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107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1151

To amend the method for achieving quiet technology specified in the National

Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JUNE 29, 2001

Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. ENSIGN) introduced the following bill; which

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and

Transportation

A BILL

To amend the method for achieving quiet technology specified

in the National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be referred to as the ‘‘Grand Canyon

5 Quiet Technology Implementation Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO QUIET AIRCRAFT TECHNOLOGY.

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 804 of the National Parks

8 Air Tour Management Act of 2000 (49 U.S.C. 40128

9 note) is amended by adding at the end the following new

10 subsection:
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1 ‘‘(f) ALTERNATIVE QUIET AIRCRAFT TECH2 NOLOGY.—

3 ‘‘(1) GENERAL RULE.—Notwithstanding any

4 other provision of law, an air tour operator based in

5 Clark County, Nevada or at the Grand Canyon Na6 tional Park Airport shall be treated as having met

7 the requirements for quiet aircraft technology that

8 apply with respect to commercial air tour operations

9 for tours described in subsection (b), if the air tour

10 operator has met the following requirements:

11 ‘‘(A) The aircraft used by the air tour op12 erator for such tours—

13 ‘‘(i) meet the requirements designated

14 under subsection (a); or

15 ‘‘(ii) if not previously powered by tur16 bine engines, have been modified to be

17 powered by turbine engines and, after the

18 conversion—

19 ‘‘(I) have a higher number of

20 propellers (in the case of fixed-wing

21 aircraft) or main rotor blades (in the

22 case of helicopters) than the aircraft

23 had before the conversion, thereby re24 sulting in a reduction in prop or blade
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1 tip speeds and engine revolutions per

2 minute;

3 ‘‘(II) have current technology en4 gine exhaust mufflers;

5 ‘‘(III) in the case of helicopters,

6 have current technology quieter tail

7 rotors; or

8 ‘‘(IV) have any other modifica9 tions, approved by the Federal Avia10 tion Administration, that significantly

11 reduce the aircraft’s sound.

12 ‘‘(B) The air tour operator has replaced,

13 for use for the tours, smaller aircraft with larg14 er aircraft that have more seating capacity,

15 thereby reducing the number of flights needed

16 to transport the same number of passengers.

17 ‘‘(C) The air tour operator can safely dem18 onstrate, through flight testing administered by

19 the Federal Aviation Administration that ap20 plies a sound measurement methodology accept21 ed as standard, that the tour operator can fly

22 existing aircraft in a manner that achieves a

23 sound signature in the same noise range or hav24 ing the same or similar sound effect as the air-
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1 craft that satisfy the requirements of subpara2 graph (A) or (B).

3 ‘‘(2) EXEMPTION FROM FLIGHT CAPS.—Any air

4 tour operator that meets the requirements described

5 in paragraph (1), shall be—

6 ‘‘(A) exempt from the operational flight al7 locations referred to in subsection (c) and from

8 flight curfews and any other requirement not

9 imposed solely for reasons of aviation safety;

10 and

11 ‘‘(B) granted air tour routes that are pre12 ferred for the quality of the scenic views for—

13 ‘‘(i) tours from Clark County, Nevada

14 to the Grand Canyon National Park Air15 port; and

16 ‘‘(ii) ‘local loop’ tours referred to in

17 subsection (b)(2).’’.

18 (b) REINSTATEMENT OF CERTAIN AIR TOUR

19 ROUTES.—Any air tour route from Clark County, Nevada,

20 to the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan, Ar21 izona, that was eliminated, or altered in any way, by regu22 lation or by action by the Federal Aviation Administra23 tion, on or after January 1, 2001, and before the date

24 of enactment of this Act shall be reinstated effective as

25 of such date of enactment and no further changes, modi-
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1 fications, or elimination of any other air tour route flown

2 by an air tour company based in Clark County, Nevada

3 or at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan,

4 Arizona may be made after such date of enactment with5 out the approval of Congress.

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