Author: ENDaviationinequity

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19660128: FAA published a rule requiring a life preserver or some other approved flotation device for each occupant of large aircraft used by air carriers or other commercial operators in all overwater operations. The compliance deadline was March 1, 1967, subsequently extended to September 1, 1967. Such devices had already been required for operations of large aircraft conducted over water at a horizontal distance of more than 50 miles from the nearest shoreline. (See January 4, 1965.)
19750128: The Secretary’s Task Force on the FAA Safety Mission convened to examine FAA’s organizational structure, management, and performance on safety issues. Secretary Claude S. Brinegar had appointed this special ten-person panel in response to criticism of FAA on such matters as the crash of TWA Flight 514 and the DC-10 cargo door problem (see December 1 and December 27, 1974).

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19590127: The Convair 880 (Model 22) first flew. On May 1, 1960, FAA certificated this four-engine medium-range jet airliner with a maximum capacity of 110 passengers. The plane, built by General Dynamics Corporation, entered scheduled service on May 15, 1960, with Delta Air Lines.
19650127: The National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on Supersonic Transport Sonic Boom concluded that prototype development of a supersonic transport (SST) was “clearly warranted” by evidence from research, tests, and studies of sonic boom phenomena (see July 1, 1965). This finding was largely based on data collected by FAA in the Oklahoma City area (see February 3, 1964).
On April 25, 1965, FAA made public a summary of its Oklahoma City sonic boom study, in which U.S. Air Force jets had subjected residents to 1,253 booms during daylight hours.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19720126: FAA began a series of briefings for manufacturers as part of a new program to promote the export of U.S. aeronautical goods and services. The action was a response to requests by aeronautical manufacturers for the government to develop mechanisms to help them deal with stiffening foreign competition in world markets. The program involved: providing information on export opportunities through reports on the implementation of regional air navigation plans of the International Civil Aviation Organization; and formulating plans for eventual revision of bilateral airworthiness agreements as a way of facilitating U.S. exports and promoting worldwide commonality in airworthiness standards. (See Calendar year 1974.)
19830126: FAA announced that a year-long demonstration of the Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) would begin at selected airports later in the year. The demonstration was a step toward FAA’s goal of developing an unmanned weather station that would employ standard weather sensors working in tandem with data processing equipment to produce weather observations for dissemination to pilots, controllers, and other users.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19300125: American Airways was formed out of a group of carriers that had operated separately under the Aviation Corporation (AVCO), a holding company chartered on March 3, 1929. American Airways changed its name to American Airlines on April 11, 1934.
19300125: An amendment to the Air Commerce Regulations set 500 feet as the minimum altitude at which aircraft might fly, except when landing and taking off.
19590125: Transcontinental jet airliner service began as American Airlines inaugurated Boeing 707 flights between New York and Los Angeles. The new service also made American the first U.S. airline to begin domestic scheduled jet flights using its own aircraft (see October 4, 1958).

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19610124: The Convair 990 (model 30) first flew. On December 15, FAA certificated the four-engine jet airliner of medium-to-long range with a maximum capacity of 121 passengers. The plane, built by General Dynamics Corporation, entered scheduled service on March 9, 1963, with Swissair.
19740124: A U.S. appeals court issued a decision upholding the Age-60 rule (see March 15, 1960). The court held that FAA rules that apply generally, even though they affect individuals, do not require an adjudicatory proceeding before being adopted. The case grew out of a petition filed with FAA on June 5, 1970, by the Air Line Pilots Association.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19810123: Drew Lewis became Secretary of Transportation, succeeding Neil E. Goldschmidt with the change of administrations. President Reagan had nominated Lewis on December 11, 1980, and the Senate had confirmed the nomination on January 22, 1981. A business management specialist from Philadelphia, Lewis first came to national attention in 1974, when he made an unsuccessful run for governor of Pennsylvania. He had served as Deputy Chairman of the Republican National Committee prior to accepting the Transportation cabinet post. (See December 28, 1982.)
19820123: In a night landing too far down an icy runway at Boston’s Logan airport, a World Airways DC-10 slid over the edge of a seawall and into shallow harbor water. The nose section separated from the fuselage, and two passengers seated at the separation point were later found to be missing and presumed drowned.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19350122: The Bureau of Air Commerce appointed an inspector in South America to renew licenses for U.S. airmen and aircraft of U.S. registry.
19350122: The Federal Aviation Commission (see July 11, 1934) submitted its report to the President, recommending the establishment of an independent Air Commerce Commission that would eventually be absorbed, along with agencies regulating other forms of transportation, into an overall transportation agency.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19350121: After closely following the work of the Federal Aviation Commission (see July 11, 1934, and January 22, 1935), Senator Pat McCarran (D-Nev.) introduced a bill (S. 1932) to create a Civil Aeronautics Commission to regulate the economic phases of both scheduled air transportation and aircraft operations in furtherance of a business. Safety regulation of civil aviation would also be turned over to this commission, but the Secretary of Commerce would retain his duties under existing law with regard to airways and air navigation facilities. (See June 7, 1935.)
19510121: CAA created an Office of Aviation Defense Requirements to administer priorities and allocations for civil aviation under the Defense Production Act of 1950.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19530120: A specially recruited team of Italian-speaking CAA air traffic control experts left for Italy to assist that country in improving the operation of its airways.
19530120: Dwight D. Eisenhower became President, succeeding Harry S Truman.
19610120: John F. Kennedy became President, succeeding Dwight D. Eisenhower. The resignation of FAA Administrator Elwood R. Quesada became effective, and Deputy Administrator James T. Pyle became Acting Administrator. (See March 3, 1961.)
19640120: The Beech King Air first flew.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19680119: FAA Administrator McKee approved the realignment of the functions of the Associate Administrator for Personnel and Training (see October 1, 1965). Under the new organizational structure, the agency established a separate Office of Personnel and a separate Office of Training, as well as a Manpower and Planning Staff and an Executive and Military Personnel Staff. This realignment provided a closer grouping among traditional personnel and training functions and permitted a quicker response to agency needs. The new office became operational on February 1, 1968.
19700119: FAA established the Facility Installation Service under the Associate Administrator for Operations.