On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers forever changed the world when they made the first sustained flight using a powered aircraft (History, 2015). This achievement by the Wright brothers led to the development of the first practical aircraft in 1905. In the years after 1905, the aircraft underwent a vast amount of advancements due to its popularity for private enjoyment, and as its use as a military advantage. Haven proving their airworthiness in World War I, aircraft were used to deliver mail beginning in 1918; however, with no postwar advancements in aircraft technology, many fatal accidents occurred because of the flying conditions and lack of navigation aids (The Federal Aviation Administration: A Historical Perspective, 1903-2008, …show more content…
This act established the Aeronautics Branch in the Department of Commerce and their sole mission was to oversee all comings and goings of the aviation industry. The Aeronautics Branch, led by William P. MacCracken, Jr., began improving the industry by making advancements in radio communications, navigation aids, lighting airways, and establishing rules and regulations for maintaining aircraft and certification of pilots. Then, in 1934, the Department of Commerce renamed the Aeronautics Branch to the Bureau of Air Commerce and as a newly named organization, the Bureau of Air Commerce decided to encourage a group of airlines to establish the first air traffic control centers, which in 1936 will fall under Bureau of Air Commerce’s control (The Federal Aviation Administration: A Historical Perspective, 1903-2008, 2009). However, the advancements in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations wasn’t enough to prevent high profile aircraft accidents that eventually put the Bureau of Air Commerce’s into