VAN NUYS FIRM AIMS TO LAND 737 WORK; RESIDENTS DON'T WANT JET'S NOISE AT AIRPORT.

Byline: Tony Knight Daily News Staff Writer

The rich and famous, including pro golfer Greg Norman, just have to have one of the new Boeing 737 business jets, customized to taste.

While high-fliers are lining up to buy the jets, at more than $30 million, contractors at airports around the country - including UNC Corp.'s Jet Center at Van Nuys Airport - are vying for a piece of the action, lobbying Boeing Business Jets for contracts to install customized interiors, airport officials say. Jet Center officials did not return calls.

The arrival of this new business would be a boon for the airport but an outrage to neighbors who are upset about existing noise levels.

``This is an airport that is already under fire from residents for noise problems. It's totally unacceptable the way it is without bringing any more jets in. This will be bitterly resisted by residents,'' said Gerald A. Silver, spokesman for Stop the Noise, a coalition of 26 homeowner groups.

The issue comes at a time when a Federal Aviation Administration study of noise at Van Nuys and a city master development plan for the airport are bogged down in political fights between the interests in and around the airport.

Airport General Manager Ron Kochevar defended the arrival of the 737s.

``To me it's a win-win,'' said Kochevar. ``The way I look at it, these are high-paying jobs, they're quiet aircraft and there's very little impact.''

Airport officials contend that the new line of Boeings, which are modified from the 150-passenger commercial jetliner, are among the quietest business jets.

George Jerome, who is Los Angeles Councilwoman Laura Chick's appointee to the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Committee, said he believes the plan could be an economic boon to the airport.

``It would mean a lot of high-paying jobs,'' Jerome said. ``It would be a tremendous boost to the local economy. There are no restrictions that I know of that would prohibit this activity.''

But homeowners said the addition of 737 jetliners would be an affront.

``Finishing Boeing 737s on a production line was never ever contemplated for Van Nuys Airport,'' said Silver. ``The master plan never envisioned this kind of operation. We had heard rumors, but if this is in fact true, it will be resisted by the residents, and it will have political consequences.''

Whether the 737s will arrive is not clear.

Kochevar said that Jet Center officials are exploring the possibility of becoming a ``completion center.''

Jet Center officials have asked about using the cavernous World War II-vintage hangar formerly occupied by Hughes Aircraft Co., if the airports department would bring the earthquake-damaged building up to code, Kochevar said.

The Airport Commission voted unanimously earlier this week to approve plans to repair the former Hughes Aircraft Co. hangar over the objections of Silver, who charged that the department was trying to sneak more big jets onto the airport ``through the back door.''

Sales of the Boeing business jets have far outstripped expectations with production expected to reach 24 per year by 1999, more than four times what was projected when Boeing started the product line last year.

Like Norman's $30.5 million jet, the planes are delivered as empty but flyable shells with the buyer given a choice of completion centers where the customized cabin and cockpit interiors are installed. BBJ won't discuss what specs Norman - or any of its elite customers - is putting on the interior design. Nor will they say where the interior is being installed.

``We don't do interiors,'' said Bill Cogswell, BBJ spokesman. ``We are being approached by all types of service providers who want to be involved in this.''

High-ranking Department of Airports officials said they have been informed of the inquiries by the Jet Center, a longtime airport tenant that already services and customizes big business jets.

``We have some concerns about the size of the aircraft that would be coming down,'' said Gerald J. Lee, deputy executive director of the Department of Airports. ``We walk a tightrope out there between more noise and businesses that want to locate at the airport.''

Lee said the Jet Center has not submitted a formal request to bring in the Boeing business jets.

In a Jan. 31 letter to Kochevar, Jet Center President Robert E. Mays inquired about expanding the business into a World War II-vintage hangar formerly occupied by Hughes.

The Jet Center, with 200 employees and $26 million in gross sales, already serves as a maintenance and completion center for Gulfstream jets and an occasional MD-87 or Boeing 737, Mays said in the letter.

If the center was to expand into the old Hughes hangar, Mays said in the letter, ``we would be able to employ 50 to 100 more people and generate another $10 million to $15 million in gross sales.''

Mays did not return repeated phone calls seeking comment.

Kochevar said he responded positively to Mays.

``You've got these big hangars filled with jets that they're not flying,'' Kochevar said. ``To me it's good.''

The Hughes hangar, and an identical one next to it that is now occupied by Syncro Aircraft Interiors, are the airport's biggest.

In a controversial and somewhat mysterious move in February, the Department of Airports served Syncro with an eviction notice, with no explanation offered. The Syncro eviction has been delayed pending a hearing before the Airport Commission.

``I think they want our hangar,'' said embattled Syncro owner Barbara Cesar.

More than $1 million in federal earthquake recovery funds is expected to be authorized this week for the repairs of both hangars, said David Duffer, infrastructure chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The new line of Boeing business jet is actually a Boeing 737-700 body equipped with wings and more powerful General Electric engines from the 737-800.

According to General Electric documents, the 737-800 engines generate noise levels during takeoffs and landings of 85-95 decibels. By comparison, the Lear 25, one of the noisiest jets flown from Van Nuys Airport, and one of the most common business jets based there, has a target noise level of 103.6 decibels on takeoff as part of the airport's Fly Friendly noise abatement program.

The Jet Center might have an advantage in getting the business jet contract because its parent, UNC Corp., is being merged with Miami-based Greenwich Air Services, and the new entity is being acquired by General Electric Engine Services of Evendale, Ohio. General Electric Co. is a partner with Boeing in the 737 business jet venture.

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PHOTO Sales of Boeing's 737 business jets have exceeded expectations.

Box: Big jets