FAA HISTORICAL CHRONOLOGY, 1966-1979

1966

Jan 1, 1966: Part 137 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, "Agricultural Aircraft Operations," became effective on this date, establishing for the first time national standards and requirements for private and commercial agricultural operator certificates, operating rules, aircraft airworthiness, and pilot qualifications.

Feb 3, 1966: The Soviet Union's unmanned spacecraft LUNA IX made the first soft landing on the moon

Feb 22, 1966: Under a rule effective this date, FAA required newly certificated flight engineers to have an aircraft class rating for each class of aircraft (piston-engine, turboprop, or turbojet) in which they flew.

Mar 1, 1966: An unmanned Soviet spacecraft entered the atmosphere of Venus, becoming the first space probe to reach another planet.

Mar 2, 1966: President Johnson recommended to Congress the creation of a Cabinet-level Department of Transportation. The President noted that the United States lacked a coordinated transportation system permitting travelers and goods to move conveniently from one means of transportation to another, using the best characteristics of each.

Mar 16, 1966: Gemini VIII, a U.S. manned space flight, achieved the first space docking

Mar 17, 1966: FAA type-certificated the Learjet 24, a two-engine turbine-powered business aircraft seating eight (two crewmembers and six passengers). In the first flight of its kind by a business jet, a Learjet 24 completed a 17-leg, 23,002-statute-mile, round-the-world flight on May 26, 1966. The global flight took 65 hours 40 minutes (actual flying time, 50 hours).

Jun 2, 1966: Surveyor I became the first U.S. spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon. The spacecraft transmitted television pictures back to earth.

Jun 8, 1966: A midair collision with an F-104 over Barstow, Calif., destroyed one of the two XB-70 experimental aircraft built by North American Aviation.

Jun 30, 1966: The Lockheed L-286 helicopter became the first rigid-rotor helicopter to receive FAA type certification.

Jul 1, 1966: The Slick Corporation ceased air transport operations, transferring most of its assetts to Airlift International. The company had begun flying on Mar 4, 1946, under the name Slick Airways. It had become the nation's largest all-cargo commercial airline by 1951, but had encountered difficulties as passenger airlines increasingly competed for air freight.

Jul 8-Aug 19, 1966: A strike by the International Association of Machinists halted for 43 days the flight operations of Eastern, National, Northwest, TWA, and United. This was the longest and costliest strike in U.S. airline history to that date

Oct 20, 1966: FAA type-certificated the 206A Bell JetRanger, a five-place, rotary-wing, turbine-powered general-purpose helicopter. This highly successful helicopter had first flown on Jan 10, 1966.

Nov 4, 1966: The United States and the Soviet Union signed an agreement authorizing commercial airline service between New York and Moscow.

1967

Jan 11, 1967: A Scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet), a vehicle described by scientists as a forerunner of aircraft that would carry passengers at speeds of about 8,000 miles an hour at very high altitudes, made its first test flight when launched from an Air Force-NASA Scout rocket.

Jan 16, 1967: Alan S. Boyd became the first Secretary of the Department of Transportation.

Feb 1, 1967: A Civil Aeronautics Board order effective this date permitted the merger of Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra) into Braniff International Airways. President Johnson had approved the purchase of Panagra by Braniff on Oct 19, 1966. The merger reduced the number of U.S. flag carriers serving South America from three to two--Braniff and Pan American World Airways.

Apr 1, 1967: The Department of Transportation (DOT) began operations. At the same time, FAA ceased to be the independent Federal Aviation Agency and became the Federal Aviation Administration, a modal agency within the new Department.

Apr 9, 1967: The Boeing 737 made its first flight. On Dec 15, 1967, FAA type-certificated the airliner, a short-range jet transport with swept wings, wing-mounted twin engines, and a maximum capacity of 107 passengers, for operation with a two-man cockpit crew. The plane entered scheduled airline service on Feb 10, 1968.

Apr 28, 1967: The McDonnell Douglas Corporation came into being, the result of a merger between the Douglas Aircraft Company and the McDonnell Company. Douglas had been founded in 1920, McDonnell in 1939.

Jul 1, 1967: Pacific Northern Airlines merged into Western Air Lines.

Jul 7, 1967: A Pan American World Airways Boeing 707 made the first fully automatic approach and landing by a four-engine jet aircraft with passengers on board.

Sep 22, 1967: North American Rockwell Corporation came into being, result of a merger between North American Aviation and Rockwell-Standard Corporation.

Oct 3, 1967: Maj. William J. Knight, USAF, piloting the X-15 rocket plane, set an unofficial world record of 4,534 miles an hour, almost seven times the speed of sound.

Oct 19, 1967: FAA type-certificated the Grumman Gulfstream II, a two-engine corporate jet with a crew of two and a maximum capacity of 19 passengers in the corporate seating arrangement.

Nov 3, 1967: Pan American World Airways became the first airline to receive FAA approval for full Category II operations.

Dec 11, 1967: Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation unveiled a prototype of the British-French Concorde, the West's first supersonic transport, in Toulouse, France.

*1968

Jan, 1968: A group of dissatisfied air traffic controllers in the New York area formed the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO). By the end of Jun 1968, PATCO had a national membership of well over 5,000 FAA employees.

Feb 21, 1968: A sustained wave of U.S. air carrier hijackings began when a fugitive aboard a Delta Air Lines DC-8 forced the pilot to divert to Havana. By Jul 17, four more U.S. airliners had been diverted to the same destination. On Jul 19, FAA announced that specially trained FAA safety inspectors ("sky marshals") had begun boarding Florida-bound airline flights.

Mar 16, 1968: Under a rule effective this date, FAA prohibited VFR (visual flight rules) operations at or above 10,000 feet above mean sea level unless a pilot enjoyed a minimum visibility of five miles while remaining at least 1,000 feet vertically and one mile horizontally from cloud formations.

Apr 1, 1968: Consolidation of several airlines in Alaska occurred as Alaska Coastal Airlines merged into Alaska Airlines, which had absorbed Cordova Airlines on Feb 1, 1968. On the same day, a merger of Northern Consolidated Airlines and Wien Alaska Airlines created a new intrastate carrier, Wien Consolidated Airlines.

Apr 17, 1968: Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines merged with Pacific Air Lines to form Air West, which was renamed Hughes Air West in Jul 1970, following its acquisition by Howard Hughes.

May 2, 1968: The Beechcraft Model 99 received FAA type certification. The aircraft was a twin-engine, 17-passenger turboprop designed specifically for the scheduled air taxi market.

Jun 30, 1968: The Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, a long-range military heavy transport, made its first flight. On Sep 30, 1965, the Air Force had selected Lockheed to develop and produce the heavy logistics transport aircraft. The C-5A was powered by four General Electric TF39-GE-1 turbofan engines, each rated at 41,000 pounds of thrust. Intended primarily as a freighter, the aircraft's maximum takeoff weight was 728,000 pounds; its design payload, 220,000 pounds. On Dec 17, 1969, the Lockheed C-5A transport was formerly turned over to the U.S. Air Force during ceremonies at Marietta, Ga., where the aircraft was manufactured.

Jul 31, 1968: General William F. McKee resigned as FAA Administrator effective this date.

Oct 14, 1968: A new Part 123 of the Federal Aviation Regulations went into effect, upgrading safety requirements for air travel clubs using large aircraft (over 12,500 pounds).

Dec 21, 1968: The United States launched Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the moon.

Dec 31, 1968: The Soviet Union's Tupolev TU-144 prototype became the world's first supersonic transport to make its maiden flight.

1969

Jan 7, 1969: FAA imposed additional airworthiness standards for small airplanes used in air taxi operations under Special Federal Aviation Regulation 23, effective this date

Jan 20, 1969: Richard M. Nixon became President, succeeding Lyndon B. Johnson.

Jan 22, 1969: John A. Volpe became Secretary of Transportation, succeeding Alan S. Boyd, who had resigned with the change in administrations. Volpe, a successful building contractor, had served as Governor of Massachusetts

Feb 4, 1969: The XB-70 supersonic research aircraft made its final flight, from Edwards AFB, Calif., to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, where it was placed on exhibit in the Air Force Museum.

Feb 9, 1969: The Boeing 747, the first of the wide-body jetliners, made its initial flight. On Sep 30, 1968, Boeing had unveiled the large subsonic jet, which was powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT9D-3 turbofan engines, each rated at 43,500 pounds of thrust. The plane had a maximum takeoff weight of 710,000 pounds and a maximum payload of 220,000 pounds. Its seating capacity ranged up to 490 passengers, although most airlines planned a seating configuration in the 350-365 range. FAA certificated the 747 on Dec 30, 1969. Pan American World Airways, which on Apr 13, 1966, had placed the first order for the 747s at a cost of $525 million for 25, became the first airline to operate the new wide-body as the 747 entered service with a takeoff from New York for London on Jan 22, 1970. Trans World Airlines inaugurated the first transcontinental 747 service, between Los Angeles and New York, on Feb 25, 1970.

Mar 24, 1969: John H. Shaffer became the fourth FAA Administrator, succeeding William F. McKee

Mar 28, 1969: The first charter flight from the United States to the Soviet Union departed New York via an Overseas National Airways aircraft. On Jun 6, 1970, Alaska Airlines inaugurated the first of a series of charter flights from Anchorage to Khabarovsk, U.S.S.R.

Apr 27, 1969: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced the retirement of the two extant X-15 rocket research aircraft. The X-15 had first flown on Jun 8, 1959; it made its final flight on Oct 24, 1968.

Jun 11, 1969: Russell J. Sommer, PATCO's Western Coordinator, notified PATCO Southwest delegates of upcoming FAA testimony before Congress on a PATCO-supported controller career bill. "If testimony not favorable," Sommer wrote, "D-Day June 18th!" In opposing the bill before a congressional committee on Jun 17, FAA Administrator John Shaffer characterized controllers as "well-paid" considering their educational level. That evening, PATCO counsel F. Lee Bailey appeared on the NBC "Tonight Show" and reportedly told host Johnny Carson, "I'd start walking if I were you."

Jun 18-20, 1969: Numerous FAA facilities felt the effects of a work stoppage by PATCO-affiliated air traffic controllers, who claimed illness and did not report for work. The "sickout," which resulted in widespread flight delays, coincided with congressional hearings on legislation to provide higher pay, early retirement, and other benefits for controllers. Of 477 controllers who took sick leave during the job action, FAA suspended 80 from three to fifteen days. On Jul 27, FAA terminated its dues-withholding agreement with PATCO, stating that it was not in the public interest to assist an organization taking part in an illegal job action.

Jul 20, 1969: Astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., became the first people to land on the Moon, while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit. Later in the day, Armstrong and then Aldrin became the first to walk on the lunar surface. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Project Apollo achieved five more Moon landings between this date and Dec 11, 1972.

Jul 21, 1969: The pilots of Piedmont Airlines went on strike when the company moved to reduce its Boeing 737 cockpit crew to two men. On Aug 14, 1969, Piedmont secured a Federal injunction ordering its pilots back to work. The dispute raged for months, but was eventually resolved when the pilots accepted a two-man crew complement in exchange for higher pay. The Air Line Pilots Association refused to sign the agreement, although it took no action against Piedmont pilots for violating its constitution Piedmont permanently switched to two-man crews on its 737s on Jan 9, 1973.

Aug 29, 1969: In the first hijacking of a U.S. aircraft outside of the Western Hemisphere, two Arabs seized control of a TWA 707 bound for Israel and diverted it to Syria, where they deplaned the occupants and then threw hand grenades into the cockpit area

Oct 27, 1969: FAA denied PATCO's request for formal recognition because of its participation in the recent "sickout. On Oct 29, however, President Nixon issued Executive Order 11491, replacing Executive Order 10988 as the basis for Federal employee-management relations. The order, which went into effect on Jan 1, 1970, gave the Labor Department authority to grant exclusive recognition to Federal unions.

Nov 22, 1969: Effective this date, FAA increased minimum flight-time requirements for an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate from 1,200 to 1,500 hours. All flight time logged as second-in-command in airline operations would be credited toward the ATP certificate, as would a limited amount of flight engineer time.

Dec 29, 1969: FAA abolished the Honolulu Area Office and transferred its functions to the regional office.

1970

Feb 2, 1970: A rule effective this date permitted expanded use of FAA-approved airplane simulators in training airline crews.

Mar 17, 1970: The first death in a domestic U.S. aircraft hijacking incident occurred when a hijacker shot and killed the copilot on an Eastern Air Lines shuttle (Newark-Boston). Although fatally wounded, the copilot still managed to shoot and severely wound the hijacker with the latter's gun. The aircraft's captain, himself wounded in both arms, landed his DC-9 safely in Boston.

Mar 25-Apr 10, 1970: Some 3,000 air traffic controllers, all members of PATCO, engaged in a "sick-out" strike. All but a few of those involved were en route, rather than terminal, controllers. Some remained absent for a day or two, others for the entire 17-day period. The work stoppage reflected widespread discontent, but its immediate trigger was FAA's decision to ignore PATCO's protests and carry out the involuntary transfer of three controllers from the Baton Rouge combined station-tower. The absentees claimed sick leave, but the Department of Transportation viewed their action as a strike against the U.S. government and hence illegal. The government obtained temporary restraining orders against PATCO. When the union failed to comply with these orders, a show-cause order was obtained against its officers. During the hearing on the show-cause order, PATCO agreed to call off the "sickout." FAA suspended nearly 1,000 controllers and fired 52 for their role in the affair.

Apr 23, 1970: John F. Leyden, newly elected president of PATCO, told the union's members of his intention to introduce realism into the organization, "to eliminate a 'showboat-gunboat' approach, and to replace it with a firm and reasonable persuasion." Nevertheless, PATCO used slowdowns as a tactic during Leyden’s tenure.

May 11, 1970: Kenneth M. Smith became FAA's Deputy Administrator, succeeding David D. Thomas.

May 27, 1970: Resumption of flight operations by National Airlines ended the longest complete shutdown of a domestic U.S. airline by a strike to that date. The 116-day strike had begun on Jan 31.

Jun 1970: Forty-seven percent of the adult U.S. population had flown on a scheduled airline, according to a poll taken this month by the Gallup Organization

Aug 2, 1970: The first hijacking of a wide-bodied airliner occurred as a Pan American 747 bound from New York to San Juan with 388 passengers was diverted to Havana.

Aug 29, 1970: The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 first flew. On Jul 29, 1971, FAA type-certificated the aircraft, a medium-to-long-range airliner with a maximum capacity of 345 passengers. Powered by three General Electric CF6-6D turbofan engines, the DC-10 became the first transport certificated by FAA to meet the reduced engine-noise levels for takeoff, approach, and taxiing operations specified in Part 36 of the Federal Aviation Regulations . American Airlines inaugurated scheduled DC-10 service on Aug 5, 1971, with a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago.

Sep 6-9, 1970: Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked four airliners over Europe, blew them up, and held many passengers hostage. The hijackers originally planned to seize two Israeli, one Swiss, and one U.S. aircraft, and take the planes to a level stretch of Jordanian desert dubbed "Revolution Airstrip." The plan failed insofar as the Israeli aircraft were concerned. Front members were refused admittance to one of them, whereupon they hijacked a U.S. flight. When they learned that the wide-body jet was too large to land at Revolution Airstrip, they ordered it to Cairo, where they blew it up after deplaning its occupants. Front members succeeded in boarding the other Israeli airliner, but their hijacking attempt was foiled in flight. One hijacker was killed and another arrested by British authorities when the plane landed in London.

The part of the original plan involving U.S. and Swiss airliners succeeded, and on Sep 6 these aircraft landed at Revolution Airstrip with all passengers. To gain bargaining power for the release of their member arrested in London, the Front hijacked a British airliner and forced it to land at Revolution Airstrip on Sep 9. The Front blew up the three empty airliners on Sep 12. All hostages except six were freed on Sep 27. Those six were freed two days later, in return for the release of the hijacker under arrest in London and six other Front members held by the Swiss and West Germans.

Sep 10, 1970: The Air Transport Association settled a $50 million damage suit against PATCO for its role in the 1970 strike. As part of the settlement, PATCO remained under a permanent injunction against any future job action.

Sep 21, 1970: The Department of Transportation announced the appointment of Lt. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. (USAF-Ret), as Director of Civil Aviation Security for DOT. Davis advised the Secretary of Transportation on the Department's antihijacking program and coordinated the functions of the airport and airborne security force, composed of components from the Departments of Defense, Justice, Transportation, and Treasury, and other government agencies.

Nov 16, 1970: The Lockheed TriStar L-1011 first flew. On Apr 14, 1972, FAA type-certificated the three-engine wide-body jet with a maximum capacity of 260 passengers. Eastern Air Lines inaugurated scheduled L-1011 service on Apr 26, with a flight from Miami to New York. On Dec 7, 1981, Lockheed announced a phasing out of Tristar production. The 250th and last L-1011 was rolled out on Aug 19, 1983. The company completed delivery during 1985, with the exception of a single L-1011 (the first one produced) retained by Lockheed until 1986. While ceasing to compete against Boeing and McDonnell Douglas in the commercial transport field, Lockheed remained a major producer of military aircraft.

Nov 30, 1970: FAA inaugurated a general aviation accident prevention program on a national level after its effectiveness had been demonstrated in a two-year test in FAA's Central and Southwest Regions.

Dec 5, 1970: A rule prohibiting any person from acting as a crewmember of a civil aircraft within eight hours after consuming alcohol became effective. The previous rule had prohibited crewmembers from performing their duties while under the influence of alcohol, but specified no time period for abstinence.

1971

Jan 29, 1971: The Department of Labor stripped PATCO of its status as a labor organization because it had called a strike against the Federal government. PATCO was required to post a notice declaring that it would not engage in illegal job actions before it could be considered eligible for recognition as a labor organization. PATCO took this and other steps to comply with the Labor Department's decision. On Jun 4, the Department decided that PATCO was eligible to seek recognition as a labor organization under Executive Order 11491. Three days later, PATCO filed a new petition with Labor for exclusive recognition as the national representative for all air traffic controllers.

Mar 2, 1971: The Civil Aeronautics Board approved the merger of Trans Caribbean Airways into American Airlines, effective this date. Trans Caribbean had begun as a charter carrier in Dec 1945, and had begun scheduled service between New York and Puerto Rico in Mar 1958.

Mar 13, 1971: AN FAA rule upgraded airworthiness standards for small airplanes seating 10 or more passengers (excluding crew). The new rule required all such aircraft, regardless of weight, to be certificated in the air transport category. The rule reflected a trend toward increased numbers and types of small aircraft designed with relatively large passenger capacity, and it affected segments of aviation that included the growing air taxi industry.

Apr 2, 1971: FAA realigned its regional field structure in the contiguous 48 States to conform generally with the President's plan for a common pattern of Federal regional boundaries and regional headquarters. In March 1969, the President had announced a plan calling for 10 standard Federal regions encompassing all 50 States to facilitate service to the public in matters cutting across departmental or agency lines. Conformance with this plan required FAA to establish four new regions--New England, Great Lakes, Rocky Mountain, and Northwest--and to realign the boundaries of four of its five preexisting regions in the contiguous 48 States.

May 21, 1971: FAA established the Office of General Aviation, at the same time abolishing the Office of General Aviation Affairs, which formed the nucleus of the new office.

Jun 12, 1971: The first passenger death in a domestic hijacking incident occurred on a TWA aircraft bound from Albuquerque to New York. The hijacker had forced his way aboard the Boeing 727 aircraft during a scheduled stop at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, seized a stewardess, and demanded to be flown to Vietnam. The passenger was killed attempting to aid the stewardess. When the medium-range aircraft landed at New York's Kennedy International Airport for substitution of a long-range aircraft, the hijacker was wounded and arrested.

Jun 15, 1971: FAA moved its Southeast Asian International Field Office (IFO) from Manila, Republic of the Philippines, to Agana, Territory of Guam. (The Manila office was officially closed Jun 30, 1971.) This IFO provided aviation services to Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Vietnam, Thailand, Nauru, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and Guam.

Oct 1, 1971: FAA established the Airway Facilities Service, combining the Systems Maintenance and Facility Installation Services. This action brought the Washington headquarters in line with the regional organization.

Nov 24, 1971: The first in a series of hijackings involving extortion occurred when a passenger on a flight from Portland to Seattle successfully demanded $200,000 and four parachutes, then parachuted from the rear stairway of the Boeing 727. The hijacker--who used the name Dan Cooper, but became known as D.B. Cooper in the press--was never found. (In Feb 1980, however, tattered bills from his loot were discovered along the Columbia River in Washington.) Another incident involving a demand for ransom and parachutes occurred on Dec 24, 1971, and 17 more extortion attempts on U.S. air carriers were made during the next 6 months.

1972

Feb 7, 1972: FAA announced that air traffic controllers fired for their activist roles in the 1970 strike could apply for re-employment. Of the 52 controllers dismissed, 46 applied and were rehired.

May 16, 1972: President Nixon signed into law the Air Traffic Controllers Career Program Act (Public Law 92-297). The act, an outgrowth of a Corson Committee recommendation (see Jan 29, 1970), authorized controllers to retire after 25 years of active duty, or at age 50 if they had 20 years of active service. The new law also established a mandatory age for retirement at 56, with exemptions at the discretion of the Secretary of Transportation up to age 61. (Normal voluntary retirement for Federal employees came at age 55 after 30 years service, or at age 60 after 20 years; mandatory retirement came at age 70.) The act also provided for a “second career program” of up to two years of training at government expense for controllers who had to leave traffic control work because of medical or proficiency disqualification. The act became effective on Aug 14 and was implemented by FAA on Sep 8.

Jun 15, 1972: Effective this date, FAA lowered the numbers of flight attendants required on airliners with certain seating capacities. One flight attendant was now required for planes with 10-50 passenger seats, while on larger aircraft the ratio would be one attendant for every 50 passenger seats or additional fraction of 50 seats. The previous rule had established a standard that began with one attendant for planes with 10-44 passenger seats. FAA stated that the change was made possible by upgraded safety requirements for transport category aircraft adopted in recent years.

Aug 1, 1972: Northeast Airlines merged into Delta Air Lines. Northeast began as Boston-Maine Airways, which started operations on Aug 1, 1931, suspended flights in 1932, and resumed on Aug 11, 1933. The airline had adopted the name Northeast on Nov 19, 1940.

Sep 17, 1972: Effective this date, CAB replaced the 12,500 gross weight limit for air taxi aircraft with a 30-seat, 7,500 payload limit. This change in CAB’s system of economic regulation was intended to help the development of service by those scheduled air taxis now designated commuter airlines.

Oct 20, 1972: The Federal Labor Relations Council certified PATCO as the sole bargaining unit for air traffic controllers.

Oct 29, 1972: Four fugitives killed a ticket agent and hijacked an Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727 at Houston, Tex., and forced it to fly to Cuba. This was followed by an even more sensational incident on Nov 10-12 when three wanted criminals hijacked a Southern Airways DC-9 at Birmingham, Ala. During the following 29 hours, they flew to: Jackson, Miss.; Cleveland, Ohio; Toronto, Ont.; Lexington, Ky.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Havana, Cuba; Key West, Fla.; and Orlando, Fla. In a desperate attempt to keep the DC-9 on the ground at Orlando, FBI agents shot out its tires. The hijackers responded by seriously wounding the copilot and ordering a takeoff. The pilot succeeded in clearing the runway and making a second and final landing in Havana. The four hijackers were initially imprisoned in Cuba, but were released. U.S. officials subsequently arrested all four, the last being sentenced in 1994.

Dec 17, 1972: FAA Administrator John H. Shaffer received the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, presented by the National Aeronautic Association for outstanding contributions to aviation. Shaffer was the first FAA chief to win the prestigious award while holding office.

1973

Jan 1973: Frontier Airlines hired Emily Howell (later Emily Warner) as the first woman member of a flight deck crew on a trunk or regional air carrier since Helen Richey's brief career with Central Airlines in 1934-35.

Feb succeeded John A. Volpe, who left the Department effective this date to become Ambassador to Italy. 2, 1973: Claude S. Brinegar became Secretary of Transportation.

Mar 14, 1973: Alexander P. Butterfield became the fifth FAA Administrator, succeeding John H. Shaffer.

Mar 17, 1973: Negotiators signed the first labor contract between FAA and the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO). Approved and effective on Apr 4, the one-year agreement contained 56 articles that included provisions on a variety of issues including payroll deduction of union dues and “familiarization flights” by controllers in airline cockpits.

April, 1973: Federal Express began flight operations from its base at Memphis, Tenn., offering door-to-door package delivery by air express, a popular service that soon inspired immitators. The company expanded rapidly as airline deregulation began in the late 1970s, and it grew even more when it acquired the Flying Tiger Line on Jan 31, 1989.

Jul 8, 1973: FAA commissioned the Flight Inspection National Field Office (FINFO) at Oklahoma City. Established to oversee the operation of the entire flight inspection program within the contiguous 48 States, as well as the Caribbean and North Atlantic areas.

Jul 16, 1973: In public testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities, FAA Administrator Alexander P. Butterfield disclosed the existence of a White House audio taping system, a revelation that became instrumental in implicating President Nixon in the Watergate coverup.

Oct 26, 1973: FAA published a rule requiring newly produced aircraft of older type designs, such as the DC-9 or Boeing 727, to meet noise standards for turbojet and transport aircraft.

Dec 17, 1973: Arab terrorists used incendiaries to kill 30 passengers aboard a Pan American airliner at Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci Airport. They then killed a guard, hijacked a Lufthansa jet, murdered a passenger in Greece, and eventually surrendered in Kuwait.

Calendar year, 1973: Not a single airliner was hijacked in the U.S. in 1973, a record traceable at least in part to the stringent airport security measures implemented early in the year.

*1974

Jan 24, 1974: A U.S. appeals court issued a decision upholding the Age-60 rule 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 Jun 5, 1970, by the Air Line Pilots Association. The petition charged that the rule was invalid and requested that it be revoked and that FAA hold "public evidentiary proceedings for the development of a record" that could be used to decide the rule's legality.

Feb 22, 1974: At Baltimore-Washington International Airport, a former mental patient killed two persons and seriously wounded another in an attempt to hijack a DC-9 and crash it into the White House. The gunman committed suicide when wounded by a policeman.

May 30, 1974: FAA certificated the Airbus A-300, the first of a series of wide-body transport aircraft produced by Airbus Industrie, an international consortium established in Dec 1970 with French, West German, British, Spanish, Dutch, and Belgian partner companies. The emergence of Airbus Industrie signaled greater competition for U.S. aircraft manufacturers.

Jun 11, 1974: A headquarters reorganization established the positions of: Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, with control of the Flight Standards Service and the Civil Aviation Security Service; Associate Administrator for Airports, with control of the Airports Service and of the new Metropolitan Washington Airport Service, which operated Washington National and Dulles International Airports; and the Associate Administrator for Air Traffic and Airway Facilities, with control of the Air Traffic Service and Airway Facilities Service. The Associate Administrator for Plans was redesignated the Associate Administrator for Policy Development and Review. The post of Associate Administrator for Operations, which had controlled the Flight Standards, Air Traffic, and Airports Services, was abolished. The Office of Appraisal and the Quiet Short-Haul Air Transportation System Office were also eliminated. An Office of Investigations and Security was established under the Associate Administrator for Administration, and the Office of Personnel and Training was created from two formerly separate offices. The reorganization achieved Administrator Butterfield's aim of placing the flight standards and air traffic functions under separate Associate Administrators, but only partially fulfilled his goal of grouping safety-related functions under the Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety. On Jun 12, the press reported the retirement of Oscar Bakke, the experienced official designated for the Aviation Safety post, who was disappointed by the scope of the new position.

Aug 9, 1974: Richard M. Nixon resigned the Presidency and was succeeded by Vice President Gerald R. Ford.

Aug 9, 1974: James E. Dow became FAA's Deputy Administrator. The appointment was among the last official acts of President Nixon, who had nominated Dow on Jul 24.

Aug 26, 1974: Charles A. Lindbergh died in Maui, Hawaii, at the age of 72.

Sep 18, 1974: Transportation Secretary Claude S. Brinegar announced the Ford Administration's decision not to ask Congress to subsidize the nation's financially troubled flag carriers, Pan American and Trans World Airlines. Instead, the Administration continued to pursue an "action plan" to assist the two airlines through a variety of means that did not involve subsidy or new legislation. Congress, however, passed the International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act of 1974. As signed on Jan 3, 1975, this law included provisions designed to raise overseas mail rates, require Federal agencies to use U.S. flag carriers whenever possible, and control rebates by shippers and ticket agents. The law mandated negotiations aimed at protecting U.S. flag carriers from discriminatory landing fees and airport charges, and directed the Secretary of Transportation to impose retaliatory fees against the airlines of nations that failed to respond.

Dec 18, 1974: Secretary of Transportation Claude S. Brinegar announced his resignation, effective Feb 1, 1975.

1975

Jan 3, 1975: President Ford signed the Transportation Safety Act of 1974. Title I of this law, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, gave the Secretary of Transportation new regulatory and enforcement authority to combat the risks of transporting hazardous materials in commerce

Feb 19, 1975: FAA announced that it had ordered air taxi operators using business-type jets to equip these aircraft with Cockpit Voice Recorders and Flight Data Recorders by May 15, 1975.

Mar 7, 1975: William T. Coleman, Jr., became Secretary of Transportation.

Mar 25, 1975: Alexander P. Butterfield announced his resignation as FAA Administrator, effective Mar 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 Deputy Administrator James E. Dow became Acting Administrator.

Mar 27, 1975: AN FAA DC-3 crashed on takeoff from Boise, Pa., injuring all 11 persons aboard. In determining the probable cause, the National Transportation Safety Board cited the inexperience of the pilot, who was not qualified for that type of aircraft. The pilot, a Regional Director, received a reprimand and 30-day suspension, and was later transferred to another position

Apr 1, 1975: Effective this date, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was separated entirely from the Department of Transportation, in accordance with Title III of the Transportation Safety Act of 1974.

May 7, 1975: FAA and PATCO reached agreement on a two-year contract (signed and effective Jul 8). The contract's 74 articles included a guarantee of controller inclusion in the Aviation Safety Reporting Program (see Apr 8, 1975) and affected such matters as an expansion of familiarization flight privileges (see Aug 14, 1974), working conditions, and career enhancement.

May 29, 1975: Secretary of Transportation William T. Coleman, Jr., announced that FAA's National Aeronautical Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) would remain at Atlantic City, N.J. On Jan 15, 1974, a study team had recommended that NAFEC be combined with the Aeronautical Center at Oklahoma City.

Nov 24, 1975: Dr. John L. McLucas became the sixth FAA Administrator, succeeding Alexander P. Butterfield The President had persuaded McLucas to give up his portfolio as Secretary of the Air Force in favor of the FAA post. McLucas had been nominated by Ford on Oct 20 and confirmed by the Senate on Nov 13.

1976

Jan 21, 1976: British Airways and Air France began the world's first scheduled supersonic passenger service with simultaneous takeoffs of Anglo-French Concorde SST aircraft from London and Paris for flights to Bahrain and Rio de Janeiro. The London-Bahrain flight, normally 6 hours 30 minutes by subsonic jet, took 4 hours 10 minutes. The Paris-Rio flight, scheduled to take 7 hours 5 minutes (compared with a subsonic time of 11 hours 10 minutes), arrived 40 minutes late.

Feb 15, 1976: FAA transferred the personnel and functions of its office at Beirut, Lebanon, to the office at Frankfurt, Germany, because of the continuation of the civil war that began in late 1975. The Beirut office had consisted basically of three inspectors who made sure that U.S.-registered aircraft operating in the Mediterranean and Middle East were airworthy and complied with Federal regulations An office later established at Rome, Italy, took over these functions.

Mar 31, 1976: FAA Deputy Administrator James E. Dow retired after 32 years of Federal service, all with CAA and FAA.

Sep 2, 1976: CAB approved Advance Booking Charter fares, available to anyone who paid 30 days in advance (or 45 days in advance for certain destinations) and not restricted to members of pre-existing "affinity groups." Like the approval of One Stop Inclusive Tour Charters during the previous year, this move was part of a trend to liberalize charter regulations. The new competition from charter operators helped stimulate scheduled carriers to begin offering deeply discounted prepaid fares during 1977.

Sep 10, 1976: The first successful hijacking of a scheduled American air carrier aircraft since comprehensive security measures were instituted on Dec 5, 1972, occurred when five Croatian nationalists commandeered a TWA jetliner en route from New York's La Guardia Airport to Chicago. The hijackers seized the plane by threatening to blow it up with realistic-looking "bombs" they had assembled in a lavatory from an assortment of innocuous objects brought aboard on their persons and in their carry-on luggage. To bolster their deception, they revealed the location of a real bomb in a New York subway locker. That device exploded after removal to a disposal area, killing one policeman. The hijackers demanded that newspapers publish a pro-Croatian manifesto and that aircraft drop leaflets over cities in the U.S., Canada, England, and France. This was complied with, and the hijackers eventually surrendered in France.

Nov 12, 1976: The U.S. Civil Service Commission, in a reversal of a position taken earlier, announced its support for upgrading air traffic controllers at 8 of the nation's busiest air traffic control facilities from GS-13 to GS-14. The Commission also approved the upgrading of controllers of lower grades at approximately 23 other installations, but insisted on downgradings at a few facilities. PATCO continued to demand better terms, backing its position with the threat of renewed slowdowns. On Jan 13, 1977, the Commission dropped its insistence on downgradings and approved promotions at some 45 facilities, including the GS-14 level at 8 locations.

1977

Jan 10, 1977: FAA published a rule raising the maximum number of transport aircraft passenger seats per main (Type A) emergency exit from 100 to 110, effective Feb 10, 1977. The change cleared the way for certification of Boeing 747s seating over 500.

Jan 20, 1977: Jimmy (James E.) Carter became President, succeeding Gerald R. Ford.

Feb 1, 1977: Brock Adams became Secretary of Transportation, succeeding William T. Coleman, Jr., with the change in administrations.

Apr 1, 1977: John L. McLucas' resignation as Federal Aviation Administrator became effective. The post of Acting Administrator was assumed by Quentin S. Taylor, an FAA executive who was President Carter's nominee for Deputy Administrator.

Apr 1977: FAA set up a unique transport unit of the Miami General Aviation District Office to provide greater oversight of non-certificated air cargo operations concentrated in the northwest corner of Miami airport. Recent accidents had given rise to FAA concerns about the safety of these operators of private-carriage cargo aircraft for lease.

May 4, 1977: Langhorne M. Bond became the seventh Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, succeeding John L. McLucas (see Mar 31, 1977). Bond had been nominated by President Carter on Mar 30 and confirmed by the Senate on Apr 27.

May 4, 1977: Quentin S. Taylor became FAA's Deputy Administrator, succeeding James E. Dow.

May 12, 1977 Administrator Bond imposed an agency-wide hiring and promotion freeze. At FAA's national Headquarters and its Metropolitan Washington Airports office, the freeze affected both external and internal hiring. Field offices, however, could fill positions from within FAA, as long as promotions were not involved. The few exceptions to these rules included hiring required to meet air traffic training schedules. To further trim back Washington Headquarters personnel, Bond later instituted a field placement program between Mar 27 and Oct 24, 1978. Under the program, field offices could not fill vacancies until it was determined that qualified candidates were available at the Washington Headquarters. During his tenure, Bond succeeded in reducing overall FAA employment from 58,081 at the end of fiscal year 1977 to 55,340 on Dec 30, 1981. During the same period, Washington Headquarters personnel fell from 2,683 to 2,069.

Aug 4, 1977: FAA Administrator Bond signed a policy paper reaffirming the age-60 rule on mandatory retirement of airline pilots. Bond had promised to review the rule during his confirmation hearings. Citing a new study by FAA’s Office of Aviation Medicine, the policy paper concluded that medical examination could not sufficiently predict the future health and functional capacity of a pilot who reached age 60.

Aug 23, 1977: In the desert at Shaffer, Calif., Bryan Allen made the first flight propelled by human muscle through a one-mile, figure-eight course. Allen pedaled the course in the Gossamer Condor, a heavier-than-air craft weighing less than 70 pounds that had been designed by Paul MacCready. Nearly two years later, on Jun 12, 1979, Allen made the first human-powered flight across the English Channel, pedaling the MacReady-designed Gossamer Albatross.

Sep 16, 1977: FAA closed the Airport District Offices at Denver, Salt Lake City, and Pierre, South Dakota, and transferred their services to Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and South Dakota to the Rocky Mountain Regional Office at Aurora, Colorado.

Nov 20, 1977: 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.

1978

Mar 15, 1978: A three-year labor-management agreement between PATCO and FAA went into effect. Since the controllers' pay had recently been adjusted in their favor by the Civil Service Commission, the agreement dealt primarily with working conditions. The contract contained 75 articles, including provisions for overtime pay. In addition, FAA agreed to pay controllers' salaries while on foreign as well as domestic familiarization flights. Previously, only controllers who handled international flights were eligible for overseas familiarization trips. In the past airlines had always provided free familiarization flights for eligible controllers, but now the principal overseas air carriers balked at the prospect of providing cockpit space on international flights for all air traffic controllers at the GS-10 or higher level. Even domestic familiarization flights were difficult to arrange in 1978 because of the airlines' own active training programs.

Apr 6, 1978: Eastern Air Lines signed a $778 million contract to add 23 Airbus Industrie A-300 aircraft to its fleet. FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond called the airplane "the strongest challenge to the U.S. aircraft industry in years," reflecting widespread concern about the absence of an American entry in the market for smaller wide-body jets to replace the aging first generation of jet transports. Airbus Industrie had mounted an aggressive campaign to secure the Eastern order, allowing the airline to operate four A-300s on a six-month cost-free lease, with the manufacturer paying for all legal fees, tariffs, certification charges, maintenance, and repairs. Airbus Industrie provided $96 million in financing and promised to compensate Eastern for certain operating costs.

May 25, 1978: PATCO began intermittent slowdowns to protest the refusal of some U.S. flag carriers to provide controllers with overseas familiarization flights. The slowdowns lasted until May 26 and were renewed on Jun 6-7. Delays were especially severe because of the increased air travel resulting from new low transatlantic and domestic fares

Jun 19, 1978: President Jimmy Carter signed a law renaming the FAA Aeronautical Center at Oklahoma City the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.

Jun 21, 1978: The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) agreed to obey a Federal-court injunction and end a "work to rule" slowdown by its members that had intermittently snarled air traffic during the spring, particularly during the period May 25-26 and Jun 6-7 PATCO also agreed to pay a fine of $100,000 to the Air Transport Association for violating the permanent injunction won by the ATA in 1970 against air traffic slowdowns.

Aug 4, 1978: The Department of Transportation Appropriation Act signed by President Carter on this date discontinued funding for the Air Traffic Controllers Second Career Program FAA Administrator Bond said later that congressional anger over recent controller slowdowns may have cost them their special rehabilitation program, but it had in fact been under attack for some time. Two studies--by the House Appropriations Committee staff and by the General Accounting Office--were begun in 1977 and issued to Congress in 1978. The GAO report revealed that about 50 percent of the 2,580 controllers eligible to participate in the program since 1972 either declined or withdrew from training, and only 7 percent of those who had completed training actually entered the new careers they had prepared for. The cost for each successful participant had averaged $370,000. About 1,900 former controllers had enrolled in the program, and its total cost since fiscal year 1973 had been $104 million. The House Appropriations Committee report suggested that controllers who had been incapacitated on the job should seek rehabilitation services under the auspices of the Office of Worker's Compensation. FAA agreed that the program had not been a success and did not contest the conclusions of either report. An attempt to restore the program failed in the House of Representatives in December 1979.

Aug 10, 1978: A five-year, FAA-funded study of the health problems of air traffic controllers challenged the generally held view that unusually high incidences of ulcers, psychiatric problems, and other serious stress-related diseases were to be found among controllers. A team of researchers, led by Robert Rose from the University of Texas, did find higher-than-normal rates of hypertension, social drinking, and minor psychological problems among controllers. They concluded, however, that these did not lead to incapacitating conditions. The most common psychological problem they discovered was "impulse control difficulties"-- i.e., dealing with sudden emotions like anger. The researchers found that a more serious mental problem, controller burnout, was mostly limited to those controllers who expected it to occur. Despite the abnormal rates of social drinking, controllers had lower rates of alcoholism than the national average. As for hypertension, researchers cautioned against the conclusion that it was directly related to the work of controlling air traffic, since other "risk factors" were also important. The findings of the Rose Report, or officially the Air Traffic Controller Health Change Study, confirmed similar ones in studies by the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute.

Oct 24, 1978: President Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 allowing immediate fare reductions of up to 70 percent without CAB approval, and the automatic entry of new airlines into routes not protected by other air carriers. CAB's authority over fares, routes, and mergers was to be phased out entirely before 1983, and, unless Congress acted, CAB itself would shut down by Jan 1, 1985. The prospective abolition of CAB brought to a culmination the work of Chairman Alfred E. Kahn at that agency. Moreover, by Oct 1978, the major emphasis of deregulation had changed from an ideological campaign against government regulation to a key element in the President's effort to curb inflation. This was highlighted by the President's appointment of Kahn as head of his anti-inflation program, which was announced on this date.

This day also ended the week-long vigil of twenty-two airline representatives who had lined up outside CAB headquarters to submit first-come-first-serve applications for dormant airline routes under the terms of the new act. By the end of the year, CAB had awarded 248 new airline routes to these applicants. Smaller communities, from which the airlines might wish to shift their operations, were guaranteed essential air services for 10 years under the act, with a government subsidy if necessary. Along with the subsidies for smaller-city service, the act provided for the inclusion of commuter airlines in the FAA equipment loan guarantee program and in uniform methods for establishing joint fares between air carriers. It also authorized the use of larger aircraft by commuter airlines. These special provisions for commuter airlines boosted their already-booming growth rates, and led to important new FAA regulations later in 1978.

Oct 29, 1978: Pan American World Airways discontinued most of its European services, withdrawing from Amsterdam, Ankara, Lisbon, Paris, Moscow, Vienna, and all of Eastern Europe except Warsaw. Denouncing the new "open skies" policy as a "giveaway," the airline shifted its attention to finding a domestic merger partner.

Nov 2, 1978: FAA officially established the Office of the Associate Administrator for Aviation Standards, with the Office of Aviation Safety, the Civil Aviation Security Service, and the Flight Standards Service placed under its executive direction. The agency retitled the position of Assistant Administrator for Aviation Safety the Director of Aviation Safety.

Dec 1, 1978: Effective this date, FAA promulgated a comprehensive revision of Federal Aviation Regulations Part 135, governing air taxi and commuter airline operations, the fastest growing segment of the air transportation business. Since the Civil Aeronautics Board had created the designation "commuter airlines" the number of passengers on these lines had increased at an average annual rate of over 10 percent; the growth rate in 1977 was 16.5 percent. The new competitive environment created by airline deregulation was expected to bring ever greater increases.

As the commuter airline and air taxi business had grown in the 1960s and 1970s, FAA had tried to tailor new regulations for it; however, serious doubts remained about the safety of the industry An important aim of the revised Part 135 was to bring the safety level of the commuter airlines more closely in line with that of the major airlines operating under Part 121. The new rules required pilots of virtually all multi-engine commuter airliners to hold an airline transport pilot's rating. Depending on the size of their operations and aircraft, commuter airlines were required to have a director of operations, a chief pilot, and a director of maintenance, as well as more stringent programs of maintenance and pilot training and testing. Again depending on size, FAA also required commuter airliners to have such equipment as a ground proximity warning indicator, a third attitude gyro, and thunderstorm detection equipment. The safety upgrade, and the fact that requirements were tied to the size and complexity of operations, permitted FAA to raise the maximum size of aircraft included under Part 135. Commuter airlines and commercial operators could now use aircraft with a seating capacity of up to 30 passengers or a payload of up to 7500 lb.

*1979

Jan 8, 1979: The Federal Aviation Administration and Panama's Department of Civil Aviation signed an agreement under which FAA's air traffic facilities would be gradually turned over to the Republic of Panama over a five-year period. The transfer process began on Oct 1, when the Panama Canal Treaty went into effect. The agreement affected over 125 FAA personnel employed at the International Flight Service Station (IFSS), the Center and Terminal Radar Approach Control (CERAP), and in related operational and maintenance responsibilities. As part of the agreement, FAA helped to train Panamanian personnel for their new air traffic responsibilities.

The presence of FAA and its predecessor agency in Panama dated back to 1942, when the Civil Aeronautics Administration established a communications station there at the request of the Navy. A 1949 agreement called for the U.S. to provide air traffic control services for Panama, a function initially performed by the Air Force but transferred to FAA after its creation in 1958.