FAR 91.861 — Stage 2 Base Level
FAR 91.861 defines how U.S. operators and foreign air carriers calculate their Stage 2 airplane base level, including adjustments for transfers and new entrants.
FAR 91.861 establishes the base level — the baseline count of Stage 2 airplanes — used to track an operator's fleet under the Stage 2 phaseout rules in Subpart I.
For a U.S. operator, base level equals the number of owned or leased Stage 2 airplanes (subject to § 91.801(c)) listed on that operator's operations specifications for flights to or from airports in the contiguous United States on any single day the operator chooses between January 1, 1990 and July 1, 1991.
That starting number is then adjusted:
- Increased by Stage 2 airplanes returned to service under § 91.855(f), purchased under § 91.855(g), or base level acquired through a transfer under § 91.863.
- Decreased by base level transferred away with Stage 2 airplanes under § 91.863.
For a foreign air carrier, base level is calculated the same way using its U.S. operations specifications during the same window, with similar plus/minus adjustments for transfers under § 91.863.
New entrants have no base level. This matters because base level governs how many Stage 2 airplanes an operator may continue to operate during the phaseout to a quieter Stage 3 fleet.