Category: TDiFH

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.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19650118: FAA released a study concluding that transport-aircraft fuel tanks could be designed to reduce the fire hazard of crash landings. Conducted for the agency by General Dynamics, the study involved tests in which experimental tanks survived crashes of up to 57Gs without rupturing. The study estimated that such tanks would increase wing weight and production costs by as little as one percent, and recommended consideration of fuel-containment principles during preliminary design of future aircraft.
19800118: Two air traffic controllers allegedly erased flight data information on a Soviet Aeroflot jet making its final approach to New York Kennedy airport with Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin aboard.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19620117: President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10988, which guaranteed the right of Federal employees to join organizations–i.e., any lawful association, labor union, federation, council, or brotherhood “having as a primary purpose the improvement of working conditions among Federal employees” — and engage in collective bargaining. The order also made provision for Federal agencies to accord informal, formal or exclusive recognition to employee organizations. FAA Administrator Halaby argued unsuccessfully before Kennedy Administration councils that air traffic controllers, because they served a national defense function, should be excluded from the provisions of the order. (See January 1968.)
19620117: As recommended by Project Tightrope (see March 29, 1961), FAA established the positions of chief hearing officer and hearing officers to make available to airmen a trial-type proceeding

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19300116: Frank Whittle, a British Royal Air Force officer and engineer, received a patent for his design of a turbojet aircraft engine. Manufacture of an experimental version of the engine began in 1936. On May 15, 1941, the Gloster E28/39, a British turbojet powered by a Whittle W/X jet engine, made its first official flight, at Cranwell, England. However, this first Allied jet flight came nearly two years after Germany had accomplished the feat. On August 27, 1939, the first air-breathing jet flight of an aircraft had occurred, accomplished by a German Heinkel He 178 aircraft with a jet engine by designed by Hans von Ohain.
19480116: The Airport Operators Council was established as an association of operators of U.S. commercial airports. In 1967, the association added the word “International” to its name to reflect a broadened membership.

Full FAA Chronology at this link.

19280115: The Aeronautics Branch published a list of newly licensed pilots that included James Herman Banning as holder of a limited commercial license. Banning was the first known African American to receive a Federal pilot license. The first Federal transport pilot license issued to an African American is believed to have been received by C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson in 1932.
Black aviators had been active in the United States as early as the years preceding World War I, an era when nearly all pilots were unlicensed. The first African American to receive a pilot certificate of any type was probably Eugene Bullard, who was licensed by the French air corps in 1917 and served as a combat pilot. In 1921, Bessie Coleman became the first African American to receive a pilot’s certificate from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, an international organization based in Paris.
19400115: The first issue of the official Civil Aeronautics Journal appeared, superseding Air Commerce Bulletin (see July 1, 1929).