This Day in FAA History: July 23rd

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19350723: Britain’s Defense Research Committee received a key report on technology that became known as radar (radio detecting and ranging). By the time World War II began, Britain had established a chain of radar stations and equipped British aircraft with a device called IFF (identification, friend or foe) to help the radar stations distinguish British from hostile aircraft. (See June 30, 1945.)
19730723: An Ozark Airlines Fairchild-Hiller 227B crashed 2.3 miles from St. Louis airport, killing 38 of the 44 persons aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board cited the probable cause as encounter with a downdraft following the captain’s decision to conduct an instrument approach during a thunderstorm. This decision was probably influenced by lack of a timely severe weather warning from the National Weather Service and the improper assessment of weather conditions by flightcrew and flight dispatcher. The Board’s recommendations included a system to improve the dissemination of severe weather information. (See May 19, 1977.)
19770723: The United States and the United Kingdom signed the “Bermuda II” agreement governing civil air services between the two countries. Negotiations had been completed a month earlier, only shortly before an impending cessation of U.S.-U.K. air travel. On June 22, 1976, the British had given a year’s notice of the termination of the original, landmark Bermuda pact (see February 11, 1946). Among their objectives were to increase their share of transatlantic passenger revenue by instituting capacity restrictions and to curtail American air carriers’ “fifth freedom” rights to fly passengers east from London and west from Hong Kong. The U.S. negotiating team, led by former Secretary of Transportation Alan S. Boyd, argued for open competition. The resulting compromise: placed limits on American fifth-freedom rights; restricted situations in which more than one U.S. carrier served the same U.S.-U.K. route; and established a procedure that governments might use to control capacity. On the other hand, the treaty opened new routes for airlines of both countries, allowed the entrance of new carriers into the U.S.-U.K. market, and resulted in lower fares. (See September 26, 1977 and March 10, 1978.)
19980723: FAA proposed new measures to reduce potential ignition sources in Boeing 747 center wing tanks. The proposed airworthiness would require operators of Boeing 747 aircraft registered in the U.S. to take the following actions
* Inspect the center fuel tank to detect damage, disbonding or incorrect installation of wiring and components.
* Test to ensure the electrical bonding of center fuel tank components to the aircraft’s structure is within limits, reworking it if necessary.
* On certain 747s, measure the insulation resistance of the fuel quantity indication system (FQIS) to ensure that it is within limits. Also on certain aircraft, operators would have to replace FQIS components with new hardware, and replace silver-plated FQIS wires with new nickel-plated wiring.
* In certain airplanes, install a flame arrestor into the inlet line of the scavenge pumps of the center fuel tank.
Under the proposed rule, replacement of the FQIS components and wiring would have to be done within 24 months, or 20 years from the date the plane was built, which ever would be later. All other actions would have to be accomplished within 24 months. The rule would require operators to report inspection results to Boeing within ten days. (See May 10, 1998; August 11, 1998.)
20110723: FAA furloughed 4,000 employees and stopped work on a number of airport improvement projects when Congress failed to pass the 21st reauthorization extension for the agency. The employees, paid out of the aviation trust fund, included engineers, scientists, administrative assistants, computer specialists, program managers and analysts, environmental protection specialists, and community planners. Congress passed an extension of FAA’s reauthorization on August 4, allowing FAA employees to return to work. On September 13, the House passed the 22nd extension; the Senate passed the bill for the four-month extension on September 15. The bill extended then current funding levels through January 31, 2012. (See February 22, 2013.)
20110723: FAA dedicated a new, 254-foot-tall airport traffic control tower at Dayton International Airport.
20170723: FAA restructured its aircraft certification service, which realigned the organization based on function. The organization was structured into five functionally-aligned divisions
* Policy and Innovation – to improve standards and policy with a particular focus on enabling new technology and innovative business models;
* Compliance and Airworthiness – to maintain and improve the record for certifying and assuring continued airworthiness of specific products;
* System Oversight – to coordinate and integrate safety oversight for the aircraft design and manufacturing community.
* Organizational Performance – to monitor performance relative to internal metrics and leads in planning and implementing strategic changes to improve performance;
* Enterprise Operations – to provide core services including human resources, finance, information management, and workforce development support to assure effective management of resources needed to accomplish the Service’s mission.
An executive director led the organization and is supported by two deputies. One deputy focused on tactical regulatory operations and the other is focused on strategic initiatives.
20190723: Effective this date, FAA expanded the use of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) to recreational drone uses. LAANC was previously available only to commercial operators. Drone hobbyists could use LAANC to obtain near real-time authorization to fly below 400 feet in controlled airspace around airports. Through the LAANC system, operators request flight authorizations using mobile applications offered by FAA-approved UAS Service Suppliers. The apps match flight plans with airspace grids on FAA UAS facility maps that depict preapproved areas and altitudes where a drone can safely fly. (See October 1, 2018; November 21, 2019.)