Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19560724: CAA placed the Central Altitude Reservation Facility (CARF) in operation at Kansas City to handle all requests for temporary altitude reservations for military aircraft. Creation of this new facility marked a significant advance in controlling airspace at higher altitudes.
19610724: A joint FAA-DOD-NASA Commercial Supersonic Transport Aircraft Report was issued. Based on a review of information gathered from industry and Federal government sources, the report concluded that development of a commercial transport aircraft to fly three times the speed of sound (Mach 3) was feasible and could be done by 1970-71. During August, Congress made its first appropriation for FAA research on the Supersonic Transport (SST). (See January 9 and September 25, 1961.)
19650724: FAA announced Project GAPE, a General Aviation Pilot Education program aimed at reducing general aviation accidents by upgrading pilot knowledge and proficiency. The program, developed in cooperation with the Flight Safety Foundation, disseminated letters and safety kits to aircraft operators, published accident summaries, bulletins, and special studies, and conducted a vigorous publicity campaign through radio, television, and printed media.
19850724: FAA announced the award of a contract to upgrade the Automated Radar Terminal System (ARTS II), giving it certain additional safety features of the more sophisticated ARTS III. Based on development work begun in March 1982, this ARTS IIA enhanced system would include conflict alert and Minimum Safe Altitude Warning capabilities. In addition to upgrading the ARTS II systems in service at 87 locations, the contractor would install ARTS IIA’s at 33 airports where the outmoded TPX-42 system was in use. (See December 12, 1978.)
20120724: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood praised the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in favor of the U.S. Department of Transportation in Spirit Airlines, Inc. v. United States Department of Transportation. Spirit Airlines, Allegiant Air, and Southwest Airlines challenged portions of the Department of Transportation’s April 2011 air passenger consumer protection rule requiring airlines and ticket agents to include all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares, hold reservations without payment or penalty for 24 hours after the reservation was made, and prohibit post purchase baggage price increases after the initial ticket sale. The court ruled it reasonable for DOT to require airlines to add government fees and taxes to the base fare and disclose those as a total price, prominently displayed to prevent confusion over the total cost of their travel. Further, the court concluded the rule properly regulated airline cancellation policies because existing airline cancellation and refund practices were deceptive and unfair, and that the regulation was allowed under DOT’s statute that targeted unfair and deceptive practices. Finally, the court ruled it was reasonable for DOT to conclude increasing the prices for baggage after the purchase of a ticket amounted to an unfair consumer practice. (See January 24, 2012.)
20140724: An Air Algerie MD-83 en route from Burkina Faso to Algeria crashed in Mali. All 116 persons on board died in the crash.
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