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.

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.

Will there be future opportunities to participate in structured roundtable discussions with community members and pilots to allow mutual, respectful dialogue rather than only one-way public comment sessions?
Roundtable discussions are not included in the current Noise Improvement Project’s scope of work. The City is considering meaningful ways to continue community discussions about the Airport. Residents are always invited to provide feedback, log complaints, and ask questions by submitting a Service Request Form.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

How can residents contact the FAA directly?
Residents are encouraged to contact the FAA’s Denver Flight Standards District Office at 303-342-1170 to report an aircraft flying in a careless or reckless manner. This Federal office is responsible for licensing pilots, certifying aircraft, and enforcing flight rules.

What types of Airport projects have been funded with federal grants?
The FAA has provided grants to the City for the purchase of airfield development and safety equipment and to support Airport planning projects. Specific projects have included $253,429 in taxiway rehabilitation, $478,429 for taxiway construction, $486,950 to improve Airport drainage and erosion control, and $237,420 for Airport wildlife fencing.

What are Federal Grant Assurances and how do they relate to Airport noise?
When the City of Longmont accepts federal funding to maintain and improve the Airport, it agrees 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.

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.

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.

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.

Where can residents find the mapped noise-sensitive areas that pilots are asked to avoid?
During the community meeting on May 7, the AMS consultant indicated that there are identified and mapped noise-sensitive areas around Vance Brand Airport, however, that is not the case.

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.

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.

What are the future plans related to aircrafts transitioning to unleaded fuel.
The Colorado Department of Transportation approved the city’s Unleaded Fuel Transition Plan at the end of 2025. The City is moving into the implementation stage of the plan with the goal of eliminating its use by 2030. The plan is available online.

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.

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