(This article is the first in a series of articles on landmark aviation safety developments since Flight Safety Foundation was founded in 1945.)
When Jerome F. “Jerry” Lederer, Gloria Heath, Richard Crane, and David Morrison, among others, founded Flight Safety Foundation in 1945, aviation stood at the dawn of the jet age. World War II had brought rapid advances, including turbine engines, pressurized cabins, radar, and a better understanding of aviation weather. Technology forged in conflict ushered commercial aviation into a new era. The middle of the 20th century would bring longer flights, faster speeds, higher altitudes, more passengers — and notable improvements in safety and reliability.
Perhaps the most significant technological advance during the period was the jet engine, which enabled airplanes to accomplish those longer flights at faster speeds and higher altitudes, carrying more passengers than could be accommodated in piston-powered aircraf…
