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STATE AERONAUTICAL REGULATORY BODIES
by Robert K. Thurber

INTRODUCTION

As a prelude and introduction to the digest of State legislative acts creating regulatory and promotional bodies to regulate, promote and control aeronautical interests within the various states there is for consideration, from an historical standpoint, the early laws and legislation in the field of aviation. For the purpose and to this end there has been selected the State of Connecticut as typical.

CONNECTICUT AS A TYPICAL STATE

The first laws in the country to attempt to govern and control aviation were passed by the Connecticut legislature in 1911. The then Governor, Simeon E. Baldwin, possessing more foresight than was generally credited to him by his contemporaries, proposed an act entitles "An Act Concerning the Registration, Numbering and Use of Air Ships and the Licensing of Operators Thereof." The act was passed, it seems, not after a lengthy debate as to its merits, but more with a view to humoring the Governor in what most of the legislators considered to be a foolish whim.

Definitions were provided for "air ship", "Aeronaut", "flight", etc., as witness the following quoted excerpt: "AERONAUT shall include every person who, being in or upon an air ship or anything attached thereto, undertakes to direct its ascent, course, or descent in the air, or the ascent, course or descent in the air of anything attached to such air ship." It will be noted that a person descending from a flight

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