This Day in FAA History: October 18th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19551018: CAA announced new policies regarding airport grants in a booklet entitled “Federal-Aid Airport Program Policies and Procedures.” Airports were to be considered eligible for matching Federal funds on the basis of the actual or potential aeronautical need of the community rather than, as previously, according to a level of activity equivalent to 3,000 annually enplaned passengers or 30 based aircraft. Airport terminal buildings, and any other buildings (except hangars) that were necessary to serve the public, were eligible for Federal aid. Federal funds could also be used to share the cost of automobile parking areas required for users of the airport. (See August 3, 1955, and January 21, 1959.)
19601018: FAA announced a comprehensive project to consolidate and simplify aviation safety regulations. The regulations had evolved without a coordinated plan, and interested persons might have to consult as many as 11 different publications to secure the desired information. Redundant and obsolete provisions and unnecessarily complicated or technical language also made it difficult to use the regulations. The purpose of the project was to eliminate these faults without changing the substance of the regulations. (See November 1, 1937, and August 31, 1961.)
19641018: FAA dedicated the Aviation Records Building at the Aeronautical Center, Oklahoma City.
19771018: FAA required operators of certificated airports to provide emergency medical plans for medical assistance, transportation, and crowd control for an emergency involving the largest aircraft that might reasonably be expected to serve their airports. FAA based the action on deficiencies discovered in a random review of airport emergency plans. (See May 21, 1973, and November 9, 1987.)
19791018: The first prototype of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series made its initial flight. Originally designated the DC-9 Super 80, the aircraft was a “stretched” derivative of the DC-9. The MD-80 received FAA type certification on August 26, 1980, and the first production aircraft was delivered to Swissair on September 12, 1980.
19841018: Vice President George Bush was involved in a near midair collision (NMAC) near Seattle when the crew of Air Force Two was forced to take evasive action due to their failure to sight an aircraft flying under visual flight rules. On September 30, 1984, Air Force Two had been involved in a less serious incident when a controller in Ohio allowed it to come too close to another aircraft. (See January 11, 1985.)
20011018: Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced that beginning the following Friday, October 26, flights at Reagan National Airport would be expanded to include 18 more cities, bringing to 26 the number of cities served by the airport after the president authorized its reopening. (See October 13, 2001; November 19, 2001.)
20101018: FAA broke ground for a new air traffic control tower at the Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, MD. Approximately 200 general aviation aircraft were based at Frederick Municipal Airport, a reliever airport for Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The airport handled more than 135,000 aircraft operations annually.
20121018: Officials dedicated a runway extension at the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria (IL) International Airport. A FAA grant paid for the majority of the approximately $950,000 project, which allowed larger turbine powered aircraft to use the airport.
20161018: FAA and federal and local officials dedicated the new air traffic control tower at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. The facility included a 352 foot tall air traffic control tower and a 59,000 square-foot base building, which housed the TRACON, air traffic control training simulators, administrative offices, and equipment.
20161018: Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced a number of actions to enhance protections for air travelers and promote competition in the airline industry. The announced actions included (See July 24, 2012)
* Requiring Refunds for Delayed Baggage
* Expanding the Number of Carriers Required to Report Data
* Requiring the Reporting of Data on Flights Operated by Code-Share Partners
* Providing Consumers with a Clearer Picture of Baggage Delivery
* Prohibiting Undisclosed Bias by Airlines and Online Ticket Agents
* Protecting Air Travelers with Disabilities
* Giving Consumers a Voice by extending its advisory committee for aviation consumer protection. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu was selected to serve as chair of the committee (See November 15, 2018.)
20171018: CNN reported it had received a Part 107 waiver from FAA allowing it to fly a small UAS over groups of people – the first FAA waiver of its kind. (See June 21, 2017; October 25, 2017.)
20181018: FAA announced U.S. airlines and code-share partners could resume flights at three Ukrainian airports and over parts of the Black Sea, citing improved safety and security in parts of Ukraine. The agency had barred flights over the war zones of the Crimea and Ukraine in April 2014, and expanded prohibitions after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down while it flew over eastern Ukraine, killing nearly 300 people on board. FAA said it would maintain prohibitions on flights over the Crimea and parts of Ukraine. It would, however, allow takeoffs and landings at Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia international airports in Ukraine. (See July 17, 2014.)
20191018: Wing Aviation and FedEx Express completed the first scheduled package delivery by drone to a house in Christiansburg, VA. The delivery by Wing’s Hummingbird aircraft made use of the first Part 135 air carrier certificate granted by the FAA for a drone operation.
20221018: FAA and the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) signed a Declaration of Cooperation to support future Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft development and operation. The declaration continues the safety agencies’ long partnership and formalizes ongoing discussions on certifying and validating new AAM aircraft, production, continued airworthiness, operations, and personnel licensing.