This Day in FAA History: December 17th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19351217: The Douglas DC-3 first flew. One of the most successful aircraft in history, the DC-3 was the first plane that allowed airlines to begin basing their profits squarely on passenger service rather than on carrying mail. The Bureau of Air Commerce certificated this aircraft on May 21, 1936, and American Airlines became the first to place it in service (using the berth-equipped DST version) on June 25, 1936. By 1942, the DC-3 represented 80 percent of the U.S. airline fleet. When production of the DC-3 and its modifications ended in 1945, 10,926 aircraft had been built, 803 as commercial airliners, and the rest as military versions (called C-47 in the U.S. Army, R4D in the U.S. Navy, Dakota or Dakota I by the British).
19401217: The first annual observance of Pan American Aviation Day took place in accordance with legislation enacted on October 10 (see December 17, 1963).
19471217: A prototype of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet made its maiden flight. Designed for the War Department as a bomber, the aircraft had thin swept wings and six externally mounted jet engines. The B-47A entered service with the Air Force in May 1951. The Air Force retired the last B-47 operated as a bomber on February 11, 1966, but B-47s continued in service as weather reconnaissance and research aircraft.
19631217: As a result of a congressional joint resolution and a Presidential proclamation,Wright Brothers Day occurred for the first time as a continuing annual observance on this 60th anniversary of the brothers’ epocal first flight. (The anniversary had previously received this official designation on a onetime basis for the year 1959.) December 17 also remained Pan American Aviation Day (see December 17, 1940).
Also on this date in 1963, “First Flight Airport” was dedicated at Kill Devil Hills, N.C., near the scene of the achievement commemorated in the facility’s name. To build this general aviation airport, contributions of $44,444 each were made by the state of North Carolina, FAA, and the National Park Service.
19721217: FAA Administrator John H. Shaffer received the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, presented by the National Aeronautic Association for outstanding contributions to aviation. Shaffer was the first FAA chief to win the prestigious award while holding office.
19731217: Arab terrorists used incendiaries to kill 30 passengers aboard a Pan American airliner at Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. They then killed a guard, hijacked a Lufthansa jet, murdered a passenger in Greece, and eventually surrendered in Kuwait.
19731217: An Iberia Airlines DC-10 crashed on landing at Boston’s Logan Airport, causing injuries but no fatalities. Information from the aircraft’s digital flight data recorder helped the National Transportation Safety Board establish the presence of wind shear (an abrupt shift in wind speed or direction). Study of the accident led to a new understanding and awareness of the wind shear hazard. (See June 24, 1975.)
19911217: FAA published a rule to establish six classes of airspace designated by a single letter, in conformance with the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization. The new designations and their equivalents under the existing system were: Class A (Postive Control Area); Class B (Terminal Control Area); Class C (Airport Radar Service Area); Class D (Airport Traffic Area, and Control Zone); Class E (General Controlled Airspace); and Class G (Uncontrolled Airspace). The new system became effective on September 16, 1993.
19921217: The United States, Canada, and Mexico concluded the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The U.S. Congress approved implementation of NAFTA by passing P.L. 103-182, signed into law on December 8, 1993. On May 20, 1994, FAA Administrator Hinson and his counterparts from Mexico and Canada held a trilateral meeting as a first step in a continuing process aimed at increasing cooperation on a variety of aviation issues.
19931217: Continental Express began the first FAA-approved use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for non-precision airport approaches in operations at Aspen and Steamboat Springs, Colo. Four days later, DOT announced the report of a joint DOT/DOD task force on the GPS. The task force recommended that DOT should take a stronger role in managing the DOD-controlled system, and that technical steps be taken to improve the integrity and availability of GPS for all transportation modes. (See October 14, 1992, and February 17, 1994.)
19961217: FAA unveiled a $500,000. public education campaign using the slogan “Turbulence Happens.” The campaign promoted seatbelt use by airplane passengers (see June 20, 1995). It also reinforced FAA’s recommendation that children weighing under 40 lb. were safest in a certified child restraint system when flying (see June 8, 1995).
19981217: FAA’s small airplane directorate issued the first U.S. type certificate for a Russian type design, clearing the way for import into the United States. The type certificate was issued at a ceremony at the Ilyushin plant attended by senior Russian officials and by U.S. Ambassador James Collins. An all-metal, two-seat propeller-driven aircraft powered by a single 210 HP Teledyne Continental Motors IO-360ES engine with a Hartzell propeller, the Ilyushin IL-103 was issued Certificate Number A45CE. It was certified in the utility category.
20081217: FAA approved the charter of a new Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) created for the purpose of consulting with FAA regarding the cost of providing air traffic control and related services to overflights, and providing advice and recommendations to the administrator regarding the future level of FAA’s overflight fees. (See June 21, 2002; September 28, 2010.)
20201217: FAA and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced an agreement to establish a flight corridor for testing civil supersonic aircraft. The Kansas Supersonic Transportation Corridor (SSTC), a 770-nm, racetrack-shaped flight route, ran the length of the state at Flight Level 390 (39,000 ft.) and above. Located in low-volume airspace just north of the Kansas-Oklahoma border, the route supported sustained flight speeds to Mach 3 and was within reach of numerous airports. Aircraft entered the SSTC at specific points and operators were required to clear flight routes prior to takeoff. The KDOT Division of Aviation, FAA’s Central Region and its Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center, and Lemasters Group Consulting wrote new procedures to provide safety margins during supersonic flights.