Aviation Legislative Acts


   
The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938


    One aviation act that I find the most influential to the national aviation community today is the Civil Aeronautics Act. Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, it established the independent Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) (FAA, 2017). The CAA was made up of a three-member board that conducted safety investigations and would recommend ways to prevent accidents (FAA, 2017). The CAA also had the authority to regulate airfares and airline routes (FAA, 2017). This is an important stepping stone for regulations we have today and what we call the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

    The Civil Aeronautics Authority was the first sight into a safer, more reliable air travel system. They were tasked with performing air traffic surveys, analyzing mail rates charged by private carriers, examining passenger price complaints, authorizing overseas travel routes, oversight on the transatlantic routes, and handling international discussions of aviation regulations (Civil, 2020). The CAA is the predecessor of what is now the Nation Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The CAA’s Air Safety Board was most highlighted from 1938 to 1939. It investigated 2,668 accidents and gave safety recommendations to prevent future incidents (Civil, 2020). One of the successful years the CAA had was in 1940, when they set an unprecedented record for the time of a whole year without a single fatal incident to a crew or passenger (Civil, 2020). 




    As I said, the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 was the first step to many of the processes and procedures we fly with today. Many organizations stemmed from this act and helped us better understand what we need as a governing system for air travel. It was instrumental in showing an early aviation community what safety regulations and mandated procedures could do for flight safety. This is why I believe it was one of the most instrumental acts passed for the US aviation industry.
 


A Brief History of the FAA. Federal Aviation Administration. (2017, January 4). Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history/. 

Civil Aeronautics Act (1938). Living New Deal. (2020, October 20). Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://livingnewdeal.org/glossary/civil-aeronautics-act-1938/. 

 Photo Album From Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) to FAA. Federal Aviation Administration . (2019, September 17). Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.faa.gov/about/history/photo_album/caa_to_faa/. 

Rosenthal, H. (n.d.). A Tale of Two Industries: The Evolution of American Commercial Air Travel from Regulation to the Free Market. Aviation in America . Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://sites.google.com/site/aviationinamerica/home/the?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1. 

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