Aircraft noise has long been one of the most significant challenges facing airport operators, their tenants and their neighbors. The United States Congress recognized this to some extent when it passed the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990.

The act called for phasing out Stage 1 and Stage 2 aircraft—those considered the loudest. But Congress only applied the Act to aircraft weighing more than 75,000 pounds. While commercial airlines and others had to develop plans to eliminate those aircraft from their fleets before the end of a ten-year period, there was no proposal or requirement by Congress to eventually discontinue the use of Stage 1 and Stage 2 aircraft under the 75,000 pound weight limit.

Today, although those aircraft are small in number relative to all aircraft, many airports across the United States report that they account for a majority of noise complaints. In fact, at some airports, fifty percent or more of the noise complaints received are related to Stage 1 or 2 aircraft.

With an increase in efficiencies of modern aircraft and a decrease in the noise they generate, more numerous options are available to operators today that weren't available in 1990. We believe it's time for Congress to revisit the issue of Stage 1 and Stage 2 aircraft. It's time to implement a strategy that calls for phasing out the aircraft exempt from the provisions of the 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity Act.

Here is a list of active operating Stage 2 aircraft as of May 2005.

Note: The numbers shown in this table are a compilation of data derived from the FAA’s aircraft registry, manufacturers production lists, several internet databases as well as AMSTAT, an aviation information service provider. Actual numbers have been difficult to verify as the FAA’s database is inconsistent and various other data bases refer to specific aircraft differently. For example An Aero Commander - Jet Commander model 1121 may be listed as an Aero Commander, Jet Commander or Commodore Jet and might be manufactured by Aero Commander, Rockwell or IAI. This aircraft can easily be confused with the listing of a Rockwell Aero Commander which is a twin propeller driven aircraft.

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