Air Commerce Act Of 1926: A Case Study

In 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act, making railroads the first industry subject to Federal regulation. This law was passed by the Congress largely in response to the public demand that railroad operations be regulated. A five-member enforcement board knowns as the Interstate Commerce Commission was also established by the act.

The odds are that at some point in time, most people in America will travel by air. What most of these people do not realize is that a simple flight is in reality a well-oiled, complex machine unlike any other air navigation service provider in the world. After the Wright brothers took their first successful flight, America embraced air travel.  The Federal Aviation Agency (now Administration) officially began operations in May of 1958, and later developed a sophisticated air traffic control system that is responsible for the largest volume of air traffic in the world (“A Brief History of the FAA”). Today, however, many politicians believe that government involvement in air traffic control is inhibiting the overall performance of air traffic control. Several bills have been proposed to Congress since the 1970s in attempt to separate air traffic control (referenced as ATC) from the FAA by privatization, corporatization, or other means (Elias 2). The most recent of these bills has caused serious debate in the aviation world over economic policies, safety regulations, and overall effectiveness of the current ATC system. The Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act (21st Century AIRR Act) as proposed by Representative Bill Shuster should not be passed by Congress because it would privatize air traffic control by removing it from the Federal Aviation Administration. This would entail the creation of a board of stakeholders who would have the power to make regulatory

The 1920s was a decade of prosperity and prelude to the diverse introduction of new technologies. At the same time the automobile became popular, aircraft began to develop. Although during the World War II, aircraft is widely used to attack into enemy lines, prior to this, aircraft was used to deliver mail and compete for the distance it could fly without making any stop. One such aviator, Charles A. Lindbergh challenged to the first solo transatlantic flight and in a moment, he became one of the America’s most beloved hero.

The first flight occurred in 1903 when the Wright brothers famously took their airplane for a final test flight in December. In the years after this historic flight many people start to see the potential for airplanes in war, transportation, and shipping. Other builders disregarded previous doubt about flying and began to replicate the ideas of the Wright brothers in creating planes with three axes. In addition, the approach of WWI prompted military personnel to pursue uses of airplanes as a war machine. The airplane influenced many aspects of American culture after it’s invention including civilian life, war technology, and individual possibility.

“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end,” said Robin Sharman. Advancements and progress that came from innovational minds took time and there were many obstacles and hardships. During the 1900s the world gave birth of the bright minds of the Wright Brothers that gave the world’s first successful airplane, also the modifications of the corset gave way to new fashion styles and trends and finally the tragic Galveston Hurricane paved the pathway of new mechanics and progressive ideas. Before, the thought of people being in the air and flying seemed impossible and dangerous, but the 1900s was a decade of advancement and many innovative minds such as Orville and Wilbur Wright, tried to build a “flying machine”. Unlike

The first federal government regulations of the interstate airline industry were the Air Mail Act of 1925 and the Air Commerce Act of 1926. Additional federal regulation of commercial aviation was imposed with the passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938.

Airplanes started to become a huge contribution to transporting our mail, weapons for wars, and many other things. Wilbur and Orville Wright, owners of a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, not only built, but flew the first airplane over the beach at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903 (Tindall, Shi, 2013). “Planes did not advance as rapidly as automobiles. Although in 1914, the outbreak of the war soon changed that, once the Europeans developed it as a military weapon” (Tindall, Shi, 2013). During the war, an American aircraft industry had developed.

The reorganization of how the government will create regulations for aviation has now come to its final home, the future of United States day to day aeronautical operations is now the responsibility of the FAA. The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 was a big step that the government took to getting to how we know Aviation today. When you think of United States Aviation the FAA usually comes to mind, and for good reason, the FAA has been a huge component in shaping new technologies and ways of running the National Airspace System (NAS). All of these contributions to the advancement aeronautics, through the FAA, could not have been possible if it weren’t for the reconstruction of government involvement in aviation. From the Air Commerce Act of 1926, to the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, the government has had a significant influence on how we conduct day to day aeronautical operations, ranging from reducing emissions, to improving navigational systems, and ATC

The Air Commerce Act of 1926 is responsible for the creation of this fledgling department. The Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce was tasked with improving the safety standards in aviation. The task of improving safety is balanced with the chore establishing new standards surrounding navigation, aircraft certifications and pilot licensing. These new regulations also provided the federal

Alcock and Brown took off with their first transatlantic flight departing from Newfoundland and crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1919 while enduring the unusual events. The Air Navigation Act 1920 supports the reactions of the aircraft in air and preventing any lawsuit against aviation industry such as pollution and damages to a local area. Their influence shown the aviation industry that an aircraft could travel non-stop to a long and short distance whether there are extreme weathers.

The American aviation industry was in an uncertain era post World War II (WW2). Aircraft manufacturers were suffering large loses as the demand for planes dropped sharply and the market was flooded. This created more supply than demand. Manufactures expected government sales to decline and braced for it. They hinged their hopes on the need for commercial aviation transportation which never came to fruition (Bright, 1978). The resurgence for the industry came in the form of the jet engine. The Navy, being conservative and resistant to change, did not see the need for

On October 24, 1978, President Carter signed into law the Airline Deregulation Act. The purpose of the law was to effectively get the federal government out of the airline business. By allowing the airlines to compete for their customers' travel dollars, was the thinking, that fares would drop and an increased number of routes would spring up.

In examining the history of aviation in the U.S. and the development of the airlines, it is clear that the Federal Government played a vital role in the development of both. Historical records clearly show that this involvement by the Federal Government was critical in getting them established and in helping to develop them into the globally dominant enterprises they are today. Furthermore, it can be easily argued that U.S. aviation as a whole, and the airlines in particular, would not be where they are today without this direct involvement by the Federal Government and some of the very specific actions that it has taken to keep them relevant and competitive during the most dire of times. The Federal Government ensured that U.S. aviation and its airlines would develop and achieve a worldwide leadership role by becoming involved in three major ways: through funding, legislation, and policy setting.

The airline industry witnessed a growth of new companies, all trying to increase the market share for airline service. They began to offer amenities like hot food, entertainment and better seating as airplanes grew larger. “In this new competitive environment with fares determined by market forces, carriers also became free to make strategic network choices” (Flores-Fillol, 2009). Prior to airline deregulation the United States government controlled which airlines would fly certain routes and also what they could charge for airfare. The Government controlled all aspects of air travel by the Air Mail Act of 1925, Air Commerce Act of 1926 and additional federal regulations under the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938. Although there was growth, there were also bigger airlines who bought out smaller airlines to decrease competition. The early years saw great rise as Pan Am and Trans World Airlines both were giants in the airline industry which offered state of the art airplanes and service, however both of these airlines have since gone extinct.

Airplanes were around the first few years of the 20th century. In 1925, the Air Mail Act facilitated the development of airline industry by allowing postmaster to contract with private airlines to deliver mail. Shortly after, the Air Commerce Act authorized the Secretary of Commerce to establish airways, certify aircraft, license pilots, and issue and enforce air traffic regulations. The first set of commercial airlines included Pan American, Western Air Express and Ford Transport Service. Within 10 years, many modern airlines, such as Southwest, Delta, United and American, had emerged as major players.