Federal Aviation Administration

Paper Summary:

Established in 1958, the Federal Aviation Administration has grown from a largely unorganized regulatory agency to overseeing the safety of civil aviation and the nation's largest air traffic control system. This paper examines how it has grown into one of the most powerful agencies in the government today and, in light of the recent terrorist attacks, is now federally regulating many recently privatized aspects of civil aviation.

From the Paper:

"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was created in 1958 under the Federal Aviation Act to oversee and promote civil aviation safety. However, the Air Commerce Act of 1926 set the stage for a federally-overseen aviation system, mainly as a method of ensuring safety standards, and was "the cornerstone of the Federal government's regulation of civil aviation." (FAA.gov). Its early responsibilities focused mainly on setting safety standards, and "for licensing virtually everything related to aerospace" (Tyson 2). Until its designation as the Federal Aviation Agency in 1958, the agency took on an expanding role in overseeing the progression of civil aviation. As times changed, and technology made new innovations possible, the government recognized a need for a more central agency to regulate civil aviation. In 1966, the Department of Transportation was created, and the Federal Aviation Administration was included in this new department. Many important events took place in the following decade. These included the creation of a semi-automated air traffic control system, which allowed controllers to determine the speed and location of aircraft. The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 gave way to increased competition, and saw the need for a more efficient system to combat the increased growth. The National Airspace System was created in 1982 as a way to address this problem by improving many aspects of the current system. The last twenty years have seen technology make notable impacts on the airspace system, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 spurred major regulations, including the creation of a Transportation Security Administration that overtook primary responsibility for the system. As its mission statement reads, "Our mission is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world." (FAA.gov)."

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