Wichita Eagle Logo

Grand Canyon gives incentive for quieter aircraft | The Wichita Eagle

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Customer Service
    • Archives
    • Buy Photos and Pages
    • Contact Us
    • Eagle+ Sign In
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Newsletters
    • Newspaper in Education
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Services
    • About Us

    • News
    • Crime & Courts
    • Local
    • Databases
    • Education
    • Lottery
    • Nation & World
    • Politics
    • Special Projects
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Finger on the Weather
    • Prairie Politics
    • Sports
    • Wichita State
    • Varsity Kansas
    • Chiefs
    • K-State
    • Kansas
    • Outdoors
    • Royals
    • State Colleges
    • Wingnuts
    • NBC baseball
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Bob Lutz
    • Jayhawk Dispatch
    • K-Stated
    • Lutz Blog
    • Michael Pearce
    • Shockwaves
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • Business
    • Agribusiness
    • Aviation
    • Banking
    • Health Care
    • Small Business
    • Forward Wichita
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Air Capital Insider
    • Business Casual
    • Business Perspectives
    • Carrie Rengers
    • Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Suzanne Tobias
    • Entertainment
    • The Arts
    • Books
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Horoscopes
    • Restaurants
    • Events
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Dining with Denise
    • Movie Maniac
    • Keeper of the Plans
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters
    • Opinion Columns
    • Submit a Letter
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Richard Crowson
    • Kirk Seminoff's Pivot Point
  • Obituaries

    • Classifieds
    • Auctions/Estate Sales
    • Garage Sales
    • Jobs
    • Legal Notices
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Service Directory
    • Place An Ad
    • Merchandise
    • Jobs
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Apartments
    • Other Categories
    • Classified Support Center
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Mobile & Apps

Travel

Grand Canyon gives incentive for quieter aircraft

By FELICIA FONSECA

    ORDER REPRINT →

January 05, 2014 12:00 AM

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The fees for air tour operators that use technology to quiet the sound of aircraft at Grand Canyon National Park have been reduced.

The new $20 fee per flight took effect Jan. 1 for any of eight operators authorized to take visitors sightseeing over the massive gorge. Operators that don’t have the technology considered to be quiet will continue to pay $25 per flight.

The National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration were required to come up with incentives for quiet air technology aircraft at the Grand Canyon as part of a massive transportation bill passed in 2012.

Hikers and tourists on the ground have complained that aircraft noise interferes with the feeling of solitude and appreciation of nature.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Wichita Eagle

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

“Any kind of a reduction from noise is going to provide a better experience for park visitors,” said park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge. “It’s not quiet but it’s quieter than the standard technology.”

The FAA determines whether aircraft is considered quiet using a formula that takes into account noise certification levels and number of seats. About 60 percent of the aircraft conducting tours at the Grand Canyon already meet that standard, Oltrogge said. At full conversion, the reduced fee would save the operators $250,000 a year, she said.

Quiet technology is in use at other national parks, including Volcanoes and Haleakala in Hawaii and the Statue of Liberty in New York, according to the FAA.

The standard doesn’t necessarily mean aircraft will be completely quiet. Operators could, for example, add more seats to existing aircraft or switch out engines to meet the definition of quiet technology.

The benefit to visitors at the Grand Canyon depends on what action the operators take, said Jim McCarthy of the Sierra Club.

“It potentially could be counterproductive,” McCarthy said.

The National Park Service was close to finalizing rules to manage air tours and noise at the Grand Canyon before the federal legislation forced the agency to change its goal for restoring natural quiet to the park. The Park Service wanted to make 67 percent of the canyon quiet for three-fourths of the day or longer.

Some members of Congress pushed a provision in the 2012 federal transportation bill to make half of the park free from commercial air tour noise for at least 75 percent of the day and provide incentives for quiet air technology. Many of the tours originate from Las Vegas.

Oltrogge said the Park Service’s plan that had been in the works for decades since has been halted.

U.S. Sen. John McCain applauded the incentive and said he is looking forward to more meaningful initiatives that would improve access to popular flight corridors for quieter aircraft.

“This is the first step toward meeting the requirement set by Congress to convert all aircraft at the park to quiet technology in a way that protects tourism jobs and allows all visitors to enjoy some of the most breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon,” he said in a statement.

  Comments  

Videos

Wichita impresses Australian travel writers

See inside “Sanctuary Asia” at the Oklahoma City Zoo

View More Video

Trending Stories

Teacher got her long hair cut short because she was tired of 5-year-old Texas bullies

February 17, 2019 11:02 AM

This Wichita restaurant will reopen with a new look in a week

February 18, 2019 10:40 AM

K-State bounces back with win at West Virginia, still leads Big 12 alone

February 18, 2019 10:18 PM

Wichita restaurant serving Chicago-style fare closed in 2014 but is making a comeback

February 18, 2019 05:01 AM

Breaking down the five things the Shockers learned from a road loss to Cincinnati

February 18, 2019 12:24 AM

Read Next

Travel

Hermitage Club puts you in center of private ski resort

By SAMANTHA FEUSS Tribune News Service

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 18, 2019 02:00 AM

The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain is a premiere destination for any New England visitor or local. Southern Vermont is easily accessible, just two hours from Boston and four hours from New York City, and puts you right in the center of the East Coast's only private ski resort. Members enjoy year-round entertainment surrounded by the natural beauty of the mountains.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Wichita Eagle

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE TRAVEL

Travel

Flowergeddon 2? Borrego Springs braces for another Super Bloom

February 18, 2019 02:00 AM

Travel

March magic: Nebraska’s sandhill crane migration gives new meaning to ‘flyover country’

February 18, 2019 02:00 AM

Travel

New York’s Finger Lakes region has it all: history, adventure, outdoors

February 18, 2019 02:00 AM
Need a cheap flight from Wichita to the Emerald Coast? Allegiant announces new nonstop route

Aviation

Need a cheap flight from Wichita to the Emerald Coast? Allegiant announces new nonstop route

February 12, 2019 08:17 AM

Travel

Looking to escape winter? Try one of these 5 vacation hot spots

February 11, 2019 02:00 AM

Travel

A new water park will make big splash with large slides in Aventura, Fla.

February 11, 2019 02:00 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
Advertising
  • Information
  • Digital Advertising
  • Rates
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story