News / Articles

A group of Western Slope pilots are offering their assistance in transporting patients that are impacted by the closure of the U.S. Highway 50 bridge across Blue Mesa Reservoir in Gunnison County.

A Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment study showed that kids living closer to airports have higher amounts of lead in their blood

But levels were still within the range the federal government considers normal

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — About a dozen aircraft were damaged by strong winds at Centennial Airport Monday morning.
Airport spokesperson Samantha Blymyer said heavy wind gusts caused damage to 12 parked aircraft. Sometime between 6:15 and 6:30 a.m., the wind overturned one of those planes, a single-engine, fixed-wing AT-4.

WHEREAS, general aviation and community airports play a critical role in the lives of our citizens, as well as in the operation of our businesses and farms; and

WATKINS, CO - Last month, the Colorado Aeronautical Board (CAB) approved a second round of 2024 Colorado Discretionary Aviation Grant (CDAG) funding totaling $4.7 million. This funding was approved unanimously and will be utilized as a match for federally-funded airport projects across Colorado.

The End Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions (EAGLE) group expects the lone survivor of the congressionally mandated Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative (PAFI) to be approved by late 2025 but it may not be completely suitable for all engines. In a press briefing on Tuesday, Tim Owen, of the FAA, told dozens of stakeholders and media representatives that the Lyondell/Basell/VP Racing fuel is now in full testing by the FAA and, if all goes well, will be through all those tests by the third quarter of 2025.

Brad Walker, a longtime pilot at Jefferson County, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Municipal Airport (KBJC; also known as “Jeffco”), has actively challenged efforts by homeowners to sue the county over noise and lead pollution associated with the airport. Most recently, he filed a request under the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) statute (similar to the federal Freedom of Information Act) to acquire a noise study commissioned by his hometown of Superior, Colorado, which abuts the airport property. His request had been denied, based on attorney-client privilege, but Walker recently acquired a copy of the report and shared it with AVweb.

Honesty is the chief quality the new director of the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport must possess, said airport critic Bri Lehman.

“Honesty underlines everything,” said Lehman, a Lafayette resident said Tuesday. She told a group of consultants that a lack of trust between previous airport directors and the airport’s neighbors has been a persistent problem.

The town of Superior, Colorado and Boulder County are suing neighboring Jefferson County and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (often call Jeffco), which is owned by Jefferson County, to force them to ban touch and goes at the busy training airport. Citing “negative and unreasonable health impacts” from noise and lead pollution, the city and county say they’ve tried for years to get their next-door neighbors to respond to their concerns but instead activity at the airport has steadily increased. Operations increased from 191,553 in 2019 to 281,806 in 2023 and the vast majority are training flights from the four flight schools on the sprawling 1,700-acre field.

DENVER — For years, many Colorado residents have called on their elected leaders at every level of government to act on the noise issues and leaded fuel related to Colorado’s local airports. Now, a group of Colorado legislators are sponsoring a bill to address the concerns.

House Bill 24-1235 has four Democratic prime sponsors and was the topic of testimony during a Transportation, Housing, & Local Government committee hearing Wednesday.

In response to a recent campaign calling for the closure of Boulder Municipal Airport, a group of residents issued a counter-petition voicing their support for the airport’s continued operation.

Brad Walker is frustrated, but resolute. A long-time GA pilot based at Jefferson County, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (aka “Jeffco”), he has filed multiple requests under the Colorado Open Records Act (similar to the Freedom of Information Act) to obtain information related to legal action by area residents against the airport. Walker’s findings include eye-opening results of lead-pollution tests commissioned by the town of Superior, Colorado, and previously reported by AVweb.

More than 400 residents of Superior’s Rock Creek subdivision filed a lawsuit against neighboring Jefferson County, owner of the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, complaining that noise and alleged pollution from leaded aviation fuel are affecting their well-being and devaluing their homes.

Notwithstanding the lack of detectable lead in air and surface samples taken in three Colorado communities near Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in 2023 (findings that came to light only after pilots obtained the reports via freedom of information requests), the legislature is now considering a nakedly anti-aviation bill that AOPA will vigorously oppose.

A series of studies commissioned by the town of Superior, Colorado, found virtually no evidence of airborne and surface lead contamination in three towns nearby Jefferson County’s Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (KBJC – also known as Jeffco Airport). But it took a Freedom of Information request to bring the test results to light. In all but one case, the levels found at the sites were too low to register. Air and surface swab samples were taken from indoor and outdoor locations in Superior, Louisville, and Lafayette, Colorado, between May and November last year.

Denver, Colo. – The Colorado Aviation Business Association (CABA) and Colorado Pilots Association (CPA) released the following statement welcoming the findings of no lead contamination in communities near Rocky Mountain Metro Airport, and reaffirming the commitment of the aviation industry to safely replace leaded aviation gas by 2030:

As we take a look back at 2023 in our Division’s Annual Report, the continued growth and success of aviation across Colorado has been truly remarkable Strong levels of activity statewide resulted in another year of record revenues for our Division, allowing us to further increase our investments in airport infrastructure, aviation safety, and aviation education and workforce development We expect our industry to remain strong into 2024, and we look forward to continuing our momentum!

Last week, I published a news brief on the lawsuit a group of homeowners is filing in Colorado claiming the local airport, Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport—also known as Jeffco (KBJC)—is financially responsible for lowering their property values. The issue of “avigation easements” came up in my research on the lawsuit, and some readers asked for clarification on exactly what the term means and how it applies in the real world. So, as promised, here it is. Buckle up.

BROOMFIELD – Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA) officials and Jefferson County Commissioners Wednesday announced the airport’s accelerated timeline to transition to unleaded fuel three years ahead of the FAA deadline.

RMMA, the fastest growing airport in the state, is already in the process of switching over to UL94 unleaded aviation gasoline, which is compatible with two-thirds of RMMA’s fleet. The airport’s purchase of a new fuel truck and tank for transport and storage of the unleaded fuel has paved the way for the transition to be completed by fall of 2024.

Critically, the infrastructure for UL94 unleaded fuel is entirely compatible with 100UL, an unleaded gasoline suitable for all piston aircraft engines but was only FAA-approved in the last quarter of 2022. As the fuel becomes more widely available, RMMA will proactively and fully transition to 100UL unleaded fuel in the next two to three years

Over the past few years, air traffic flying over Superior neighborhoods has increased dramatically, mostly from single-engine propeller planes operated by flight schools based at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA). These flights are polluting Superior -- with noise from their near-constant operations and by lead particulates emitted from the combustion of leaded fuel used by the flight school aircraft. While Superior has patiently waited for the RMMA Community Noise Roundtable (CNR) to offer solutions to this increasing problem, the problem is getting worse. Consequently, we are requesting that you take immediate steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our residents by implementing the following reasonable solutions. Many of these solutions provide a common sense approach to reducing the number of touch- and-go operations from the flight schools and are highly unlikely to impact growing commercial and private jet operations at the airport.

An editorial earlier this summer (“Don’t let children near Colorado’s airports

suffer the same fate as kids in Flint, Mich.” July 11, 2023) focused on an important issue, but grossly oversimplified the solution. The concern over the use of lead in aviation gas is understandable and shared by the general aviation industry,

The Air Race Classic is an all-female air race with roots dating back to 1929. From the earliest days of the Women's Air Derby through today, the race has been an opportunity for women pilots to display their skill, cultivate self-confidence, learn from one another, and build enduring friendships. It is the ultimate test of piloting skill and aviation decision making.

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Two pilots from Colorado are preparing to compete in the 2024 Air Race Classic, an all-women air race.

Alaina Bravo and Amanda Wilson, also known as The Blonde Bombers, will fly their Cessna 172 in the race from Carbondale, Illinois, to Loveland Colorado, beginning on June 18.