Noise Improvement Project -- edited update

Mayor Hildalgo-Fahring, Mayor Pro-tem, Council members, City managers, 

The email that was sent to the community re: the Vance Brand Airport Noise Improvement Project Update contained a lot of malarkey. 

While we were shocked to read this messaging sent out widely, in following up from the online discussion that preceded it, which was equally disappointing and misleading as well as mildly inaccurate, perhaps it wasn't surprising.  

How does the city benefit by proliferating this skewed narrative about the airport? Who was behind this PR stunt? I want to bring this to your attention because the larger community affected by this nuisance can see right through this. 

We took the time to edit what was asserted in this email, and provide a fuller set of responses, context and facts to counter what was said in certain sections. You can see those in red below. 


Vance Brand Airport Noise Improvement Project Update

Answers to Questions from May 7th Community Meeting

Thanks to everyone who attended the virtual community meeting on May 7, 2026 about the Airport Noise Improvement Project. Please see below for answers to questions from meeting attendees, organized by various topic areas.

On May 14, the “airport noise project managers” sent an email follow-up to the May 7 Airport Noise Improvement Project meeting. This is a citizen rebuttal of several of the answers provided in the email. Rebuttals found in red text.

Stakeholder Meetings and Advisory Structures

Since the Airport Advisory Board was dissolved, how will the City ensure it receives knowledgeable, expert guidance to inform future planning decisions?

The City Council discussed ideas for the future of the Airport at the March 2026 Council Retreat, including plans for a future governance structure of an advisory board. Information and decisions will be shared as the Council considers this item.

Rebuttal:

The meeting moderator set up the discussion with a nostalgic reminiscence of skydiving in Florida and a restaurant that sat on the Denver Stapleton runway. Brainstorming included things like doing a 1940s Ball (like Boulder does), skydiving events, a drone school, electrification, a museum, visiting pilots working on their engines, meeting spaces at the airport, etc.

In no way was the future governance structure of the advisory board discussed, nor were any of the pain points citizens are experiencing with regard to the airport. 

Citations:

City Council Annual Retreat Day 2 - March 29, 2026 (go to 2:55:06): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7njz19FzE94&t=12796s

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

What are Federal Grant Assurances and how do they relate to Airport noise?

When the City of Longmont accepted federal funding to maintain and improve the Airport, it agreed to a set of 40 conditions established by the FAA. These conditions known as Sponsor Assurances are not suggestions, they are enforceable obligations that govern what the City can and cannot do at the Airport. Violating grant assurances can result in the FAA terminating the City’s eligibility for grants and requiring repayment of federal grant funds. Four of these assurances are particularly relevant to questions about noise and access.

The City Must Protect the Airport’s Ability to Operate (Assurance 5)

The City is required to protect its own authority to run the Airport in compliance with federal requirements. It cannot take actions or allow others to take actions that would undermine its ability to meet its federal obligations. In practical terms, this means the City cannot enact policies that conflict with federal law or FAA rules and regulations. The Airport must also be kept in a safe and operational condition at all times.

The Airport Must Be Open to Everyone on Equal Terms (Assurance 22)

The City is required to make the Airport available to all types and classes of aviation on reasonable and fair terms. It generally cannot single out and restrict specific aircraft types, specific operators, or specific uses, such as flight training, without FAA approval. For example, the City cannot allow some flight schools to operate and refuse others, nor can it charge different fees for similar operators doing similar things. The City is generally required to treat similarly situated airport users in an equal manner.

The City Cannot Give Any Operator Special or Exclusive Access (Assurance 23)

The City is prohibited from granting any single operator, or limited group of operators, the exclusive right to provide aviation services at the Airport. For example, the City cannot limit the Airport to just one flight school while refusing access to others. Nor can the City set standards or conditions so burdensome that only certain operators can meet them.

The Airport Must Work Toward Financial Self-Sufficiency (Assurance 24)

The City is required to maintain a fee structure that makes the Airport as financially self-sustaining as possible. This means the Airport needs to generate revenue from its tenants and users, hangars, fuel sales, flight school leases, and other aeronautical activities.

When do existing federal grant assurances expire?

Most grant assurances require the City to maintain the Airport for 20 years after acceptance of a grant. The assurances also include provisions such as ensuring safe and efficient use of navigable airspace and protecting aircraft operations by mitigating and removing hazards. Additionally, current FAA grant assurances do not place a limit on the duration of grant terms with respect to real property acquired with federal funding.

Rebuttal:

The airport is not being operated as “financially self-sustaining as possible”. It is evident from the 2026 adopted airport budget that, at a minimum, the airport operating and maintenance fund is subsidized by the city for at least $150,000 per year including the airport budget shortfall and 50% ATF.

It is well known that federal grants have strings attached thereby lessening local control of the airport. If recommended revenue generating steps were implemented such as landing fees, local control could be maintained and tax dollars subsidizing the airport could be applied in other more important areas of the city.

Fees and Financial Sustainability

Why doesn’t the Airport at least match the landing fees charged by surrounding airports?

There are no general aviation airports in Colorado that currently charge landing fees for aircraft under 10,000 lbs.

Rebuttal:

Technically, this isn’t true. Both the Buena Vista and Leadville Airports charge landing fees for jets under 10,000 lbs. Seventeen airports in Colorado charge landing fees; each with their unique rules and charges. As airports and their operating contexts evolve: new flight paths come into being; airports and operations expand; traffic increases; new aircraft types are either developed or start using the airport, thus decisions must be made to accommodate new circumstances. Landing fees are one of many tools that can be used to ensure that those who use the airport help support it. Would LMO be an anomaly in charging landing fees for smaller piston-engine planes? Not at all; here are just a few US airports where GA pilots pay landing fees:

Teterboro Airport
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport
Nantucket Memorial Airport
Santa Monica Airport
Key West International Airport
Harry Reid International Airport
Spanish Forks (UT) Airport
Heber Valley Airport

Citations:

CPA list of CO airports with landing fees: https://coloradopilots.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=612720&module_id=728841

Buena Vista: https://buenavistaco.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1665/2026-Fee-Schedule-?bidId=

Leadville: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ClubExpressClubFiles/612720/documents/LXV_Rates_Fees_2025_302483768.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIA6MYUE6DNNJ6ROIH3&Expires=1779050351&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DLXV_Rates_Fees_2025.pdf&Signature=adU236nWZf%2BuB4n88T7zRXVp7nU%3D

SOS: https://www.saveourskiesalliance.org/landing-fees.html

Can the City limit the number of flight schools that can operate out of the Airport or charge higher fees to those who are based out of other airports?

No. The FAA oversees the nation’s airspace, Air Traffic Control System, certification of aircraft and pilots, and regulatory oversight of certain airports designated important to the US national aviation system in the National Plan of Integrated Airports (NPIAS). As a recipient of federal airport improvement grants, Vance Brand Airport is bound by FAA Grant Assurances that prohibit discriminatory or exclusionary practices against aeronautical users. (See above.)

Together, these assurances mean that the Airport may establish and enforce reasonable and uniformly applied minimum standards governing how aeronautical businesses operate (safety requirements, insurance, qualifications, etc.), but it may not use those standards or any other mechanism as a tool to cap, exclude, or unreasonably restrict the number of flight schools with access to the Airport. Any operator meeting the published minimum standards must be afforded the opportunity to operate.

How much of the Airport is paid for by Airport-generated revenue versus general fund/local taxes?

The Airport is generally self-supporting, and its expenses and revenues are tracked in the Airport Fund that is part of the overall city budget. Airports are guided by federal regulations that require aeronautical fees to be based on recovering the actual cost of providing Airport facilities and services. The cost-recovery model is a foundational policy for Airport charges, emphasizing transparency, efficiency, and alignment with the true cost of operations. General Aviation Airports typically operate under this approach, which helps maintain stable financial performance regardless of aviation activity cycles.

The Airport does use General Fund dollars to pay Administrative Transfer Fees (ATF) which are payments for services and assistance provided by General Fund supported City departments.

The amount of each year's ATF is based on the estimated General Fund expenditures that represent:

• direct services (e.g., the estimated time that the City Attorney’s Office spends providing legal assistance on Airport issues)
• indirect services provided to other operating funds minus those that are directly billed to those funds (e.g., when the Human Resources Department helps the Finance Department hire a new accountant who then works on Airport Fund accounts).
  
• 
  

In 2026, the Airport’s ATF will be $239,553 (of which the Airport Fund will pay $119,776) and the major contributors to this amount were for direct and indirect services provided by the following departments:

• Risk Management – increased by $3,206 compared to 2025
• Transportation Planning – increased by $4,428 compared to 2025
• Mayor and Council – increased by $33,024 compared to 2025
• City Attorney – increased by $19,123 compared to 2025
  
• 
  

The 2026 ATF calculation was based on time spent in 2024.

The percentage of the total calculated ATF that is paid for by the Airport Fund has changed over the years. 

• In 2009 and prior, the Airport Fund paid 25% of the total ATF
• In 2010, the Airport Fund paid 35% of the total ATF
• In 2011, the Airport Fund began paying 100% of the calculated ATF which continued each year through 2017.
• In 2018, the Airport Fund paid 50% of the total ATF. This change was intended to free up Airport Fund dollars to match funds for FAA grants for capital improvements.

Rebuttal:

The airport is not being operated as “generally self-supporting”. Again, it is evident from the 2026 adopted airport budget that, as a minimum, the airport operating and maintenance fund is subsidized by the city for at least $150,000 per year including the airport budget shortfall and 50% ATF.

Data Collection and Transparency

How will project data and recommendations be shared with the public?

The project webpage at longmontcolorado.gov/airportproject will provide updates as they become available. Once the project is finished, the City will move to implement the recommendations. This will include asking the Colorado Department of Transportation and the FAA review any changes to the Voluntary Noise Abatement Procedures.

If Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data is being used for operational analysis and compliance monitoring, doesn't that risk encouraging pilots to turn off their transponders, creating an unsafe aviation situation?

Transponder operation is not optional. Under FAA regulations (14 CFR Part 91), aircraft operating in most controlled and busy airspace are required by federal law to have their transponders on. A pilot who intentionally disables their transponder to avoid monitoring would be violating federal aviation regulations, not exercising a right.

Aircraft Operations and Noise Impacts

Is there anything that can be done about a specific loud propeller aircraft that flies low and is significantly noisier than other aircraft?

If the situation involves aircraft flying in a careless or reckless manner, a complaint should be made to the FAA’s Denver Flight Standards District Office at 303-342-1170. This Federal office is responsible for licensing pilots, certifying aircraft and enforcing flight rules. It’s important to note that as pilots approach and depart an airport, they will be flying at lower altitudes and most likely the pilot is operating in accordance with Federal aviation regulations.

Rebuttal:

Sadly, these "complaints" to the FAA go absolutely nowhere. Same for complaints submitted directly to the city. Longmont’s job description for the airport manager is quite exacting and includes “Formulate, update, and enforce the Airport’s rules and regulations, minimum standards, leasing/rents and fees policies, and development standards (as they may exist or be developed in the future)”. Longmont, you don’t get to just wash your hands of the multitude of pilots misbehaving and defying your defined VNAP procedures.

Flying lower than 1000 feet above ground level (AGL) over the city or outlying residential areas is against FAA guidance. Are some airplanes flying lower than that?

Typically, online flight-tracking tools display pressure altitude, which does not represent the aircraft’s height above the ground or what pilots see on their altimeters. Pressure altitude is determined based on a standard barometric pressure. From day to day, or even hour to hour, an aircraft's actual altitude can vary by hundreds of feet for a given pressure altitude.

The pilot's instruments, set to local pressure, will reflect the correct altitude throughout the flight. Tracking apps simply don't apply the same correction which can cause confusion. View this video for more information on the differences between pressure altitude and actual altitude.

It’s important to note that as pilots approach and depart the Airport, they will be flying at lower altitudes and operating in accordance with Federal aviation regulations.

Rebuttal:

This is an obfuscating reply to airplane AGL's trying to convince the public that our observations of plane flights are incorrect because we are confusing barometric pressure readings. Common sense and simple direct observations notes when a plane is flying at 500-600 feet above our houses in the flight pattern on a rather routine basis.They insult one's intelligence by diverting the question about low AGL's in the flight pattern by informing you that planes fly lower when landing and taking off from the runway. 

Lead Fuel and Environmental Health

Are there any studies available showing how much lead from aircraft fuel is affecting residents in surrounding neighborhoods?

While some general research studies have been conducted on aircraft and lead pollution, none have been able to quantify the impact of lead emissions from small aircraft on surrounding communities. Additionally, no such studies have been conducted that is specifically related to Vance Brand Airport or the Longmont community.

Rebuttal: 

The fact that no study has been conducted regarding lead emissions related to operations at Vance Brand Airport is a failure by the city to protect the health of its residents. Colorado House Bill HB24-1235 titled “Reduce Aviation Impacts on Communities” that passed in May 2024 states “Aircraft that use leaded aviation gasoline are a leading source of lead emissions in our air” and “Excessive exposure to lead has many harmful health effects, which can include adverse effects on the nervous system, kidney function, the immune system, reproductive and developmental systems, the cardiovascular system, and the oxygen carrying capacity of blood” and “Exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long harmful health effects in children and pregnant individuals” and “According to the United States centers for disease control and prevention, no level of lead exposure is safe for children, and even low levels of lead in their blood are associated with developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral issues.” 

There are 7 SVVSD schools and many private schools and daycares that reside within 2 miles of the LMO runway. As airport operations increase, so do the dangers to these children. The city should conduct a study to determine the amount of lead the residents are being exposed to as a result of avgas. The bill states that “the Department of Public Health and Environment shall continue to encourage testing in high-risk areas for the presence of lead in the blood of individuals who reside or work near such airports or children who attend schools or child care facilities near such airports.” The city should do the same and educate those near the airport of the risks of lead and should provide them with the data of how much lead they are being exposed to due to aviation activity.

The city could use the VNAP to help limit the public’s exposure to lead by tightening the recommendations. When this bill was passed and this information about the dangers of lead was released, Longmont’s airport manager responded by updating the VNAP to allow more touch and go operations, more hours of the day. That doesn’t protect the residents, that exposes them to more lead, more often.

You’ll soon have a postcard in the mail from Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment with information regarding lead exposure from multiple sources, including living close to an airport, encouraging you to get your children tested if you have concerns. This is serious folks.

Lead was removed from automotive gasoline in the United States over 30 years ago.

Citations:

HB24-1235 Reduce Aviation Impacts on Communities: https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb24-1235
NIH: Leaded Aviation Gasoline Exposure Risk and Child Blood lead Levels: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36712926/

“Lead-formulated aviation gasoline (avgas) is the primary source of lead emissions in the United States today, consumed by over 170,000 piston-engine aircraft (PEA). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that four million people reside within 500m of a PEA-servicing airport. The disposition of avgas around such airports may be an independent source of child lead exposure.”

The Association Between Childhood Blood Lead Levels and Proximity to Airports in Colorado: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44274-024-00061-1

 This is a peer-reviewed study by our own state health department contends that childhood lead exposure is a significant public health concern.

“Childhood lead exposure remains a significant public health concern, particularly as leaded aviation gasoline continues to contribute to air pollution near airports. This study found that living one mile further from airport point locations in Colorado is associated with a statistically significant decrease in children's blood lead levels, highlighting the need for targeted lead testing in communities near airports.”

Airport Benefits to Longmont Residents

How does the Vance Brand Airport benefit residents?
Vance Brand Airport is a community asset that supports Longmont’s economy and ability to respond to emergencies.

Economic Benefits

According to the 2025 Colorado Aviation Economic Impact Study, activity associated with Vance Brand Airport generated approximately $73.6 million in total economic activity in 2023. This includes:

• $44.7 million generated by businesses and services located at the Airport
• $28.9 million generated by visitors who fly into Longmont and spend money in local restaurants, hotels, and shops
  

Vance Brand also provides access to Longmont and surrounding communities without needing to use large commercial airports, helping Longmont remain competitive and attractive to employers and business developers.

Emergency Response

Vance Brand Airport protects Longmont residents and property by providing critical infrastructure and a base of operations during local and regional emergencies and disasters. It enables aircraft to deliver personnel, equipment, and supplies quickly when roads may be congested or inaccessible. Specifically, the Airport supports wildfire training and response, medical emergency transport and organ donation flights, law enforcement aviation operations, and disaster relief and search-and-rescue operations.

Rebuttal:

Asset or Liability: Getting Real Numbers to Assess the Airport 

Most people in Longmont don’t see what all the fuss is about. Having been told for years that the Longmont airport is an asset to the city, it seems fitting that the city should quantify those claims. The majority of things we’ve learned show that the airport is more of a liability than an asset. The airport is being run like it is too big to fail.

If you're not under the pattern, you're not going to get what the fuss is about. But, since the airport drains your tax dollars, you should know what’s going on. 

Given its proximity to bigger general aviation airports--Loveland, RMMA, Centennial--is the Longmont airport truly an economic driver for the city or simply a play thing that is subsidized by the greater community? Is the city receiving the true value of the airport to the community?

Longmont is not alone in this hand-wavy narrative. Sadly, this is the case for a lot of GA airports across the country.

Not only is Longmont’s airport not an economic driver, it's a subsidized plaything for a few, and we're also a patsy of greedy parties that do not reside in Longmont, let alone Boulder County. The Jefferson County flight school take-over of Longmont is a game-changer. Not only did they move their touch-and-go operations to LMO, they created their own training areas out of thin air that are mostly using Boulder County Open Space lands, without approval of the FAA, without taking it to the Boulder County Commissioners, or the Boulder County public. There are also unauthorized training areas in Larimer and Weld Counties. 

The flight schools use our airport, and our land, at no charge, without our approval, for their profit. And yet, our airport operates hand to mouth, with no plan for a sustainable future without government subsidies. What kind of sense does that make?

Glenwood Springs did an opportunity cost study with their airport that was quite eye-opening, and they don't have five other airports within spitting distance. The report notes the FAA and aviation driven economic driver estimates are based on the state's commercial airports, like DIA, which then use cost multipliers for every municipal airport. That's like us saying, my local software business is worth $200MM because Google is worth $1 billion. It's time we called out the nonsense.

These economic impact report numbers are bloated, at best, and contribute to a narrative that isn’t true. County commissioners, city councils, airports and pilots treat the mystical and outlandish figures in these reports as gospel simply because the numbers come from CDOT (through a subcontractor, Kimley-Horn). As seen with the Town of Glenwood study, an accurate and local estimate is where real numbers exist. 

CDOT claims that lowly Nucla, CO, airport (AIB) adds $907,000 to the local economy. You could buy the entire town with that amount and have money left over.

CDOT’s report says that Longmont airport supposedly adds nearly $74MM to the local economy. Yet the airport has to live on grant money to survive. The airport manager is paid with transferred city money because the airport isn't self-sufficient. I'd bet that $74MM is more than the top three industries in Longmont combined. 

Every single airport in Colorado, and especially the smaller ones, have ridiculous estimates based on assumptions (that aren’t locally based) and “multipliers.” Airport Managers can’t back these numbers up. 

Nucla has no employees at all--just a runway and a tank of fuel. But their study still maintains that there are 10 employees with a payroll of $287,000, which somehow equates to $546,000 “total value added,” coupled with the imaginary figure of $684,000 of “visitor spending.”  Perhaps five people a year actually fly into Nucla to “visit.”  

It's way easier to see the glaring discrepancy in the CDOT numbers when looking at rural airports. The larger airport's impact is equally flawed. Real unbiased studies are needed.

Perhaps we need a real economic impact study done by a third party that doesn’t have a conflict of interest. Or, we can continue making real life decisions on fantasy and spin.

Citations: 

Vance Brand’s Economic Impact Report
https://www.coloradoaviationsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/LMO_Vance-Brand-Municipal-1.pdf

How the CDOT reports were made: 
https://www.codot.gov/programs/aeronautics/studies-plans-reports/2025ceis 

We don’t know what happens in Kimley-Horn’s (the consultancy that makes these reports) black box of assumptions and multipliers. It seems that the crafting of such reports is based on the premise to maximize fantasy numbers to the extent possible using gross assumptions that aren't locally based. LMO’s numbers were based on regional numbers -- since our region includes DIA, those numbers are quite larger than they appear in reality at the local level. 

Individual Airport’s Impact Reports:
https://www.coloradoaviationsystem.com/2025-ceis-deliverables/

Nucla’s Impact Report: 
https://www.coloradoaviationsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AIB_Hopkins-Field-1.pdf 

Glenwood Springs Airport back on the Radar with recent Colorado Aeronautics Study:
https://www.postindependent.com/news/glenwood-springs-airport-back-on-the-radar-with-recent-colorado-aeronautics-study/

Glenwood Springs: Land Use Scenario Planning Study for the Glenwood Springs Airport

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Additional feedback and questions can be directed to the Airport noise project managers at [email protected].