Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19600325: FAA Administrator Elwood R. Quesada revealed details of a new program under which agency air carrier operations inspectors were being trained as specialists in the operation of specific types of high-performance turbine-powered aircraft. The specialist program called for increased ground and flight training and type rating of selected inspectors in the Convair 880, Fairchild F-27, Vickers Viscount, Douglas DC-8, Lockheed Electra, and the KC-135, the Air Force jet tanker version of the Boeing 707.
19620325: Late March: FAA Administrator N. E. Halaby added a Special Assistant for General Aviation to his personal staff. A recognition of general aviation’s great growth and continuing expansion, this appointment carried out one of the recommendations of the Project Horizon study (see September 10, 1961).
19670325: The management of the XB-70 supersonic aircraft research program was transferred from the U.S. Air Force to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Flight Research Center. The program, much of which was devoted to the study of supersonic flight in support of the U.S. supersonic transport development program, continued as a joint NASA-USAF effort. (See September 21, 1964, June 8, 1966, and February 4, 1969.)
19710325: A U.S.-Icelandic agreement provided that the United States would reimburse Iceland for flight inspection of U.S.-owned military air navigation aids within Iceland. The inspections had previously been performed by FAA, which since 1966 had been helping Iceland to establish a flight inspection unit.
19750325: Alexander P. Butterfield announced his resignation as FAA Administrator, effective March 31, after publicized differences with recently departed Secretary of Transportation Claude S. Brinegar and amid sharp criticism of FAA’s recent safety record. President Ford had asked for his resignation in a move some interpreted as retribution for Butterfield’s role in helping uncover the Watergate scandal (see July 16, 1973). Deputy Administrator James E. Dow (see August 9, 1974) became Acting Administrator. (See November 24, 1975.)
19870325: FAA published a rule requiring Cockpit Voice Recorders on new jet and turboprop commuter aircraft manufactured after May 26, 1989 (see June 26, 1964). The rule also mandated the installation of more sophisticated digital Flight Data Recorders on about 2,000 older large commercial jets, with compliance also by May 26, 1989. (See August 12, 1970, and June 30, 1988.)
19930325: Secretary of Transportation Federico Peña confirmed that he planned a reorganization separating aviation policy issues from the policy issues of other transportation modes. As documented in a directive issued on February 15, 1994, the change abolished the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs and established a new Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy and a new Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs.
20040325: Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced the establishment of an office to provide independent safety oversight of the Air Traffic Organization. The office’s primary responsibility was to ensure the safety of changes to air traffic standards and procedures. The creation of the new Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service, based within FAA regulation and certification organization, followed a recommendation of the 1997 National Civil Aviation Review Commission chaired by Secretary Mineta. On November 1, 2001, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) required that its member states, including the U.S., set up independent oversight of air traffic operations. Canada, Great Britain, and Germany were among the ICAO states transitioning to similar systems.
20110325: As part of the Alaskan aviation camera program begun in 1999, FAA turned on its 150th weather camera in Talkeetna. FAA used these cameras to view sky conditions around airports, air routes, and mountain passes. The cameras also provided pilots with critical weather information to help them decide whether or not it was safe to fly. (See September 30, 2013.)
20130325: The U.S. and Guyana signed an agreement establishing an Open Skies air transportation relationship between the two countries. Prior to this agreement, U.S. Guyana aviation relations had been governed by the 1946 Air Transport Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom. The Open Skies agreement established a liberalized aviation relationship that permitted unrestricted air service by the airlines of both countries. It eliminated restrictions on how often carriers flew, the kind of aircraft they used, and the prices they charged. This was the 108th such agreement. (See December 13, 2011; May 28, 2013.)
20190325: Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chow announced plans to establish a committee of experts to review how FAA certified the Boeing 737 Max 9. She had asked the Department’s Inspector General on March 19 to audit the FAA’s certification process.
20200325: FAA amended its cockpit oxygen-mask regulation to reduce the potential for pilots to be exposed to any pathogens that may be on the masks.
20210325: The United States and the United Kingdom completed an exchange of diplomatic notes that brought into force a new air transport agreement. The United States and the United Kingdom signed the agreement on November 10 and November 17, 2020, respectively, and began applying the terms of the agreement on January 1, 2021. The agreement met all the criteria of the U.S. Open-Skies policy and provided for additional traffic rights for U.S. all-cargo operations to and from the United Kingdom. The agreement also included the UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, expanding and modernizing our air transport relationship with those regions.