This Day in FAA History: October 11th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19471011: Trans-Texas Airways began operations as a local service carrier. The airline at first served routes within Texas, reached outside the state in 1953, and acquired routes to Mexico in 1966. It adopted the name Texas International Airlines following a change of ownership in 1968.
19471011: Representatives of 42 nations signed a convention in Washington, D.C., establishing the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which superseded the International Meteorological Organization. A focal point for international efforts toward such goals as common technical standards and a worldwide meteorological network, WMO became a specialized agency of the United Nations in December 1951.
19671011: A new prototype airport traffic control tower equipped with solid-state electronic equipment went into operation at Reid-Hillview Airport, San Jose, Calif. Designed primarily for small airports, such a tower provided the same services as towers with vacuum tube equipment, but at much less cost. The solid-state equipment was also more reliable, compact, easier to install, and required less maintenance.
19831011: An Air Illinois commuter flight crashed near Pinckneyville, Ill., killing all ten persons aboard. The National Transportation Safety Board later reported that the accident was caused by the pilot’s decision to continue the flight after loss of electrical power from both generators of his Hawker-Siddley 748. As contributory factors, the Safety Board cited inadequate aircrew training and FAA failure to prevent this inadequacy. Following the crash, FAA made changes designed to improve in its inspection procedures and inspector training.
On December 2, 1983, FAA announced a special surveillance of Air Illinois, and grounded the airline’s two largest aircraft on December 14. The next day, Air Illinois voluntarily ceased operations. FAA enforcement activity subsequently resulted in a series of other groundings of commuter and charter air carriers, some as a result of the National Air Transportation Inspection (see March 4, 1984).
20141011: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security began Ebola screening passengers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Enhanced screening began at Washington Dulles, Newark, Chicago O’Hare, and Atlanta International airports on October 14. CDC sent additional staff to each of the five airports. After passport review
* Travelers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone were escorted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agents to an area of the airport set aside for screening.
* Trained CBP staff would observe them for signs of illness, ask them a series of health and exposure questions and provide health information for Ebola as well as reminders to monitor themselves for symptoms. Trained medical staff took their temperature with a non-contact thermometer.
* If the travelers had fever, symptoms, or the health questionnaire revealed possible Ebola exposure, they would be evaluated by a CDC quarantine station public health officer. The public health officer would again take a temperature reading and make a public health assessment. Travelers, who after this assessment, were determined to require further evaluation or monitoring were referred to the appropriate public health authority.
* Travelers from these countries who had neither symptoms/fever nor a known history of exposure received health information for self-monitoring. (See August 18, 2014; October 11, 2014.)
20141011: Great Britain announced it planned to introduce measures at airports and rail terminals to screen passengers from countries affected by Ebola. Prime Minister David Cameron said enhanced screening would initially be implemented at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Eurostar terminals. Under the new screening procedures, travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea would be questioned about their travel history and could be assessed by medical personnel. (See October 11, 2014; October 21, 2014.)
20161011: FAA and local officials dedicated the new control tower at San Francisco International Airport. Located between Terminals 1 and 2, the tower featured a 147-foot-tall ribbon of glass running down the middle of the structure. The facility also included a three-story, 44,000 square-foot base building, which housed administrative offices, computer equipment, a backup generator, and secure corridors that allowed passengers to transit between terminals without affording access to the tower.
20191011: FAA announced the ADS-B rebate program for general aviation aircraft owners had ended. The agency had provided 20,000 rebates. (See October 12, 2018.)
20191011: The Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) team, staffed by representatives from nine civil aviation agencies and NASA, delivered its findings and recommendations to FAA after a five-month review. The JATR urged FAA to “review the B737 MAX compliance” with three regulations—Part 25.1329 (Flight Guidance System), 25.1581 (Airplane Flight Manual-General) and 25.201 (Stall Demonstration) “and ensure the consistent application and interpretation of regulatory guidance material for the system safety assessment, handling qualities rating method, and conformity requirements for engineering simulators and devices.” The task force found that FAA’s derivative certification approval process evaluated specific changes from a previous design, but did not always ensure if the changes had an adverse impact on unchanged areas. It also highlighted an insufficient amount of human factors expertise in the certification process. FAA Administrator Steve Dickson thanked the group and said he would “review every recommendation and take appropriate action.” The JATR’s 28 member team comprised representatives from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Transport Canada, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the European Aviation Safety Agency, Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority, FAA, and NASA. Former NTSB Chairman Chris Hart led the team. (See March 25, 2019; October 23, 2019.)
20221011: FAA announced it would publish 54 Global Positioning System (GPS)-guided routes in Alaska, allowing pilots to navigate direct flight paths at lower altitudes to avoid icing conditions. The 30 new and 24 amended Terminal Transition Routes, known as T-routes, are part of FAA’s Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative. Pilots use T-routes to navigate along specific points while flying under instrument flight rules (IFR) using approved GPS/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) equipment.