With AIN Media Group's Aviation International News and its predecessor Aviation Convention News celebrating the company's 50th year of continuous publication this year, AIN’s editorial staff is going back through the archives each month to bring readers some interesting events that were covered over the past half-century.

REWIND: (May 1, 1986) Pilots and crewmembers stand a chance of permanently losing their certificates under new Federal Air Regulations governing the use of alcohol and drugs. The regulations went into effect April 9.

According to the FAA, any pilot or crewmember who refuses to submit to alcohol or drug testing following an accident or incident is subject to the loss of his certification for an indefinite period depending on the seriousness of the matter under investigation. He is also subject to a fine of up to $1,000.

The new regulations also establish for the first time a minimum blood standard for determining when alcohol has impaired a pilot’s or crewmember’s ability.

FASTFORWARD: Outside of their professional duties, the regulations further required that a pilot who is found guilty of a DUI, must report this to the FAA’s Civil Aviation Security division within 60 days of the verdict, and upon collecting two or more DUIs in a three-year span, it can automatically revoke, suspend, or deny a medical certificate. For professional pilots, an occupational substance abuse treatment program known as Human Intervention and Motivation Study (HIMS) was developed to help those with alcohol problems return to the cockpit. It has since helped thousands of pilots turn their lives around and regain their careers