Definition
A 1938 United States federal law that transferred federal civil aviation responsibilities from the Department of Commerce to a new independent agency, the Civil Aeronautics Authority. The Act gave this body the power to regulate airline fares and routes, set safety rules, investigate accidents, and oversee the economic and safety aspects of civil aviation in the United States.
Plain English
A 1938 law that took control of civil aviation away from the Department of Commerce and handed it to a new, dedicated aviation agency with broader powers over airlines, safety rules, and accident investigations.
Context Anchor
Seen in the early history section of the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge when explaining how modern U.S. aviation regulation developed.
Derivation
‘Civil’ comes from the Latin civilis, meaning ‘relating to citizens’ — in aviation it means non-military flying done by the public. ‘Aeronautics’ comes from the Greek aer (air) and nautes (sailor), literally ‘sailing through the air.’ So the name simply means ‘the law covering non-military flying.’
Why Pilots Care
It established the first broad federal authority over aviation safety and operations, directly leading to the regulations and oversight structure pilots follow today.
Intuition Check
Do not read “civil” as “polite” or “act” as “an action.” Here, “civil” means non-military, and “Act” means a law.
Example Sentence 1
The Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 created the first independent federal agency dedicated solely to civil aviation.
Example Sentence 2
Student pilots learn that the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 began the regulatory path that produced today’s FAA rules.