10/10/25 - UPDATE FROM WARD 2 COUNCIL PERSON MATTHEW POPKIN

Good afternoon residents and neighbors, 

Below is another update for those of you following closely and interested in airport-specific issues:

1. This past Tuesday, City Council specifically discussed multiple topics:
   1. First, Council discussed the proposed saturated pattern policy limiting touch and gos when 5 or more planes are in the pattern. Following AAB's initial input in August, City Council voted 5-2 to advance this and begin discussions with the FAA about implementing a saturated pattern policy limiting touch and gos when 3 or more planes are in the pattern. You can watch this part of the meeting here. 
   1. 1. Note: This neither limits touch and gos in general nor is this the only policy and operational issue being evaluated this month.
      2. As a clarification, contrary to the note in the Council Communication for this meeting, the Airport Operators and Pilots Association has since clarified that they oppose this.
   2. Second, Council discussed the Voluntary Noise Abatement Program communication and strategies. You can find this part of the meeting here. 
   3. Then, Council discussed leaded fuel concerns. In line with the state of Colorado, the City is developing a transition plan to unleaded fuel and is pursuing grants from CDOT to accelerate this transition. The plan is expected to be developed by January 2026, and the City is actively planning for electric charging infrastructure for electric planes as those become more common. You can find this part of the discussion here.
   4. Staff also shared an updated complaint portal, which you can find here when you scroll down to the large blue button on the bottom right
2. Coming Up:
   1. Financial updates that include 7-year capital plan and 90-day reserve policy
   2. AAB meeting on 10/23, which includes the topics I previously flagged below in September (because that meeting was canceled), plus landing fee options and the airport emergency plan)
      1. For those interested, this packet should be available online about a week before the 10/23 meeting.
   3. City Council meeting on 11/3 (this is a MONDAY night), expected to include a landing fee proposal for City Council, airport emergency plan protocol, and hangar lease updates

As always, you can find past materials, recordings, and upcoming agenda/packets (typically 5 days before the meeting) online here.

Hope this is helpful, 
Matthew

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Electric Planes Will Not Solve the Immediate Airport Issues 

Could electric planes solve our noise and lead pollution problems from planes flying over our homes, schools, parks? Maybe, if you live long enough to see it happen. 

Don’t be fooled by those that say that electric planes are the solution to today’s noise and pollution issues with planes. The reality is, replacing these planes is a long way out--like, 50 years out. 

Let’s focus on the small, private piston engine planes using Longmont’s airspace over our neighborhoods, which are the cause of most of the nuisance and frustration by residents today. Some aviation advocates, public officials and aspiring local politicians point to the promise of electric planes as the solution to this issue, but such an assertion is simply incorrect. 

Electric sounds good, but when we look at the technology advancements and many millions needed to get infrastructure in place, combined with the airport’s current budget shortfalls and inability to generate revenue, Longmont won’t see electric planes taking over the sky anytime soon.

Technology adoption rates are almost always significantly overly optimistic and the adoption of electric planes is likely much slower than most other technologies. Can you guess how many full electric cars are on the road today? 1.4%, and that's with significant government subsidies and 35 years of evangelization to get them adopted. 

The average age of non-electric general aviation planes (including prop driven planes) in the US is over 50 years! Most private planes are for recreation, and owners have no real incentive to get rid of their old hobby airplanes. The love of old airplanes and the cost of new ones will be a slow changeover. 

Plane noise is a function of propellers as much as it is engines, so unless these electric planes use three or four blades instead of the standard two, it won't make much of a difference to those of us on the ground.

Imagine if there was a high adoption rate for electric planes… if there's only chargers at LMO, and the current flight time on a charged plane is 60-90 minutes, they will only have enough time to fly around the airport, which only compounds our problems. Without a network of infrastructure they won't be able to go anywhere else. 

Longmont can’t tolerate the nuisance, pollution and safety risks that flight school planes continue to have on our growing community. 

(But it does make you wonder: Who stands to benefit from the installation of electric infrastructure at Longmont’s airport? I’m not sure it’s the residents of Longmont.)