Happy birthday to the FAA!
On August 23, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 into law, creating the independent Federal Aviation Agency – later to be renamed the Federal Aviation Administration – which means it’s time to say Happy 62nd Birthday to the FAA!
But did you know that the FAA’s roots date back even further – to the Civil Aeronautics Authority, or CAA, created in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt? The CAA would later give birth to two sister agencies - today’s FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB.
Another little-known fact: The first FAA tower at Miami International Airport got its start as the judge’s stand and timing tower for the Miami All-American Air Maneuvers Show, held every January from 1929 to 1957. As many as 5,000 attendees would gather for the national event, which featured military and civilian aircraft performing thrilling races and air acrobatics. After the 1941 show, the tower was left intact to become MIA’s first air traffic control tower, and the CAA assumed operation of the tower in 1946.
Want more cool aviation history trivia? Check out our History of MIA ebook.