he saga continues in the effort to place reasonable limits on the air tour industry over Grand Canyon. Following the FAA and Department of Interior's announcement on December 31, 1996 of their long awaited rule which they claimed would restore natural quiet to Grand Canyon, it soon became apparent that the weak rule would be quite ineffective. Even with the proposed conversion of the tour fleet to quieter aircraft, noise levels would remain unacceptable.
Nevertheless, the air tour industry, claiming dire economic consequences, filed a lawsuit asking the rule to be set aside. This suit was responded to in kind by a coalition of environmental organizations, including Grand Canyon River Guides, who feel that the rule does not go nearly far enough.
Subsequently the FAA announced that implementation of part of the rule—the enlarged flight free zones and adjusted routes—would be delayed for another year. On May 1, 1997 the remainder of the rule is still scheduled to go into effect. This includes a temporary cap on the purchase of new aircraft and limited curfews on some routes.

The air tour industry has now filed a legal challenge to the temporary cap as well. Meanwhile, the Havasupai tribe formally requested that all air tours be removed from over its reservation.
At this point, the lawyers are battling with paperwork as the air tour industry gears up for another busy summer with very little change to their operations. If the curfews go into effect in May, air tours originating from Tusayan will not be allowed before 8:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. This will allow some respite in the early morning and late evening for those in the area of the Dragon Corridor, which crosses the river just above Crystal rapid. However, as the huge and growing number of flights originating from Las Vegas are exempt from the curfews, those in the area below Havasu will notice little change.

Jeri Ledbetter