The Year Santa Got His Pilot’s License 🎄❤️ #santa #license The photo of MacCracken handing the license to Santa is preserved in the Library of Congress. It remains one of the weirdest official government photos ever taken. The 'airway maps' weren't just paper. They plotted the locations of massive rotating searchlights that were installed every 10 miles across America to let pilots fly at night—the 1927 version of GPS. In the 1920s, flying was considered reckless. By giving Santa a license, the government was sending a message: 'Aviation is so safe, we trust it with the world's most important cargo. Following the 1926 Air Commerce Act, the U.S. government was eager to prove that air travel was safe and regulated. In a brilliant PR stunt, a "Santa Claus" visited the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., to receive an official pilot’s license from Assistant Secretary William MacCracken. He was also given a set of new airway maps to replace his reliance on reindeer instinct. The ceremony highlighted the new system of rotating beacon lights that guided pilots at night. MacCracken assured Santa that these lights would burn brightly on Christmas Eve, ensuring deliveries despite the weather. The event produced a famous photograph that humanized the dry world of federal aviation regulations. Following the 1926 Air Commerce Act, the U.S. government was eager to prove that air travel was safe and regulated. In a brilliant PR stunt, a "Santa Claus" visited the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., to receive an official pilot’s license from Assistant Secretary William MacCracken. He was also given a set of new airway maps to replace his reliance on reindeer instinct.