Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/07/02/2013-15843/adoption-of-statutory-prohibition-on-the-operation-of-jets-weighing-75000-pounds-or-less-that-are
Timestamp: 2015-03-01 08:28:27
Document Index: 276584426

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 91', 'art 91', '§ 47534', '§ 47534', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', 'art 91', 'art 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', 'art 36', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91', '§ 91']

Federal Register | Adoption of Statutory Prohibition on the Operation of Jets Weighing 75,000 Pounds or Less That Are Not Stage 3 Noise Compliant
Dates: This rule becomes effective September 3, 2013. Send comments on or before August 1, 2013.
-39583 (8 pages)
Document Number: 2013-15843
Shorter URL: https://federalregister.gov/a/2013-15843 Related Topics
Terminating Operations of Jets of Weights At or Less Than 75,000 lbs. and Not Stage 3 Noise Compliant (Reauthorization) 1 action from July 2013 July 2013
Operator Categories for Civil Stage 2 Jet Airplanes Weighing 75,000 Pounds or Less
Pre-Law Airplane Retail Value and Cost of Hushkit Installation
Foreign Countries With Registered Stage 2 Airplanes Weighing 75,000 Pounds or Less
Compliance with the prohibition in § 91.801(e) is required after December 31, 2015.
Good Cause for Immediate Adoption Back to Top
I. Overview of This Final Rule Back to Top
II. History of Noise Operating Rules in the United States Back to Top
III. Recent Statutory Changes Back to Top
“[A]fter December 31, 2015, a person may not operate a civil subsonic jet airplane with a maximum weight of 75,000 pounds or less, and for which an airworthiness certificate (other than an experimental certificate) has been issued, to or from an airport in the United States unless the Secretary of Transportation finds that the aircraft complies with [S]tage 3 noise levels.”
The law is applicable to operations in the 48 contiguous United States. The law also provides for operation of otherwise prohibited airplanes after that date under certain circumstances.
This final rule codifies into the regulations of 14 CFR part 91 the operating prohibition of § 47534 (a), and the circumstances for which otherwise prohibited operations may be conducted as listed in § 47534 (c). The circumstances are similar to those that were allowed under the 1990 statute that were codified in 14 CFR 91.858.
This prohibition is being codified into the operating rules as § 91.881. Because Congress included operational circumstances in the Act that were not included in ANCA, we are codifying them separately as § 91.883 to prevent confusion with the circumstances applicable to larger jet airplanes.
IV. Regulatory Notices and Analyses Back to Top
Changes to Federal regulations must undergo several economic analyses. First, Executive Orders 12866 and 13563 direct that each Federal agency shall propose or adopt a regulation only upon a reasoned determination that the benefits of the intended regulation justify its costs. Second, the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (96) requires agencies to analyze the economic impact of regulatory changes on small entities. Third, the Trade Agreements Act (96) prohibits agencies from setting standards that create unnecessary obstacles to the foreign commerce of the United States. In developing U.S. standards, the Trade Act requires agencies to consider international standards and, where appropriate, that they be the basis of U.S. standards. Fourth, the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4) requires agencies to prepare a written assessment of the costs, benefits, and other effects of proposed or final rules that include a Federal mandate likely to result in the expenditure by State, local, or tribal governments, in the aggregate, or by the private sector, of $100 million or more annually (adjusted for inflation with base year of 1995). This portion of the preamble summarizes the FAA's analysis of the economic impacts of this final rule.
The Act affects 457 registered owners of 599
airplanes that range between 25 to 50 years in age. Four hundred and three of the registered owners (88 percent) have only one airplane affected by the ban; 51 of the owners have 2 to 10 affected airplanes; and three owners (all nonscheduled airlines) have a combined total of 51 airplanes affected by the ban.
Operator Categories for Civil Stage 2 Jet Airplanes Weighing 75,000 Pounds or Less Back to Top
Corporation (Non-Airline)
Nonscheduled Airline
Leasing Company/Broker/Parts Dealer/Etc.
Pre-Law Airplane Retail Value and Cost of Hushkit Installation Back to Top
Average retail value*
Average scrap value **
Average hushkit installation cost ***
[Per airplane]
*Airplane Bluebook Price Digest, Winter 2011. The Airplane Bluebook Price Digest contains the average retail value, by year, model, and serial number for each airplane affected by the ban. The range in value is primarily due to age (i.e., the older an airplane the lower its retail value versus a newer model of the same airplane). Note that this reflects the pre-law airplane value. The post-law values have yet to be determined but they are expected to be lower than the values shown in the table.
**Average scrap value is based on information provided by two companies that perform this work. It does not include incidental expenses associated with delivery of the airplane to a scrap yard.
***Average hushkit installation cost is based on four estimates provided by two companies that perform this work.
Dassault Falcon 20C/CF/D/DF/DC/ECM/E/F
Gulfstream II (G-1159/B/TT/SP)
Gulfstream III (G-1159A)
Hawker Siddeley HS.125-1/2/3
IA1123
Rockwell Sabre 40
Rockwell Sabre 50
Rockwell Sabre 60
Rockwell UTX/T-39 Sabreliner
The value of these airplanes before this mandate equals their retail value at that time. To determine the pre-law retail value, the Airplane Blue Book Price Digest
was used. The “Digest” provides average retail values for airplanes by model, year, and serial number. It is only a guide since the actual condition and upgrades to individual airplanes are not known. For the small minority of airplanes affected by the ban but not listed in the “Digest,” a proxy is used based on an airplane of similar type and year. The average pre-law retail value equals the sum of the listed retail value for each of the 599 airplanes. This summation equals $355.5 million ($271.2 million in the year 2016 using 7 percent present value), which is the maximum economic cost for the mandate.
Many countries have already preceded the U.S. in either banning or legislating limited operations of these airplanes. At least eight countries already ban Stage 2 operations by airplanes of any size. These countries include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Singapore, and Switzerland.
The inability to operate the Stage 2 airplanes across all borders will reduce their desirability for ownership.
Foreign Countries With Registered Stage 2 Airplanes Weighing 75,000 Pounds or Less Back to Top
% Share*
* Totals in table may exactly add due to rounding.
For the owners of the remaining 491 airplanes, the economic cost is $204.3 million. This cost equals their pre-mandate resale value excluding some minor salvage value. Additionally some of these airplanes may have been sold to foreign buyers. The total economic loss equals the Gulfstream III hushkit loss of $125.6 million plus the $204.3 million equaling $329.9 million, or in present value $251.7 million using 7 percent. Costs by action and number of aircraft
Millions of 2012$
Present value in 2016 at 7% discount rate—millions of 2012$
Scrapped/Sold Aircraft
The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (96) (RFA) establishes “as a principle of regulatory issuance that agencies shall endeavor, consistent with the objectives of the rule and of applicable statutes, to fit regulatory and informational requirements to the scale of the businesses, organizations, and governmental jurisdictions subject to regulation.” To achieve this principle, agencies are required to solicit and consider flexible regulatory proposals and to explain the rationale for their actions to assure that such proposals are given serious consideration.” The RFA covers a wide-range of small entities, including small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions.
Under the RFA, the FAA must determine whether a proposed rule significantly affects a substantial number of small entities. This determination is typically based on small entity size and revenue thresholds that vary depending on the affected industry.
To determine the number of small entities affected by the mandate, we searched a commercially available airplane fleet database.
The search results identified five operator categories consisting of 457 entities that own 599 airplanes. The entities consist of privately held corporations, financial institutions, leasing companies, non-scheduled airlines, and private individuals. In most cases, the size of the entities cannot be determined because financial and employment data for privately held entities is sparse. Nevertheless, the number of small business entities is believed to be substantial.
The Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (96), as amended by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (103), prohibits Federal agencies from establishing standards or engaging in related activities that create unnecessary obstacles to the foreign commerce of the United States. Pursuant to these Acts, the establishment of standards is not considered an unnecessary obstacle to the foreign commerce of the United States, so long as the standard has a legitimate domestic objective, such as the protection of safety, and does not operate in a manner that excludes imports that meet this objective.
The statute also requires consideration of international standards and, where appropriate, that they be the basis for U.S. standards. The FAA has assessed the potential effect of this final rule and determined that since it implements an action by Congress, the Trade Agreements Act provisions do not apply.
This rule implements Section 506 of the Act by adding jets weighing 75,000 pounds or less to the applicability of the operating noise subpart in § 91.801. This rule incorporates the prohibition on operations of small jets not meeting Stage 3 noise levels after December 31, 2015. It also incorporates the special operating circumstances allowed by law for these smaller jets. The environmental impacts of this rule, including the reduction in jet noise in the contiguous United States, and the minor impacts of allowing statutorily limited operations of Stage 2 jets, are a result of the statutory requirements. The FAA has no authority to change any of these statutory provisions or their environmental impact.
IV. Executive Order Determinations Back to Top
V. Additional Information Back to Top
2. Visit the FAA's Regulations and Policies Web page at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/; or
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 91 Back to Top
1.The authority citation for part 91 is revised to read as follows: Authority:
2.Amend § 91.801 by adding new paragraph (e) to read as follows: § 91.801 Applicability: Relation to part 36.
3.Add new § 91.881 to read as follows: § 91.881 Final compliance: Civil subsonic jet airplanes weighing 75,000 pounds or less.
Except as provided in § 91.883, after December 31, 2015, a person may not operate to or from an airport in the contiguous United States a civil subsonic jet airplane subject to § 91.801(e) of this subpart unless that airplane has been shown to comply with Stage 3 noise levels.
4.Add new § 91.883 to read as follows: § 91.883 Special flight authorizations for jet airplanes weighing 75,000 pounds or less.
1. OAG Aviation Solutions Fleet Database as of November 14, 2012, was used to identify the individual airplanes affected by the ban.
2. Winter 2011 Edition.
3. Additionally, other countries have noise restrictions in place or legislation enacted to limit their operation. http://www.qtaerospace.com/noise_report.htm
4. Thresholds are based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The NAICS is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.
5. OAG Aviation Solutions Fleet Database as of November 14, 2012.