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The Most Cost-Effective Stage 3 / Chapter 3 Solution
Deadlines for Stage 3 / Chapter 3 noise rules are fast approaching. As the window of opportunity begins to close for 737-200 owners I operators and noise reduction systems manufacturers alike, questions and the risk of decisions based on misperception or misinformation are on the rise. This 737-200 Hush Kit overview should help owners and operators put the facts into focus.
Background: How The 737-200 Hush Kit Was Invented By any measure, the Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine has been one of the great success stories in aviation history. The workhorses of the world's skyways, JT8D engines today power about 34 percent of the world's jet fleet - and 46 percent of the world's narrowbody aircraft.
The problem? As originally designed, JT8D engines exceed noise limits imposed by regulatory agencies. A schedule of mandatory noise reductions affecting B727, B737-100/-200 and DC9 aircraft was instituted by the FAA and ICAO, with interim phaseout/fleet-mix compliance deadlines set at two year intervals beginning in 1994. The FAA requires final "Stage 3" compliance with noise rules by December 31, 1999. ICAO Chapter 3 rules, which went into effect on April 1, 1995, require final phase out of "Stage 2/ Chapter 2" aircraft by April 1, 2002.
By the mid 1980's, The NORDAM Group - already an established leader in aircraft component repair and manufacturing, and already a manufacturer of Stage 2 noise reduction systems - committed itself to meet the worldwide industry needs arising from the FAA / ICAO Stage 3/ Chapter 3 noise rules. The company set out to create a noise reduction system that would bring 737-200's into compliance with Stage 3 rules, offering owners and operators a cost-effective way to preserve the residual value of their aircraft investments. NORDAM believes an aircraft should be allowed to operate for its entire economically useful life, without being forced into premature retirement by unforeseen and unforeseeable changes in the regulatory environment.
The result? The NORDAM 737-200 Hush Kit, the world's first internationally certified Stage 3 / Chapter 3 737-200 noise reduction system.
Developed in association with both Boeing and Pratt & Whitney, the initial NORDAM 737-200 Hush Kit received its FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC #SA573ONM) in...