Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., late last year submitted a bill (S. 4109) to prohibit all Stage 1 and Stage 2 aircraft — regardless of weight. While it didnt pass in the previous Congress, sources say he hopes to slip the bill into the FAA’s reauthorization legislation. The bill “would finally bring closure to this issue by phasing out the use of all remaining Stage 1 and Stage 2 aircraft in the United States,” according to Lautenberg. Individual airports would be allowed to “opt out of this measure,” writes Lautenberg, and the act would not take effect until three years after enactment. The FAA lists more than 1,300 Stage 1 and Stage 2 aircraft in the U.S, with 13 percent — about 170 airplanes, mostly business jets — falling under the current 75,000-pound regulatory cap.
