Joe garner (not his real name) runs a company in Houston, Texas, which makes aluminum parts for an equipment manufacturer, also in Houston. The other company in turn supplies chips for a leading Korean maker of computers and other electronic equipment.

Joe's company, Conmark, is under intense pressure to produce more and more parts for the company in Houston which in turn is hard pressed to meet the demands of its Korean electronics client. Demand for personal computers, cellular phones and similar products is propelling companies at breakneck speeds. Garner's company, like other suppliers, works closely with Consolidated Electric, which provides weekly summaries by computer on which parts are required.

But the problem is that Consolidated has not as yet approved a Houston company to do the plating and chemical cleaning for the key parts that Conmark makes. So Garner must ship many of its parts by air to Arizona where they can be plated or cleaned by a company on Consolidated's approved list. His company, Conmark, pays a premium for shipping air freight but it is glad to do so. And so the story goes. Many companies, suppliers and parts manufacturers must ship the fastest way to meet the intense deadlines which are commonplace now in American industry - and air freight, also known as air express, is the quickest way of all to ship.

Every day, thousands of airlines, flying out of dozens of airfields throughout the United States, carry loads of cargo in their holds to destinations all over the country and indeed throughout the world. And thousands of air express carriers, such as Cannonball in Chicago, advertise guaranteed delivery of freight by the following day for all materials that it picks up. The shipper may have to pay a premium for such swift service, but in many cases, such as the situation of the intense pressure to ship out parts described above, it is happy to do so. Also, there are hundreds of companies which supply highly perishable food stuffs - fruits and vegetables, meat, fish and other commodities to distant destinations, which must arrive in the quickest way possible to keep their freshness.

Where companies are seeking to hold down their inventories of costly parts and equipment, they know that by using air freight, they can order the exact number of components required and still be assured of receiving the goods in time.

This explains why in recent years the amount of air freight shipped annually in the United States has expanded to over 12 million ton miles, an increase of roughly 4 million ton miles of cargo from just a few years ago. A ton mile is one short ton carried one mile. Since 1930 which was the first year airliners began carrying cargo, the amount of air freight carried has risen sharply. In fact it's hard to imagine the United States without air freight. Residents of Chicago and Philadelphia enjoy fresh oranges flown in from California. Computers in Detroit run on software that arrives daily from Phoenix; and auto makers in Detroit outfit their cars with parts arriving from all over the country. This in turn cuts the cost of inventories and warehousing which in turn reduces the cost of production. Delivery as you need it is helping U.S. manufacturers to keep up with foreign competition. And it continues to expand the importance of air freight in the economy.

Today giant airliners carry passengers and cargo between major cities throughout the world. And planes and helicopters speed medicine and other supplies to the furthest reaches of land and jungle. These loads are carried by commercial airlines which carry both passengers and cargo, and operated by all of the major airlines. Most airliners carry both passengers and cargo. Many passenger airlines also operate separate transport planes that carry only cargo. A few certificated airlines, approved for commercial flights, specialize in carrying cargo only and do not make any passenger flights. In addition to commercial airliners flown by approved airline companies, there are general aviation craft, used for pleasure flying, land surveying, flying instructions, and so forth, which may be licensed to carry cargo. Airports offer the runways, ramps and other facilities needed for both air travel and air cargo. Of the nation's 17,000 airports, only about 700 are equipped to handle passengers and cargo flown on large passenger airliners.

Regulating the safety of the aircraft industry is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It establishes the rules that all planes flying in the United States must follow. Among others, the agency regulates air route traffic control centers through the country. The FAA also issues licenses to pilots and certifies the airworthiness of all newly manufactured aircraft.

Originally the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) had the responsibility for the economic regulations of U.S. airlines. The CAB's powers included establishing the scheduled routes of airlines in the USA, controlling cargo rates and passenger fares, and approving mergers and other agreements between air carriers. But in 1978 Congress passed the Airline Deregulation Act which stripped the CAB of its airline regulatory powers and eventually the agency was dissolved in December 1984.