An Israeli pilot who fought in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, was awarded today the “United States Decoration for Exceptional Service” by Lt. Gen. Harold Grant, deputy administrator of the U. S. Federal Aviation Agency, for developing a safer method for commercial use of airspace.
Bar-Atid Arad, 40, born in Israel and a former member of the Palmach forces, became the first non-American to win the FAA award. He came to the United States through an agreement between the Civil Aeronautics Division of the Israel Ministry of Transportation and FAA, to a research on his theory on more efficient use of airspace. A mathematician, he holds a degree from the University of California. The method he worked out proved so successful that the FAA has applied to all central control towers at American airports.
Mr. Arad was cited by Gen. Grant for his resourcefulness and professional skill in devising a better system for the flow of air traffic both nationally and internationally. He was also awarded a gold medal by the U. S. Government.
Tonight he received another award at a conference on air traffic control at Atlantic City. The conference agenda included a discussion of the “Israeli” innovation. Mr. Arad conceived the theory while working in Israel with the Israel Civil Aeronautics Division.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
