government expanded the aviation manufacturing industry, and Congress funded a postal program that would serve as the model for commercial air operations. In the early 1920s, many argued for federal regulation of the nascent commercial aviation sector to ensure public confidence, but others distrusted the government or wanted states to regulate aviation. Must the aviation industry be regulated? Prior to 1926, flyers of airplanes required no pilot's license, nor a license to carry passengers or materials, and took lessons from unlicensed schools or individuals. They generally took off and landed wherever they pleased (Komons 1978). But that year U. S. President Calvin Coolidge signed the Air Commerce Act (ACA) and federal oversight began under the direction of the Department of Commerce, which established safety standards and certification procedures for pilots and aircraft. The aviation industry was growing quickly and problems were being encountered with safety, aircraft route allocations, and airline formation. But was the public interest being protected or were the interests of the airline industry being served?
The response to this question was the 1938 Civil Aeronautics Act that transferred Federal civil aviation responsibilities to the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA), an independent agency. In 1940, the CAA was split into two agencies: One was the Civil Aeronautics Administration, responsible for air traffic control (ATC), airperson and aircraft certification, safety enforcement, and airway development.
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