The ACCA is formally organized under a corporate governance structure which exists to this day: a Board of Governors, Executive Committee, and Office of the President. The founding membership was composed of 86 companies and 119 individual members. At the time, individuals who contributed to the industry in a substantive way were allowed membership into the organization as “Class C” members (this was later discontinued). It included inventors, designers, pilots, and research donors.

The first air show organized under this newly formed subsidiary was the International Aeronautical Exposition of 1928. Today, AIA holds a presence at all major aviation aerospace trade shows and air shows.

In the early years of its existence, ACCA offered personal membership to individuals. Aviation pioneer and explorer Amelia Earhart was one such member, joining in 1929. In 1932, AIA would host Earhart’s congratulatory dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in recognition of her solo flight across the Atlantic – a first for an aviatrix.

To ensure industry standards for parts and manufacturing, ACCA establishes the National Aircraft Standards committee in 1938. The name would later become National Aerospace Standards to reflect the changing industry. In the years since, NAS has produced thousands of engineering standards for aircraft manufacturing and provided policy recommendations for other industry standards, such as the 2018 Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAP) Initiative.

Following the end of World War II, ACCA changes its name to “The Aircraft Industries Association of America.” This change was made to better represent the nature of its membership following the immense industrial and technological development that occurred during the war.

Beginning in 1945, AIA begins publication of its Facts and Figures compendium. In an age before the internet, this veritable encyclopedia of industry statistics served as an invaluable resource to industry experts, legislators, and others interested in the health of the industry. Today, Fact and Figures lives on as a snapshot of broad aerospace and defense statistics and the vital impact of the industry.

As the commercial aviation market grows in the post-war world, the Export-Import Bank of the United States begins financing aircraft exports at the urging of AIA. The first such transaction was to Brazilian Airline Panair Do Brasil for seven Lockheed Constellation passenger airliners.

AIA and the Air Transport Association split the cost of the $25,000 architectural survey for what would become the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. While Congress had established the museum through legislation years earlier, this survey allowed for federal funding to be allocated for the museum’s construction. The Air Transportation Association would later become Airlines for America.

Automatically Programmed Tool (APT) programming language, published as AIA standard NAS938 Machine Axis and Motion Nomenclature, quickly became the standard for automated machine tools in virtually every industry. It would also serve as the basis for the development of modern Computer Aided Manufacturing. Derivatives of APT are still used widely today in CNC (computer numerical control) mills and related machining applications.

To reflect the growing space and missile industry sectors, the association changes its name to The Aerospace Industries Association of America.

“Women in Aeronautics,” published in the fall of 1962, presents an account of women’s role in aviation (including a chapter on the careers and achievements of the Whirly-Girls).

An AIA-organized industry steering group establishes the first U.S. national pavilion at the Paris Air Show. Since then, AIA has continued to organize the American industry presence at the internationally renowned Paris and Farnborough Air Shows (pictured is a scene from a more recent U.S. pavilion).

National Aerospace Standards produces its first standard for robotics. Robotics are now an integral part of modern manufacturing processes.

AIA’s Aerospace Technical Committee (ATC) tests cabin safety concepts, which would later be recommended and approved as federal regulations by the FAA. One of the most notable recommendations is “Floor Escape Path Lighting,” an evacuation lighting system similar to that in movie theaters.

AIA’s Aerospace Technical Committee (ATC) conducts a focused study on the potential for international space station collaboration. The findings of this report would be proven accurate with the establishment of the International Space Station 15 years later.

AIA identifies eight key technologies for the 1990s as part of the “Key Tech for the 1990s” program. They included: advanced composites; advanced sensors; airbreathing propulsion; rocket propulsion; artificial intelligence; computational science; optical information processing; software development; superconductivity; and ultrareliable electronic systems.

AIA successfully pushes for industry adoption of electronic mail. This was facilitated by AIA’s hosting of experimental email servers, which connected members through the backbone of the ARPANET. AIA’s experiences and recommendations were later adopted in the development of what we know today as the internet and email services.

President George H.W. Bush signs an executive order establishing the National Industrial Security Program, which AIA initiated with the government to replace more than 1,000 separate government security programs and 340 regulations with a single program.

AIA launches the Supplier Management Council to provide a voice for members of the aerospace supply-chain and an outlet to develop solutions for issues surrounding customer-supplier relationships. Today, the Supplier Management Council is the largest internal AIA member body.

AIA and the National Association of Rocketry organize the first Team America Rocketry Challenge contest. It has become an annual celebration of amateur rocketry, inspiring many young people to pursue education in STEM and careers in aerospace fields.

Using the combined expertise and knowledge of AIA’s councils and committees, the FAA works closely with AIA’s National Centers for Advanced Technologies (NCAT) to develop the Next Generation Automated Test System (NGATS) and NextGen air traffic management system.

In response to sequestration and the Budget Control Act spending caps, AIA launches the Second to None campaign.