Between the volume of air traffic and the variety of aircraft, the airspace in the Washington area remains among the most complicated and restricted in the country.

DALLAS — Today, in 1964, the three-engined Boeing 727 entered service with launch customer Eastern Air Lines (EA), one of the "Big Four" domestic airlines created by the Spoils Conferences of 1930.

When American Eagle Flight 5342 took off from Wichita, the Midwest city with a proud aviation history was glowing from a big ...