This Day in FAA History: November 20th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19561120: CAA announced that it had awarded a $9 million contract for 23 long-range radars, the agency’s largest single purchase of electronic equipment to that date. The new radars were to be used primarily for en route air traffic control purposes.
19731120: A seven-point jet fuel conservation plan designed to save up to 20,000 barrels (840,000) gallons of jet fuel per day went into effect. Implemented in response to President Nixon’s national campaign to conserve fuel in the aftermath of the Arab petroleum embargo (see October 6, 1973), the plan
*Revised gate holding procedures to reduce the time aircraft spent with engines running while awaiting takeoff.
*Revised air traffic flow procedures to reduce time spent aloft in holding patterns.
*Encouraged increased use of optimum aircraft cruising speeds.
*Advised controllers to effect fuel savings wherever possible by holding aircraft at high altitudes, assigning optimum altitudes, and minimizing circuitous routings.
*Encouraged taxiing aircraft to shut down one or more engines where possible.
*Endorsed the increased use of simulators for airline training and check flights.
*Encouraged airports to expedite certain runway and taxiway improvements.
As part of this plan, FAA also advised airport operators to coordinate all construction and maintenance activities with the agency to avoid unnecessary disruptions that might result in excess fuel consumption.
On November 25, the Nixon Administration released a fuel allocation plan under which air carriers would be cut 5 percent below their 1972 usage level on December 1, and 15 percent below this level on January 7, 1974. In other categories of aviation, planned cuts ranged from 20 percent for activities such as air taxi operations to 50 percent for recreational flying. The reductions met vigorous opposition from the aviation community, and were softened in the rule published on January 2, 1974. No restrictions were placed on regional and commuter airlines, air taxis, and certain other commercial and industrial activities. Air carriers were cut by only 5 percent, business flying by 20 percent, and pleasure and instructional flying by 30 percent. Later in January, the cut for business flying was changed to only 10 percent, and various types of personal flying received allocations that were no more than 15 percent below previous usage. The fuel shortage eased after the end of the Arab embargo in March 1974. (See December 26, 1973.)
19771120: Teams of dogs specially trained to detect explosives were in place at a network of 29 U.S. airports chosen so that no airliner flying over the United States would be more than 30 minutes away from one of the designated facilities. The placement of dog teams at San Juan airport marked the complete implementation of a joint FAA-Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) program begun in 1972 (see December 29, 1975). Between 1972 and 1977, dogs had detected the presence of explosives in aircraft cargo on 21 occasions. FAA assumed full financial support for the program after July 1, 1981, when LEAA terminated its participation.
19781120: In a joint program to deal with the hazards posed by birds and other animals to aircraft, FAA and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of Interior agreed to improve training programs for airport personnel and conduct more sophisticated research on the problem. FAA estimated that, since 1940, bird collisions had led to 140 aviation deaths, and that 1,200 bird strikes in an average year caused approximately $20 million in damage to military and civilian aircraft.
19811120: Effective this date, FAA permitted blind airline passengers to use certain approved methods of storing their canes at their seats. The agency had declined to permit this in an earlier rule (see May 16, 1977), deciding instead that the long utility canes should be handed over to flight attendants to be secured during takeoff and landing. This policy aroused considerable opposition, particularly from the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). The NFB petitioned FAA on the issue, and filed suit when the petition was denied. Meanwhile, more than 100 blind persons and their supporters picketed FAA’s national headquarters on July 5, 1978, to protest the cane policy. In January 1979, a U.S. court granted FAA’s request for time to reconsider the issue. After testing by the agency’s Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI), FAA in November 1980 proposed a rule permitting accesible storage of the canes. The agency announced the final rule on July 24, 1981.
19911120: The White House announced the selection of FAA Administrator James Busey to become DOT Deputy Secretary, succeeding Elaine Chao, who left DOT on October 22 to become Peace Corps Director. On November 22, the White House announced the choice of Jerry R. Curry to succeed Busey as FAA Administrator. A retired Army major general, Curry was serving as Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Subsequently, Curry withdrew as nominee for the FAA post on March 20, 1992. (See December 4, 1991.)
19921120: FAA outlined the results of a congressionally mandated Aircraft Noise Mitigation Review for the New York metropolitan area within a 55 nautical mile radius of La Guardia airport. The review complemented FAA’s work on the environmental impact of the Expanded East Coast plan on New Jersey (see March 11, 1991). In conducting the review, FAA held 18 listening sessions in New York and Connecticut. The review team’s recommendations, which represented a comprehensive action plan, included: raising certain helicopter flight altitudes; amending flight patterns to allow more flights bound for La Guardia to remain longer over Long Island sound; establishing a second instrument landing system at Stewart Airport, and increasing noise reduction awareness training programs.
19971120: FAA awarded a four-year contract to Lockheed Martin with a potential value of up to $1 billion, to modernize the air traffic control system. The initial four-year National Airspace System Implementation Support contract (NISC II) contract was worth approximately $350 million with as many as three two-year extension options. Under the terms of the NISC II contract, Lockheed Martin would supply engineering, planning, automation, environmental analysis, and other services to the FAA.
19981120: FAA proposed to require foreign air carriers flying to and from the United States to implement security measures identical to those required of U.S. air carriers serving the same airports. (See September 25, 1998; November 23, 1998.)
20031120: FAA announced that 86 percent of workers belonging to the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS) had approved a new, five-year collective bargaining agreement between the union and the FAA.
20081120: New runways at Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airports opened. The new runways would allow for an additional 330,000 take-offs and landings each year. The runways, built with $643 million in federal airport improvement program funds, also would help reduce delays at the three airports.
20081120: FAA commissioned the North Airport Traffic Control Tower at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
20091120: FAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking proposed limits on airlines and other operators from hiring FAA safety inspectors and their managers for two years after those employees left the agency. The proposed rule would prohibit air carriers, flight schools, repair stations, and other certificated organizations from employing or contracting with former FAA inspectors and managers to represent them in agency matters if the former employee had any direct oversight of the certificate holder in the preceding two years. The rule would apply to anyone who owned or managed a fractional ownership program aircraft. The rule would not keep operators from hiring former inspectors to serve in other positions (e.g., aircraft dispatcher, flight attendant, maintenance technician, pilot, or training instructor) as long as they did not represent the operator in FAA matters. (See September 10, 2008; December 21, 2009.)
20201120: FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed an order that paved the way for the Boeing 737 MAX to return to commercial service. Administrator Dickson’s action followed a comprehensive and methodical safety review process that took 20 months to complete. In addition to rescinding the order that grounded the aircraft, the FAA published an airworthiness directive specifying design changes that must be made before the aircraft returns to service, issued a continued airworthiness notification to the international community, and published the MAX training requirements. These actions did not allow the MAX to return immediately to the skies. The FAA had to approve 737 MAX pilot training program revisions for each U.S. airline operating the MAX and would retain its authority to issue airworthiness certificates and export certificates of airworthiness for all new 737 MAX aircraft manufactured since the FAA issued the grounding order. Furthermore, airlines that had parked their MAX aircraft had to take required maintenance steps to prepare them to fly again. On November 25, Brazil adopted the FAA requirements for the 737 Max to return to service. (See October 6, 2020; December 1, 2020.)
20201120: The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture announced it had received a one-year $250,000 grant from the FAA to study the possible use of certain farming biomass in the production of jet fuel. The institute said the FAA “grant will fuel a one-year study that looks into the use of pennycress, soybean, canola, carinata and camelina, and softwood logging residues.” The study “is expected to involve airports around Nashville; Memphis; Chattanooga; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia.” According to the university, “The use of biomass feedstock may reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80% compared to petroleum-based fuels.” (See June 5, 2019; October 15, 2021.)
20211120: Astra Space launched its LV0007 vehicle from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The vehicle reached orbit at an altitude of 500 kilometers as part of a commercial launch on behalf of a U.S. Department of Defense’s Space Force contract to test a payload under its space test program. The launch came almost three months after aborting a mission because of an engine malfunction. After the malfunction, Astra conducted an investigation with the FAA that led to a rocket redesign and improvement of verification processes for both design and rocket operations.