The HIstory of the FAA

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The FAA is a government agency who provides our country with the safest aerospace system in the world today. The FAA was not easily created though it was formed over many years and through the passage of many different bills and acts. The FAA started to take shape in the early 1900's. When the commercial aviation industry was first getting its start many leaders believed that without proper regulation and safety rules, that were set by the federal government, the aviation industry would not succeed. So to achieve their goal Congress passed the Air Commerce Act of 1926. This act made the Secretary of Commerce responsible for making aviation rules, regulations and certifying pilots and aircrafts. It also created an Aeronautics Branch in the Department of Commerce, which oversaw everything about aviation. This Branch of the Government was headed by William MacCracken, and it was the first predecessor to the FAA.

With the creation of this new branch of the federal government came many new rules and regulations regarding every aspect of the aviation industry. One of the first acts this branch passed was an act to establish the first air traffic control centers in the United States. These centers were intended to give air traffic control while planes are in the air going to their destination. In these centers people monitored the planes positions, and used telephones to talk with the pilots, and other important airport officials. Even though most of the aviation safety was the federal government's responsibility, around the 1930's state governments operated airport towers and the federal government continued to improve safety. Also during this time many airplane crashes caused the government to question if the department was doing a...

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...ncrease its power and to continue to develop new technology to make aviation more efficient and safe. The FAA's future program is call NextGen. This program is designed to create new technologies that can help take advantage of new technology to help make aircraft more modern and easier to fly, and it also helps create more routes airplanes can take and make their existing routes more efficient. The FAA is also trying to help make the aircraft industry very flexible and be able to meet many different needs, and the FAA is also trying to lower costs, improve service and create better security measures to help the aviation industry in the United States be the best in the world. Since its creation 50 years ago the FAA has become a very important part of the United States. It has created one of the most reliable and efficient transportation system in the world.

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