Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19450920: The first turboprop-powered aircraft flight was completed in Britain by a Gloster Meteor experimentally equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent engines.
19590920: FAA commissioned the San Antonio air traffic control center’s new building, the first in a program to construct 32 new center facilities. Located in most cases away from airports to permit more space and to withstand nuclear attack on critical target areas, the buildings had an expandable design to facilitate installation and use of the latest equipment. By the end of 1960, 15 of the centers were under construction or completed.
19610920: The Federal Airport Act was amended to extend the Federal-aid airport program through fiscal year 1964. The new law authorized appropriations of $75 million each for fiscal years 1962- 64. See Appendix VII for subsequent appropriations under this Act until its repeal in 1970. (See June 20, 1959, and May 21, 1970.)
19670920: FAA published new safety rules designed to improve crashworthiness and passenger evacuation standards in transport airplanes. The new rules required air carriers, other commercial operators, and aircraft manufacturers to demonstrate that airplanes with more than 44 seats were capable of permitting the evacuation of a full load of passengers through only half the aircraft’s exits in 90 seconds. The previous rule, which did not require demonstration by aircraft manufacturers, had set a time limit of 120 seconds.
Other key provisions of the new rules related to: the distribution and type of exits, and their ratio to passengers; improved access to overwing exits; evacuation slides deployable in 10 seconds; improved interior lighting and new exterior lighting; cabin linings with self-extinguishing qualities; stowing carry-on baggage; slip-resistant and clearly marked escape routes; and better protection of fuel and electric lines. Compliance dates for the new rules ranged from October 24, 1967, to October 1, 1969. (See June 7, 1965, and May 1, 1972.)
19670920: Citing the rapid growth of commercial and private flying, President Johnson requested Transportation Secretary Alan S. Boyd to develop a long-range, comprehensive plan for the facilities, equipment, and personnel required for a substantial expansion and improvement of the air traffic control system. The President stated that the plan “should be accompanied by a proposal for financing the improvements through a system of charges by which the users of the Nation’s airways bear their fair share of its costs.” (See May 20, 1968.)
19820920: FAA published a proposal to implement “Regulation by Objective” (RBO) in regulating airlines. Under this concept, “how to do it” regulations would be replaced by broadly stated objectives, and the airlines would be allowed the flexibility to meet these objectives in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. FAA would pass judgement on new methods of compliance, however, and the agency would use a computer system to track the requirements that applied to each airline. A single Federal Aviation Regulation Part 120 would replace two existing operating regulations, Part 121 for operators of large aircraft and Part 135 for commuter and air taxi operators. Response to the proposal included many negative comments on RBO’s practicality, cost, and consistency with FAA’s mandate. The agency withdrew the proposal on June 16, 1983, stating that to pursue the concept would be less productive than to proceed with a review of Parts 121 and 135.
19910920: A dedication ceremony for the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility’s ARTS IIIE marked completion of Stage II of the upgrade of the TRACON’s Automated Radar Terminal System. (See March 26, 1986.)
20000920: FAA issued a press release apologizing for an incident on July 17 when passengers were inconvenienced because of actions of a small number of controllers in the Chicago terminal radar control (TRACON) facility. FAA proposed penalties ranging from letters of reprimand to 30-day suspensions for 15 air traffic controllers in the facility following an investigation that indicated there was an intentional slowing of traffic into the Chicago area. Additionally, FAA announced that it would change the management team at the TRACON in Elgin, Illinois, to foster a new workplace environment. The investigation, conducted by FAA with the assistance of the Department of Transportation Inspector General revealed no safety related incidents during the period when traffic was slowed.
20020920: Raytheon defended the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) in a statement responding to a recent GAO report that cited critical software problems with the system. FAA planned to introduce STARS at the Philadelphia TRACON on November 18. STARS would control live traffic there, with the current system serving as a backup. FAA expected to commission formally the new system in February 2003. (See September 17, 2002; February 4, 2003.)
20070920: FAA told airlines it planned to impose a new “level 2” international designation on New York’s Kennedy and Newark airports – a classification that would require carriers to supply their summer schedules by October 11. This earlier deadline would apply to flights coming to the area between March 9 and November 1, although FAA would accept schedules that coincided with the International Air Transport Association scheduling season of March 30 through October 25. Level 2 airports were defined by IATA as facilities “where there is considerable potential for congestion at some periods . . . which is amenable to resolution by voluntary cooperation between airlines.” New York’s LaGuardia and Chicago O’Hare were the only U.S. airports designated as level 3.
20120920: Harris Corp. Government Communications Systems announced FAA had selected it to provide data communications integrated services (DCIS). With a subcontracting team that included ARINC Inc., GE Aviation, and Thales, Harris would develop DataComm to supplement analog voice-only air-to-ground communications system with a digital system. DataComm would provide a two-way data exchange between controllers and flight crews for clearances, instructions, advisories, requests, and reports. FAA planned to install the system in air traffic control towers by 2016 and in air traffic facilities that managed high-altitude traffic beginning in 2019. The $331 million contract covered seven years, with 10 additional one-year options.
20130920: FAA announced Ukraine complied with international safety standards set by ICAO, based on the results of a July FAA review. FAA upgraded Ukraine to Category 1 from the Category 2 safety rating the country received from FAA in June 2005. With the Category 1 rating, Ukraine’s air carriers could add flights and service to the United States and carry the code of U.S. carriers. (See November 1, 2012; January 31, 2014.)
20170920: Hurricane Maria, a category 4 storm, made landfall on Puerto Rico, after causing substantial damage in the Caribbean, especially on the island of Dominica. Puerto Rico sustained significant damage from winds and floods.
20170920: SAE International and Airlines for America presented the annual Better Way Award to a team of researchers from Sandia National Laboratories, FAA, Delta Airlines, NORDAM, and NDT Solutions. They received the award in recognition of efforts for furthering the efficacy and science of nondestructive testing. The recipients include Russell Jones and David Westlund of FAA; John Bohler, Robert Hager and Alexander Melton of Delta; Stephen Neidigk, Tom Rice and Dennis Roach of Sandia; Daryl Graham and Jeff Harper of NORDAM; and Larry Culbertson of NDT Solutions.
20190920: Secretary Chao announced the formation of the Air Carrier Access Act Advisory Committee. The committee will advise the Secretary about issues relating to the air travel needs of passengers with disabilities. It will identify and assess disability-related access barriers encountered by air travelers with disabilities, evaluate the extent to which DOT’s programs and activities are addressing these disability-related access barriers, and recommend actions to improve the air travel experience of passengers with disabilities. The committee planned to submit its recommendations on or before November 20, 2020.
20230920: FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that, if finalized, would require that upper stages of commercial launch vehicles and other components resulting from launch or reentry be removed from orbit within 25 years after launch, either through atmospheric disposal or maneuver to an acceptable disposal orbit.
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This Day in FAA History: September 20th
