Legislative Acts

 The Federal Aviation Act of 1958

    The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 is the legislative act I selected. It is a legislative act that, in my opinion, had a significant impact on the aviation sector because it kept the Civil Aeronautics Board as a federal agency, established the Federal Aviation Agency (later called the Federal Aviation Administration, or the FAA), provided for the regulation and promotion of civil aviation in a way that would most effectively foster its growth and safety, and provided for the safe and effective use of airspace by both civil and military aircraft, among other factors.

    The Federal Aviation Act of 1958, which was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, set the stage for the FAA to become the nation's civil aviation regulator later that year. Sen. A.S. introduced the legislation in the Senate. "Mike" Monroney (D-OK) transferred the responsibilities of the Civil Aeronautics Authority to the newly established Federal Aviation Agency to ensure the effective and safe use of the national airspace (FAA, 2021). The Federal Aviation Act of 1958, which built on the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938, reinstituted the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), transferred its safety-regulatory responsibilities to the newly established FAA, and gave the FAA the authority "to take control of all navigable airspace over the United States for both civilian and military purposes" (Harris, 2019). 

    President Johnson thought a single department was required to create and carry out comprehensive transportation policies and programs across all forms of transportation because he was concerned about the lack of a coordinated transportation system. Congress approved the establishment of a cabinet agency to oversee all significant federal transportation duties in 1966. On April 1, 1967, this new Department of Transportation (DOT) started conducting regular business. On that day, the Federal Aviation Agency changed its name to the Federal Aviation Administration and joined many other modal entities within DOT.  The new National Transportation Safety Board took over the CAB's accident investigation duties at the same time (Snider, 2018). 

A sign change as the Civil Aeronautics Administration becomes the Federal Aviation Agency in 1958

References:

A Brief History of the FAA | Federal Aviation Administration. (2021). FAA. https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history

Harris, D. B. (2019). Federal Aviation Act (1958) | Encyclopedia.com. Encyclopedia. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/federal-aviation-act-1958

Snider, A. (2018, August 23). President Eisenhower Signs the Federal Aviation Act of 1958. AAAE. https://www.aaae.org/aaae/AAAEMemberResponsive/AAAE_Blog/AAAE_Blog_Posts/Today_in_Aviation082318.aspx