This Day in FAA History: December 30th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19601230: FAA and Air Force jointly announced a U.S. Air Force program to develop a long-range all-cargo aircraft designed to meet civil and military needs. Part of a program to modernize the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) with long-range jet transports, the aircraft was to be developed in such a way as to be qualified, upon completion, for immediate FAA certification as a commercial carrier. On December 17. 1963, the U.S. Air Force’s C-141A first flew, and on April 23, 1965, the Air Force accepted delivery of its first C0141. On January 19, 1965, FAA had type-certificated the civil version, the Lockheed Model 300-50AOl (StarLifter).
19631230: FAA made public a study completed for the agency by a private research firm with the cooperation of the Air Transport Association. The study concluded that airport surface congestion was the principal cause of airport delays, a finding that corroborated an August 1962 FAA staff study. The firm found that runways, taxiways, ramp space, and gate positions were inadequate for modern-day air traffic, particularly during the evening rush hour. Only about one in five flights encountered delay, however, and significant delays were concentrated within a relatively few large airports.
19681230: The data-processing capability of the NAS En Route Stage A system at the Jacksonville (Fla.) ARTCC went into operation on a part-time basis. The system’s new computer complex processed and automatically updated flight plans filed by pilots with the Jacksonville ARTCC area. (See May 24, 1965, and February 18, 1970.)
19871230: President Ronald Reagan signed the Airport and Airway Safety and Capacity Expansion Act, extending the authority for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for an additional five years. The legislation authorized $1.7 billion each fiscal year through 1990 and $1.8 billion each year for fiscal years 1991 and 1992 (see November 5, 1990, and October 31, 1992). Other provisions of the act included: authorization for a State Block Grant Pilot Program (see November 24, 1976, and October 1, 1989); a requirement that ten percent of the funds available under AIP be expended with the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program; a redefinition of primary airports to include all airports emplaning more than 10,000 passengers annually; expenditures for soundproofing public schools and hospitals without a noise compatibility study; and establishment of a discretionary fund set-aside for projects to enhance systemwide capacity, safety, security, and noise compatibility.
The act increased the maximum civil penalty for each safety violation by an airline or other commercial operator from $1,000 to $10,000. The legislation also authorized a two-year civil penalty demonstration program, which began on this day, permitting FAA to adjudicate civil penalty cases not to exceed $50,000. Subsequent legislation granted the program two extensions, ending on July 31, 1990 (see April 13, 1990).
19961230: The Research and Special Projects Administration (RSPA) published a rule permanently banning oxygen generators as cargo on passenger aircraft (see May 11, 1996). On the same day, RSPA published a rulemaking proposal to prohibit carriage of oxidizing materials and compressed oxygen on passenger aircraft, as well as on cargo aircraft if stored in inaccessible cargo compartments lacking fire detection and suppression equipment.
20131230: FAA announced the selection of the six public entities to develop UAS research and test sites around the country. These congressionally-mandated test sites would conduct critical research into the certification and operational requirements necessary to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace over the next several years. The sites included: University of Alaska; State of Nevada; New York’s Griffiss International Airport; North Dakota Department of Commerce; Texas A&M University; and Virginia Tech. (See November 7, 2013; April 21, 2014.)
20141230: FAA expanded its prohibition of certain flight operations in the Damascus FIR by all U.S. air carriers; U.S. commercial operators; persons exercising the privileges of a U.S. airman certificate, except when such persons operated a U.S. registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier; and operators of U.S.-registered civil aircraft, except when such operators were foreign air carriers. FAA previously prohibited such flight operations in NOTAM 4/4936, issued on August 18, 2014, which would have remained in effect until December 31, 2014. The SFAR adopted the prohibitions then in effect via the NOTAM, and required compliance with the prohibitions for 2 additional years unless FAA determined it was necessary to amend or rescind the rule based on the situation in the region. (See August 18, 2014; August 28, 2017.)