Trolltune helps Gulfstream IIB and GIII operators with noise at Van Nuys
Gulfstream business jet flying over the Hollywood sign
Trolltune Corporation has been awarded an supplemental type certificate (STC) for Gulfstream IIB and GIII business jets.
Gulfstream business jet flying over the Hollywood sign
Trolltune Corporation has been issued with an FAA STC for Gulfstreeam IIB and GIII business jets. The STC reduces the noise made these early Gulfstreams and allows the aircraft to be operated from Van Nuys Airport in Southern California.
The STC isn’t a Stage 3 hush kit, explained Trolltune president Tom Storli, but it does cut takeoff noise by three decibels – from 82.8 to 79.8 dBA by limiting maximum takeoff weight to 64,000 pounds.
This reduction in noise is enough to meet the new Van Nuys limit of less than 80 dBA. That limit is a City of Los Angeles ordinance that took effect on 1 January this year.
Stage 2 business aircraft have not been able to take off at Van Nuys between 10 pm and 7 am for many years, but they can land at any time.
However, from January 2016, no Stage 2 operations are allowed in the lower 48 US states, so the Trolltune STC provides two years of operating relief at Van Nuys for GIIB/GIII operators.
Storli spent two years researching and flight-testing the mod. The Trolltune STC costs just a fraction of what a Stage 3 “hush kit” would cost.
Because older Gulfstream values are so low, Storli explained, operators may be balking at the cost of hush kits. “Others want to defer that decision, and this STC allows them another two years to decide in the case of Van Nuys.”
Operationally, the 8 per cent reduction in MGTOW has little impact to the airplanes’ performance. Only takeoffs using 10 degree flap settings (most normal takeoffs use 20 deg) require simple new procedures. Since superior initial climb and cruise altitudes are achieved, only a minimal range impact is encountered when operating the aircraft.
