FAA: OLDER U.S. PLANES ARE 86-PERCENT NOISE COMPLIANT

    With a Jan. 1 deadline looming for airlines to meet federally mandated
noise standards, 86 percent of the 7,438 planes affected by the noise rule are compliant, the Federal Aviation Administration told Congress Thursday.
   The FAA said it "fully expects the nation’s aircraft to meet the 100
percent requirement" next year.
   The Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990 requires that all civil
aircraft of more than 75,000 pounds be compliant with quieter "Stage 3"
noise standards on Jan. 1, following a planned incremental phase-out of
noisier "Stage 2" planes this decade.
   Many cargo airlines are particularly affected by the 1990 Noise Act
because of their general reliance on Stage 2 planes that have been
converted into freighters. They have installed noise muffling devices,
called "hushkits," on aircraft engines to meet FAA regulations.
   Hushkits are coming under increasing pressure. The European Union nearly sparked a trade war with the U.S. in April when it tried to pass a law banning the registration of hush-kitted planes in EU states. U.S. airlines argued that the EU rule restricted the flying rights of U.S. carriers to the benefit of European operators. EU officials have postponed the rule pending further negotiation.
   Airports Council International-North America has mounted a movement to limit the operation of hush-kitted planes at U.S. airports. ACI-NA call hush-kitted planes "marginally" Stage 3 compliant.
   Meanwhile, the FAA is already working with airlines, aviation
manufacturers and the International Civil Aviation Organization to develop a new "Stage 4" standard, the agency said.