The US transportation agency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), celebrated 100 years of service back in 2020. While it only came into its current form in 1958, it can trace its origins back to the earliest days of aviation. As the need for centralized regulations and control has grown, so has the organization we now know as the FAA.

Offering US flight service from the 1920s

It was not long after the Wright brothers made their first flight that some form of information and coordination service for aircraft became necessary. The FAA has its origins back in those early days. Commercial aviation in the US started to grow during the years after the First World War - firstly for mail service and soon after for passenger routes. Independent flight Service stations were started to provide weather and other information. These could be contacted by pilots in advance for vital weather information and by radio during flights. The Air Commerce Act was introduced in 1926, and this began the process of formalizing the system and improving regulations and safety. This was first overseen by the US Department of Commerce - becoming the Bureau of Air Commerce in 1934 as the aviation sector grew.

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Moving to federal control

Control and regulation gradually expanded under the Bureau of Air Commerce. It expanded geographically and took control of Air Traffic Control (initially run by airlines) in 1936. From 1940, control passed to two newly formed civil organizations - the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). The CAA took on ATC, aircraft safety and certification. The CAB looked after airfares and industry regulations. These organizations saw aviation through the Second World War and some significant expansion in airlines and fleets after this.

Douglas DC-3
Aircraft fleets expanded significantly in the 1930s and 1940s. Photo: Getty Images

As air traffic expanded, so did accidents. The growth of aviation, along with some devasting high profile accidents and collisions, lead to the decision to move control and regulation of the sector to federal control. The Federal Aviation Act was introduced in August 1958, switching the sector from civil to federal control. The agency to control this was then known as the Federal Aviation Agency.

The role of the FAA

While its name and position in the federal setup have changed over the years, the role of the FAA remains much as it was defined in 1958. It has taken on control of all air safety standards and regulations and developed a common ATC system. In 1967 it took on the form it retains today. It became part of the new federal US Department of Transport and was renamed as the Federal Aviation Administration at that time.

FAA
Today, the FAA is part of the US Department of Transport

Since then, some things have changed, but much has remained the same. With the deregulation of airfares, this was dropped as a direct FAA responsibility. Its role in ATC has also expanded, and new aviation areas such as drones and commercial space flights have been added to its remit. One area that has changed is airport and public security. Following the events of September 11th 2001, the FAA transferred responsibility for this to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). This agency was set up in November that year under the US Department of Homeland Security.

Passengers TSA
TSA is working on offering passengers a non-binary option for PreCheck. Photo: Getty Images

Would you like to discuss any aspects of the FAA's history further or share any experiences of their services? Feel free to let us know in the comments.