Americana: Jet Lag

"My clients are honest, but they are totally indifferent to the value of money," complains Tom Evans of the oil-rich Arab sheiks whose sumptuous private planes are serviced by his Houston-based firm. One of his customers is Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, president of the United Arab Emirates, who paid $10 million in 1974 for a Grumman Gulfstream II, equipped with royal blue morocco-leather seats and gold seat-belt buckles.

Since February, says Evans, he has been trying to collect an overdue bill from the sheik for airplane fuel, parts and service totaling $188,464.81—pin money perhaps in Abu Dhabi but a substantial sum in Houston. This month, after learning that the sheik's plane was in Savannah, Ga., for routine repairs, Evans obtained a court order grounding the flying palace until the bill is settled. The United Arab Emirates have substantial leverage in Washington because they supply about 5% of U.S. petroleum imports, but their American lawyers stressed that the bill would not become a matter of state. Said one: "It's a simple private dispute over whether the charges are reasonable." At week's end the sheik had sent the Houston firm $90,000, but Evans was standing firm: payment in full or no jet.