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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 0574.PDF
OPERATIONS: AIR TRANSPORT FAA backs stage 2 trade-off BY KIERAN DALY IN WASHINGTON DC The US Federal Aviation Ad ministration (FAA) is sup porting a noise-limiting scheme that would allow US carriers to trade their permitted numbers of Stage 2 aircraft, provided the overall national fleet is phased out on schedule. In its congressionally man dated notice of proposed rule making (NPRM), the FAA is recommending the phasing out of 25% of the US Stage 2 fleet by 31 December, 1994; 50% by 31 December, 1996; 75% by the end of 1998 and a complete ban by the end of the century. Similar regulations would apply to foreign airlines operat ing to the USA—but the num bers would be expressed as pro portions of operations rather than aircraft. The baseline for calculating proportions would be the maxi mum number of owned or Delta could be biggest loser in noise-compliance rule change leased Stage 2 aircraft in a US carrier's fleet on any one day in 1990; and, for foreign carriers, the total number of Stage 2 operations into the USA throughout 1990. New-entrant carriers would have no restrictions on their fleets, if launched before the 25% deadline, but would other wise have to have start-up fleets in line with the then-current proportion. The proposed rules apply to aircraft of more than 34,000kg and are subject to the existing Cost to major US operators of new Carrier American Continental Delta Eastern Federal Express Northwest Pan American Trans World United USAir Subtotal National carriers Grand total 1994 12 0 153 0 48 0 0 0 0 0 213 143 356 1996 32 39 263 0 48 5 0 0 94 141 622 263 885 noise 1998 134 48 300 139 82 167 0 5 241 418 1,534 258 1,792 rules ($ millions) 2000 176 135 493 159 70 199 67 106 230 548 2,183 364 2,547 Total 354 223 1,208 298 248 371 67 111 565 1,107 4,552 1,028 5.580 source : FAA legislation that no additional Stage 2 aircraft can be imported into the USA. Lessors would be allowed to re-import aircraft leased abroad before the law was passed in November 1990. The FAA further proposes that carriers who merge would be allowed to combine their allowances; US carriers operat ing Stage 2 aircraft outside the USA would be unaffected; and foreign operators with only one or two Stage 2 aircraft flying into ttie USA would be exempt until 31 December, 1999. The 'rules would allow for waivers *for "carriers who were 85% corr^mant by 1 July, 1999, and had 'satisfactory plans to complete the conversion by 31 December, 2003. There is no waiver for high-bypass, wide- body aircraft such as JT9D- powered 747-200s. Considerable support is given in the NPRM to the possibility of rights transfers: the FAA even suggests that rights "brokers" might evolve, who could be allowed to deal in the rights although not themselves operat ing aircraft. • GPA deal hit by Egyptian injunction Egyptian flag-carrier Egyptair is taking legal action against GPA, claiming that the Shan non-based leasing company has failed to meet contractual obli gations with the planned sale to GPA of 14 Egyptair aircraft, valued at an estimated $280 million. The Egyptian airline has sought an injunction in France preventing the release of the down payment placed by GPA with the Union des Banques Arabes et Francaises, the banker for the deal. Middle East Eco nomic Digest (MEED) reports that Muhammad al Sharkawi, head of the commercial law department at Cairo university, has been appointed by Egyptair to present its case in the Egyp tian courts. The sale is intended to part- finance the badly needed mod ernisation of Egyptair's fleet. MEED cites unidentified ob servers as saying that the deal "...has yet to be finalised be cause GPA claims the condition of the aircraft is not up to the standard required". The difficulties over the GPA contract come at a bad time for Egyptair, which has lost an esti mated $317 million as the result of the Gulf crisis, including SI 10 million in funds blocked by Iraq's Government. • CVR could hold 737 crash clue US investigators are hoping that the cockpit voice re corder (CVR) of the United Airlines Boeing 737-200, which crashed at Colorado Springs on 4 March, will provide the first clue to the cause. Initial investigations provided no indication as to why the eight year-old aircraft, N999UA (serial number 22742), crashed on final approach in daylight. About 40 eyewitnesses re ported that the aircraft appeared to be flying normally until it suddenly dived into the ground. There were no radio transmis sions and all 20 passengers and five crew died. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says both Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines were running on impact and there was "no evidence of fire or distress in the engines". After examining the flight data recorder (FDR), investiga tor John Lauber said: "What we see in that last 45s are the right turn, the headings consistent with the right turn onto final approach course, the altitude consistent with an approach like that. "The indicated airspeeds are consistent with approach opera tions, generally in the order of 150kt [277km/h] to 160kt throughout this period until ap proximately the last six sec onds,"he says. At that point, says the NTSB, the aircraft pitched nose down with no significant negative ac celeration, rolled to the right, eventually pulling +3g, and hit the ground at 213kt. It was found with 10° to 12° of flap deployed and slats extended. The airport is known for ad verse wind conditions, but the surface wind was 20kt, gusting 28kt, and no indication of windshear. • A Linea Aeropostal Venezo- lana (LAV) Douglas DC-9-30 (YV-23C) crashed shortly after take-off from Maracaibo, Vene zuela, on a domestic flight to Santa Barbara del Zuila on 5 March, 1991. All 48 passengers and five crew were killed when the aircraft hit high ground in cloud near Trujillo. • 12 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 13 - 19 March, 1991
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