The Air Commerce Act of 1926

During World War I, the military used airplanes to carry mail. After the war finished, there was a surplus of aircraft, and civilians used them to continue sending mail, this time in the US. However, many accidents happened, and for various reasons, some airplanes were not in the right conditions to fly, sometimes the weather was not suitable for flying but, the air carries would pressure the pilots to fly anyways.



The United States Congress passed the Air Commerce Act 94 years ago in 1926. Then, the Government will (FAA),  “designate and establish airways, establish, operate, and maintain aids to air navigation (but not airports), arrange for research and development to improve such aids, license pilots, issue airworthiness certificates for aircraft and major aircraft components, and investigate accidents.”

This event was necessary for the aviation industry since accidents were not frequent anymore, as it used to be before 1926. Further, the general public started to trust airplanes and later became a “common” public transportation method. Many air carriers took advantage of the trust and became larger airlines. Aviation would not be what it is today if this Air Commerce Act of 1926 never became law.

References:

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

Air Commerce Act. (2015, December 7). Retrieved from https://www.transportation.gov/content/air-commerce-act

Glass, A. (2013, May 20). Congress passed Air Commerce Act, May 20, 1926. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/this-day-in-politics-091600