The Air Commerce Act of 1926 led to the creation of which federal entity?

• A. Aeronautics Branch in the Department of Commerce
• B. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• C. Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB)
• D. NASA

Answer: (A)

The Air Commerce Act of 1926 created a federal aviation regulator within the Department of Commerce: the Aeronautical Branch. This body was responsible for overseeing civil aviation, including licensing pilots, certifying aircraft, and establishing airways and navigational aids to promote safety and orderly air travel. Over time this office evolved into the Bureau of Air Commerce and later underwent further reorganizations, eventually contributing to what became the later Civil Aeronautics Board and Federal Aviation Administration. NASA is a space agency established in 1958, and the Civil Aeronautics Board was created later under a different act to regulate airline economics and safety, not directly from the 1926 act.