Aero Linx: Aviation Law -- An Overview
Aviation law governs the operation of aircraft and the maintenance of aviation facilities. Both federal and state governments have enacted statutes and created administrative agencies to regulate air traffic. Using its constitutional authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, Congress has enacted several federal laws pertaining to air navigation. The first of these was the 1926 Air Commerce Act, which provided for the certification and registration of aircraft employed in interstate or foreign commerce, among other things. The statute was amended in 1938 by the Civil Aeronautics Act which created the "Civil Aeronautics Authority," a five member panel with the power to