Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19630426: A split occurred within the Air Line Pilots Association, resulting in the formation of a separate union, the Allied Pilots Association, that gained the right to represent the pilots of American Airlines.
19710426: Intercom noted that Ruth M. Dennis would become the first woman to serve as chief of a Flight Service Station when she reported to the San Diego FSS during the week. Dennis had joined the Civil Aeronautics Authority in 1944.
19740426: FAA began an in-depth inspection of the worldwide flight operations of Pan American World Airways following the April 22 crash of a Pan Am Boeing 707 into a mountain in Bali, Indonesia. The Bali accident, in which all 107 persons aboard died, followed three other Pan Am 707 crashes: Tahiti, July 23, 1973; Boston, November 3, 1973 (see entry for June 7, 1973); and Pago Pago, January 31, 1974 (see that date).
19990426: FAA ordered operators to inspect for and correct possible fatigue cracks in the aft pressure bulkheads located near the tails of certain Boeing 737 aircraft. Stemming from reports of fatigue cracks on these components in some Boeing 737-200 models, the airworthiness directive applied to Boeing 737-100 through -500 aircraft. In some cases, to comply with the AD, operators had to perform a low-frequency eddy current inspection from the rear of the pressure bulkhead. In other instances, visual inspections from the front of the bulkhead were deemed sufficient.
19990426: FAA, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), and Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS) jointly announced a revised implementation plan for the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS). The plan focused on developing the full STARS as soon as possible while simultaneously meeting short-term requirements for controller displays at a small number of FAA facilities. Under the revised plan, the first STARS would go into the terminal radar control (TRACON) facilities in Syracuse, New York, and El Paso, Texas. Initially, these sites would receive the early display configuration of STARS. In parallel, development would continue on the full STARS, which would include a new computer system. Once STARS had the capability to handle the needs of higher-level facilities, it would be deployed throughout the country. (See October 30, 1997; August 3, 1999.)
20050426: FAA began a two-day forum with aviation industry representatives to discuss changing the way FAA was funded. The agency wanted to initiate debate on a variety of funding alternatives. At the time, FAA was drawing much more of its annual budget from the aviation trust fund than from the government’s general fund. The aviation trust fund, however, was due for congressional reauthorization in 2007. Attendance at the forum was by invitation only, and media were not admitted. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey, Department of Transportation Inspector General Kenneth Mead, and other FAA officials addressed the forum. Representatives of other countries’ aviation systems talked about their own funding models. One funding proposal under consideration was allowing FAA raise public debt to replace and modernize aviation infrastructure.
20070426: FAA proposed new standards to ensure timely activation of airframe ice protection systems on Part 25 aircraft. The proposal would require manufacturers to provide a means to alert the flight crew when an ice protection system should be activated. The proposal stipulated three options for hazard detection and activation of the ice protection system: supplying a primary ice detection system that would activate automatically to alert the flightcrew of realized danger; supplying visual cues that, together with an advisory ice detection system, would alert the flight crew of the first signs of ice accretion; or supplying technology that would identify external conditions conducive to icing and advise the flightcrew to be prepared to activate the protective system.
20100426: Controllers at Philadelphia International Airport began using ADS-B as part of the FAA demonstration program. (See January 12, 2010; June 24, 2010.)
20180426: FAA issued an airworthiness certificate to Slovenia-based light aircraft maker Pipistrel for its Alpha Electro all-electric plane. The two-seat electric trainer, tailored to the needs of flight schools, had an all-composite body with electric motor and 20 kWh battery packs. (See April 10, 2018; June 6, 2019.)
20230426: FAA named a new independent National Airspace System Safety Review Team to examine ways to enhance safety and reliability in the nation’s air traffic system. The team expected to complete its work by October 2023. (See November 15, 2023.) Team members included
20230426: • Former NASA Administrator and astronaut Charles Bolden Jr.
20230426: • Former Air Line Pilots Association, International President Captain Tim Canoll
20230426: • Former National Air Traffic Controllers Association Executive Vice President Patricia Gilbert
20230426: • Former FAA Chief Operating Officer David Grizzle
20230426: • Former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta
20230426: • Former NTSB Chair Robert Sumwalt