"Kevin Darling" wrote in message
m...

Google groups with the keywords (including quotes)

"nautical miles" "lose mph"

Then look at the message marked "when did we lose mph? ridiculously
long". It has about 900 lines of editorials and transcripts relating
to the change.


Sounds like a work of tremendous scholarship.



The upshot is that the USN was using nautical miles, the USAF was
about to change over to it, and the airlines (thinking they had to
switch) had changed their stuff. Basically, the military forced it on
everyone. Even with AOPA fighting it, GA had no choice, and in Oct
1954 the total switchover was made.


I seem to recall the USAAF going nautical before the USAF was established.
The only requirement to use nautical measure was in IFR operations. Most GA
operators were not affected at all.