19870605: FAA published a rule requiring airlines to develop and use approved programs to control the amount and size of carry-on baggage, with compliance by January 1, 1988. The agency specified that airlines must ensure that passengers did not bring excessive luggage aboard, and that all luggage was safely stowed prior to closing the last cabin door when preparing for takeoff. FAA’s regulation of carry-on bags had begun with a September 1967 requirement that passengers could take to their seats only items that could be securely stowed under a seat. The rules had subsequently evolved as cabin interiors changed.
19900605: FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive requiring modifications to the hydraulic system of certain DC-b0 aircraft to guard against possible loss of the flight control system. (See July 19, 1989.)
19980605: FAA ordered the retraining of 10,000 air traffic controllers nationwide. Two specific incidents and a general increase in controller errors nationwide prompted this action. An April 3 incident had not been revealed to the public, but shortly before the order was released, an Air Canada Airbus A320 jet, taking off from La Guardia, flew directly over a US Airways DC-9 jet as it broke off a landing. The two passenger jets came as close as 20 feet from colliding and the incident was widely reported. The agency ordered mandatory proficiency training for controllers working in airport towers handling takeoffs and landings.
19980605: Effective on this day, a FAA reorganization took place that
* Abolished two offices
– The Office of the Associate Administrator for Administration
– The Office of Business Information and Consultation.
* Established four offices
– Assistant Administrator for Financial Services/CFO
– Assistant Administrator for Financial Services/Director of Budget
– Assistant Administrator for Human Resource Management
– Assistant Administrator for Region/Center Operations.
* Moved two offices
– Office of Flight Oversight became Flight Standards Service under the Office of the Administrator for Regulation and Certification
– Moved the Washington Flight Program Office (Hangar Six) became the Aviation Systems Standards Office within the Airway Facilities organization.
* Transferred the duties of two offices
– The duties of the Freedom of Information Act Office were assumed within the Office of the Assistant Administrator for Region/Center Operations
– The duties of the Headquarters Facilities Management Office were assumed within the Office of Acquisitions under the Associate Administrator for Research and Acquisitions
20000605: FAA announced aircraft operators would be required to pay fees for air traffic control services provided to aircraft that operated in U.S. airspace, but did not take off or land in the United States. Unlike other aircraft operations, these overflights had not been paying for the FAA air traffic control services they received. The authority to charge fees to aircraft conducting U.S. overflights was contained in the Federal Aviation Reauthorization Act of 1996. The agency issued an interim final rule in 1997, but a U.S. Court of Appeals decision in January 1998 determined that FAA’s calculation of fees was inconsistent with the statute. Under the new rule, fees would be based on the distance flown through airspace under U.S. control. Overflights would be charged at the rate of $37.43 per 100 nautical miles in the en route environment, and $20.16 per 100 nautical miles in the oceanic environment. No charges would be assessed on military and civilian aircraft operated by the U.S. government or by a foreign government. In addition, users who incurred $250 or less in fees per month would not be charged for operations. (See May 19, 1997; August 1, 2000.)
20130605: Santa Monica, CA-based start-up airline Surf Air announced it had been certified by FAA. The new membership-based airline began flights on June 12. Surf Air offered all-you-can-fly service to its members. The airline had 150 members, each paying $1,350 per month to belong. The airline had another 4,000 people on its waiting list. The company flew Pilatus PC-12 aircraft, a single-engine turboprop plane, configured to seat six people. Its first route linked San Carlos and Burbank.
20170605: President Donald J. Trump announced plans to reform FAA by separating air traffic control from the agency into a non-profit, self-financing organization. On June 22, House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) introduced H.R. 2997, FAA reauthorization legislation that would separate air traffic control from FAA. On June 27, the full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the bill by a vote of 32 to 25. The bill did not go to the full House for a vote. (See February 3, 2016; September 28, 2017.)
20190605: FAA broke ground for a new air traffic control tower and terminal radar approach control facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, NC. FAA planned to invest $61 million in the new facility. The tower would be 180 feet tall, topped by a 550-square-foot tower cab to accommodate up to eight positions for air traffic controllers. The 15,650-square-foot base building would anchor the new tower and house the terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facility. FAA expected to commission the facility in 2020.
20190605: United Airlines debuted is Flight for the Planet aircraft, a Boeing 737- 900ER. The plane was the first known aircraft to use sustainable aviation biofuel, zero cabin waste efforts, and carbon offsetting. (See October 23, 2015; November 20, 2020.)
20200605: Indonesia’s largest low-cost airline Lion Air suspended all flights citing poor passenger carriage as travelers struggled to fulfill the strict requirements needed to fly during the pandemic. The announcement also affected Lion Air Group subsidiaries Batik Air and Wings Air. (See October 25, 2019.)