FAQ

Aerial firefighters, staged locally at the Boulder airport, saved an untold number of lives and homes during the Fourmile Canyon Fire, the Calwood Fire, and the Lefthand Canyon Fire. The threat of wildfires continues to increase as will our community’s need for rapid response.

During the 2013 flood, more than 1200 neighbors were rescued when the 2nd largest rescue airlift operation in US history after Hurricane Katrina was performed by a fleet of Boulder-staged army helicopters.

Medivac helicopters operate from Boulder every day, flying life-saving rescue missions when every second counts.

The Civil Air Patrol provides critical search and rescue across the rugged Rocky Mountain terrain, and police, sheriff, fire, and National Guard teams all regularly perform search and rescue training from our airport.

When wildfires rage and lives are at risk, a rapid response is the difference between life and death. Relying on other airports to provide emergency services equals loss of life.

Our airport is a community resource open to everyone.

It is regularly used by more than 1000 community members including students, engineers, firefighters, and scientists conducting cutting-edge research on climate change, atmospheric science, and environmental sustainability.

Airport-based community organizations offer scholarships and STEM educational opportunities for youth, including hands-on experience building and restoring aircraft. More than 500 local children have benefited from free flights as part of the Young Eaglesinitiative fostering careers in aviation, aerospace, science, and engineering.

Thousands of pilots have been trained at our airport. Many have gone on to successful aviation careers, ensuring that a qualified pilot gets you to your next vacation destination.

Glider pilots use the airport as their trailhead to the open space in the sky. Completely silent, gliders fly hundreds of miles across Colorado and beyond, powered only by the sun and the wind. The 160-member club is among the most respected in the world.

Jets and commercial aircraft are extremely rare with none based at our airport.

This petition is a community effort organized by the Boulder Airport Association (BAA) in cooperation with other airport user groups and individual community members.

The petition organizers believe in the value of the Boulder airport for the entire community. This is a grassroots effort of local pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and friends of the airport, entirely funded by personal donations.

You can email us at saveboulderairport@gmail.com

The airport is entirely self-funding and receives no financial support from the City or its taxpayers.

The airport was developed via federal funds and is maintained via user fees without any contributions from the City of Boulder.

It contributes almost $100M in annual revenue to the local economy and provides 300 jobs.

Closing the airport would cost at least a hundred million dollars, possibly much more, and require the explicit and unlikely consent of the FAA.

The future of aviation is clean, quiet, and electric and Boulder is leading the way.

Airport noise has been declining for 30 years. It will continue to drop as Boulder pilots follow one of the most restrictive noise abatement programs in the country and continue to invest in quieter airplanes.

Boulder is the first airport in Colorado with charging stations for electric aircraft. One of the world’s first electric self-launching gliders is already flying from Boulder. More are on order.

Many Boulder pilots have already prepared their airplanes to accept unleaded fuel and are asking for it now.

Companies worldwide are investing in clean, quiet, electric aircraft to bring about a new era of eco-friendly air mobility.  The Boulder airport is leading the charge.

Advanced Air Mobility will take delivery vehicles and cars off our roads, and replace them with electric aviation vehicles that have a much smaller environmental footprint. You will be able to fly from Boulder Airport to Denver International in about 15 minutes for about the price of an Uber ride.

Closing the airport would …

Destroy a highly valued and irreplaceable community asset that costs Boulder taxpayers nothing.

Require long and complex litigation with a very small chance of success.

Cost at least hundred million dollars, likely much more.

Increase the amount of air traffic and noise over Boulder as much louder aircraft operating from nearby airports would be free to fly over the city.

Hurt our environment as many thousands of additional homes and cars would increase carbon emissions, clog up our streets, and strain our limited water resources.

Fail to address the housing shortage for at least another 20 years, and even then would only provide affordable housing if the project is heavily taxpayer subsidized.

Destroy a vital piece of infrastructure that has saved many lives and is critically needed to fight the next wildfire and rescue residents during the next flood event.

Cut Boulder off from the coming age of electric aviation and Advanced Air Mobility.

Decommissioning the airport would be a costly nightmare.

Keeping it costs absolutely nothing. No litigation. No subsidies. Zero.

It only takes a simple vote to keep the airport what it already is: an airport that saves lives, serves the entire community, and provides a platform for Boulder to participate in the exciting future of electric aviation and air mobility.

Seconds count when your house is threatened by flames. That’s why aerial firefighters must be staged as close to the fire as possible.

Firefighters use a combination of airplanes and helicopters. Big airtankers blanket large areas to stop fires from progressing and helicopters are critical for the protection of lives because they deliver precise retardant drops to save individual homes and are used to airlift people out of imminent danger.  But helicopters cannot fly very fast and must be staged very close to the fire.

Even for air tankers the industry trend is towards the use of smaller, single engine planes that can fly from small airports such as Boulder and attack fires rapidly and precisely.

Both airtankers and helicopters require a full-scale airport to refuel and re-load fire suppressing retardant after each drop.

The airport has played a critical role during several firefighting missions in the last few years, including the 2010 Fourmile Fire, 2012 Flagstaff Fire, 2016 Cold Springs Fire, and 2020 Lefthand Fire.

They wouldn’t.  Even a super-size helipad would be woefully insufficient.  In fact, emergency operations often need the space and infrastructure of a full-scale airport.

E.g., the 2010 Fourmile Canyon Fire, the 2013 Flood, and the 2020 Lefthand Fire, that’s three emergency events in the last 15 years alone, have needed almost the entire airport surface and infrastructure:
• Space to operate an entire fleet of massive, heavy-lift helicopters such as Skycranes and Chinook H-47.
• Space for heavy support equipment such as fuel and retardant tanker trucks, trailers, and the associated maintenance infrastructure.
• Space for command-and-control assets, temporary shelters and accommodation for crew, support personnel, evacuees, etc.

It would be completely impossible to conduct such operations from a helipad tucked into a residential neighborhood.

During the 2013 flood, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) set up their entire 1,100-person operation at the airport, where they coordinated National Guard helicopters and ground personnel in the rescue of over 1,200 residents.

Boulder is a small-scale General Aviation airport and primarily serves the local community.  More than 400 local pilots, 600 local aviation enthusiasts, and 30+ student pilots use the airport on a regular basis.  That’s in addition to visiting pilots who fly to Boulder as tourists or come to visit family and friends. About 70% of airport users are Boulder-based and about 30% are visitors.

Key Boulder-based user groups include:

Two flight schools, Journeys Aviation and Specialty Flight Training, train the next generation of aviators, helping ensure the future availability of pilots for airlines, emergency services, and aerial firefighting. Initial pilot training can’t be done at major airports such as DIA because if would disrupt scheduled airline flights. The Boulder airport provides an exceptional training environment thanks to its variety of aircraft, complex topography, and ever-changing weather patterns.

Scientific researchers from the National Environmental Observation Network (NEON Science) and Scientific Aviation, in partnership with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado Boulder, conduct research flights to discover and investigate climate change and its impact on the atmosphere and environmental sustainability.

The Boulder Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has been based at the airport for 60 years. CAP is a not-for-profit charity affiliated with the US Air Force and provides emergency services, aerospace education, and a Cadet program for youth.   Its members also conduct aircraft search and rescue and disaster relief.

The Boulder Amateur Radio Club (BARC) operates communication equipment that routinely supports emergency operations.  It also runs the BARC Jr program for children.

The Soaring Society of Boulder is one of the top gliding clubs in the world. It has 160 members and has operated from Boulder for 65 years. The Boulder airport is one of the world’s best locations for silent, motorless flight thanks to its unique topography right at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

Mile High Gliding provides glider pilot training and scenic flights for locals and tourists. Flight training in gliders provides an outstanding foundation as pilots go to airlines, the military, or emergency services.  E.g., Captain “Sully” Sullenberger’s glider training helped him safely land an Airbus 320 in the Hudson River when both engines failed.

The Antique Airplane Association and the Vintage Aircraft Association are non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving, restoring, and flying antique aircraft. A key part of their mission is to teach children to build airworthy, full-scale airplanes.

The Experimental Aircraft Association is a group of pilots, aircraft builders and aviation enthusiasts dedicated to exchanging ideas, sharing resources, encouraging safety, and serving the local aviation community. Its members aspire to make Boulder Municipal Airport the best airfield in the Mountain West.

Brungard Aviation and other small businesses provide aircraft maintenance and repair services as well as aviation photography and filmmaking.

Our airport houses less than 200 aircraft, but serves over 1000 Boulder-based pilots, passengers, and aviation enthusiasts. Clubs foster a sense of community, provide valuable STEM education for local youth, and dramatically reduce the financial barrier to aviation so virtually anyone can participate.

Most pilots start their flight training at community airports like Boulder. It would simply be impossible to practice takeoffs and landings at large airports like DIA because it would disrupt scheduled airline traffic.

There is currently a major national and international pilot shortage, which makes pilot training more critical than ever to ensure the future supply of airline pilots and emergency responders.

Many thousand pilots have been already been trained at the Boulder airport and more than 30 students are in active training at any time. Just in the last few years, dozens of Boulder flight students have moved to successful aviation careers.

Gliders have operated from Boulder since 1959. The airport soon became one of the premier gliding sites in the world. The eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains provides ideal atmospheric conditions for motorless flight, and the airport’s location at the base of the foothills allows gliders to access these conditions safely and easily.

Boulder is by far the most successful gliding center in Colorado.  No airport within 60+ miles is capable of accommodating glider operations at all.  For Boulder glider pilots the airport is the only “Trailhead to the Open Space in the Sky.”

The Boulder airport has been recognized in a national safety study as an example of best practice for safely accommodating gliders and other aircraft. A dedicated glider runway ensures that glider operations don’t disrupt or endanger other aircraft.

The Soaring Society of Boulder (SSB) is a community-based volunteer organization with 160 members. It is one of the most successful gliding clubs in the United States, routinely scoring top positions in national and global competitions.  SSB’s membership includes several former national champions.

Mile High Gliding provides glider pilot training and scenic flights for locals and tourists. Well over a thousand pilots have started their flying careers in gliders at the Boulder Airport. Flight training in gliders provides an outstanding foundation as pilots continue on to airlines, the military, or emergency services.  E.g., Captain “Sully” Sullenberger’s glider training helped him safely land an Airbus 320 in the Hudson River when both engines failed.

The Civil Air Patrol conducts glider flights as part of its Cadet program.

Flying gliders is less expensive than skiing, mountaineering, and many other adventure sports, making gliding not only the most eco-friendly but also the most affordable form of aviation.

Almost 100 years.  The airport started as “Hayden Field” in 1928 and became Boulder Municipal Airport in the early 1940s. During World War II, the airport was home to the Army Air Corps’ Civilian Pilot Training Program.

After the war it returned to its role as a community airport.

The following interview with former airport manager, Tim Head, tells a little bit more about its history.

No. Traffic volumes peaked in the early 1990s with over 100,000 flight operations per year.  After that, traffic gradually declined to about 60,000 in 2005 and has since been stable in the range of 50,000-60,000 operations annually.

No. The noise associated with the Boulder airport has substantially diminished over the last 30 years.  And it will diminish even further.

The number of aircraft operations has been cut in half since their peak in the early 1990s and has been stable since 2005.  There is no indication that air traffic in Boulder will increase going forward.

The types of planes flying from Boulder have been getting quieter.  Journeys Aviation has already invested in quiet Light Sport Aircraft for flight training.  The members of the glider club have heavily invested in self-launching gliders.  This includes one of the world’s first fully electric gliders.

Going forward, airplanes will continue to get quieter: more electric gliders are on order. The FAA’s new MOSAIC rules are expected to allow the use of quiet Light Sport Aircraft for glider towing. And the airport is already equipped with charging stations for other coming electric aircraft.

No. The runway is too short to accommodate large business jets.  And extending the runway is impossible:  there is a lake on one end, and a deep ravine on the other.

The Boulder noise abatement guidelines were developed by local pilots and are among the strictest in the country.

Pilots are discouraged from conducting repetitive touch and go operations between 5pm and 8am and are requested to not fly at all between 11pm and 7am.  Flight paths are designed to minimize the need to fly over densely populated areas, and to avoid doing so below 7500 ft.

The Soaring Society and Mile High Gliding follow a “Tow Friendly Program,” which goes even beyond these guidelines and prescribes specific tow routes and flight techniques to minimize noise.

Most Boulder-based pilots fully adhere to these guidelines whenever safely possible.  While Boulder pilots account for more than two thirds of flights from the airport, they are responsible for less than one third of noise reports associated with flights that deviate from the guidelines.

When deviations occur for reasons other than safety, they are mostly inadvertent and minor, such as veering off a prescribed flight path by a few hundred feet. Take tow plane flights as an example: in all of 2023, only two noise reports were associated with tow plane flights that did not fully conform with the guidelines.

A recently published White Paper authored by the Boulder Airport Association further illustrates our noise abatement efforts.

Yes.  Airport operators and pilots continue to make Boulder’s skies quieter.

More and more pilots switch to quiet, modern and fuel-efficient Light Sport Aircraft (LSAs).

The Soaring Society plans to invest in LSAs for glider towing as soon as the new FAA rules (MOSAIC) permit. The plan is to purchase an Aerospool Dynamic WT-9 which has a decibel rating in the range of 62-71, measured immediately next to the runway at full power. This is equivalent to the noise level of a conversation and well below the noise level of city traffic (85db) or even just a household vacuum cleaner (75db).

Glider pilots continue to invest in new and much quieter self-launching gliders that do not need a towplane. An increasing proportion of these will be fully electric. The amount of electricity needed to get airborne is miniscule (less than $1).

A major opportunity is the promotion of the Noise Abatement Guidelines among non-Boulder based pilots because they account for two thirds of all non-compliant noise reports.  Many of these flights cross over Boulder and have nothing to do with the Boulder airport at all.

It is very unlikely that airplane noise over Boulder would decline if the airport were to close.

The current arrival and departure routes into Rocky Mountain Metro airport and Centennial airport avoid the Boulder airspace to not conflict with local air traffic above Boulder.

If the Boulder airport were gone, these flightpaths could easily be rerouted directly over the city.  This would not only mean more traffic; it would also mean much louder traffic because business jets and other loud aircraft would fly directly over the City of Boulder.

In addition, Boulder would have no practical way to encourage adherence with any voluntary noise abatement procedures.

Boulder pilots have been advocating to bring unleaded fuel to the airport as soon as possible, and many have already invested in their airplanes to accept unleaded fuel.

Nevertheless, it is useful to put the concerns around lead in context.  E.g., in 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigated lead emissions near airports.  Its report found that lead concentrations in the air have been reduced by 99% since 1980 and that "lead concentrations at and near airports are typically well below the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead.” The report also says that measurable lead concentrations have only been found at very busy airports (i.e. airports much larger than Boulder). Even there, they were confined to very small areas inside the airport fence and inaccessible to the public.

The town of Superior recently conducted a lead study in the proximity of Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (RMMA).  RMMA has many times more aircraft operations than Boulder.  In line with the findings from the EPA, this study also found NO detectable levels of airborne lead. Only one single detectable sample was found and it was inside the oldest town building which contains leaded paint.

About 50% of Boulder planes are ready for unleaded fuel today.

Airport closure would not reduce the use of leaded fuel.  Instead, it is likely to prolong it.

In the unlikely event that the FAA would allow the Boulder airport to close, the earliest this could occur is 2041. The FAA has already announced plans to eliminate lead emissions from airplane fuel by 2030.  Even if this timeline were to get extended, it is almost certain that leaded fuel will be gone long before the Boulder airport could possibly close.

Boulder pilots have been asking for unleaded fuel for some time and about 50% of aircraft are already prepared to fly with unleaded fuel today. Ironically, the continued uncertainty about the future of the airport has hampered initiatives to bring unleaded fuel to Boulder.

A decision to close the airport would cause further delays because it would remove any incentive to invest in a separate fuel tank that is required to add unleaded fuel before leaded fuel can be phased out altogether. Leaded fuel would be used longer, and lead emissions would remain higher.

It most certainly would not help.  Moving pilots to other airports would neither reduce noise nor leaded fuel usage. In fact, there would be a negative environmental impact because pilots would have to drive long distances just to get to these airports.

Glider pilots would be most affected because there is no other airport that can accommodate gliders within 50 miles.  The nearest one, Owl Canyon, is just south of the Wyoming border.  Flying gliders from Owl Canyon would dramatically increase airplane noise and fuel consumption because the airfield is much further away from the mountains and tow planes would have to fly 4-6 times farther to reach favorable atmospheric conditions.

And that’s even before considering the carbon emissions from thousands of additional homes and almost twice the number of additional vehicles that would be added in our area. The amount of fuel used by all Boulder based planes combined is about equivalent to the amount used by 200 passenger cars. The amount of fuel consumed by all the additional cars and trucks would be at least 20 times greater.

The Boulder Airport is part of the National Transportation System and was enabled by federal funds provided through the federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

The airport operates out of its own Enterprise Fund within the City Budget, and receives no funding from the City's General Fund, only what is contributed by airport users, tenants, as well as FAA and Colorado Department of Transportation funds.

The airport users pay the City of Boulder to use the airport via hangar and land leases. These cover the costs of day-to-day operations at the airport such as snow plowing, grass mowing, hangar repairs, promoting the noise abatement procedures, etc.

The airport is 100% self-funding. The city of Boulder and its taxpayers contribute nothing.

No. Boulder is among very few airports in Colorado that are self-sustaining and have operated without subsidies.

According to the most recent Economic Impact Study by the Colorado Department of Transportation, the Boulder airport annually contributes almost $100 million to the local economy and provides almost 300 jobs.

Yes.  The Boulder Airport is part of the National Transportation System.  The airport has been developed with federal funds and the City of Boulder is therefore obligated to maintain the airport as an airport.

This obligation normally runs for 20 years from the last time federal grants were accepted. In Boulder’s case, this was in 2020 when the runway was repaved which would mean that 2041 would be the earliest that the airport could close, provided that the City would reject all future federal tax dollars and maintain the airport for at least the next 18 years at its own expense.

However, in Boulder’s case the situation is different because the City also bought a significant portion of the airport site with federal funds through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Because of this, the City requires approval from the FAA to close the airport even in 2041.

The FAA has already made its position clear in a letter on April 27, 2023, to remind the City of its obligations.

“Since the City acquired land with AIP funds, [the obligation to keep the airport open] runs in perpetuity.”

“It is FAA’s policy to strengthen the national airports system and not to support the closure of public airports. The FAA has rarely approved an application to close an airport. Such approvals were only in highly unusual circumstances where closing the airport provided a benefit to civil aviation.”

Read the full text of the letter by the FAA to the City of Boulder.

Following an enquiry by the City to the FAA to provide "a better understanding of the FAA's position," the FAA responded with a second letter, dated March 20, 2024. This second letter re-emphasized that the City's obligations to the FAA to maintain the airport are perpetual.

It would be VERY expensive. Costs would include:

The City purchased 49 acres of airport property with funds provided by the FAA with the obligation to maintain the airport as an airport. The City would have to repay the FAA based on the market value of the land at the time of airport closure.  A City memo from March, 2018 estimated the then-current value of the 49 acres at $106 million. But that was in 2018. Property values in Boulder have increased by about 40%-50% since then, i.e., the 2024 market value is approx. $150 million. But airport closure could never happen before 2041. So what will the land be worth then? Over the past 18 years Boulder property values increased 2.5x and it is reasonable to assume that the next 18 years won't be much different. In other words, a reasonable estimate of the City's obligation to the FAA in 2041 is in the range of $300-450 million (The current market value of $150 million times 2 or times 3).

But that's not all. Because the City is contractually obligated to keep the airport open in perpetuity, it would have to break that obligation. After millions of dollars spent on litigation perhaps a settlement could be achieved. The eventual settlement amount is anyone's guess. It, too, could easily be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Next, between the decision to close the airport and the time the airport could actually close, the City is obligated to maintain the airport at its own expense according to FAA standards without receiving any additional federal grant payments. That's for a period of at least another 18 years. This would add many more million dollars to keep the airport in a safe and serviceable condition. If the City were to neglect this obligation additional law suits would likely follow.

Finally, there are the costs to demolish the existing airport infrastructure and clean up the land. Since the airport was used for military operations during World War II, who knows what would be found before the land would be suited for residential housing developments.

It is of course impossible to say what all this would add up to. Perhaps $500 million, perhaps much more.

It's also worth noting that none of these costs include any funds for actual housing developments.

No. Firstly, it is extremely unlikely that the FAA would ever agree to close the airport. Secondly, it is highly unrealistic to suggest that any housing built at the airport could ever be “affordable” unless Boulder taxpayers would heavily subsidize it.

Even in the unlikely scenario that the FAA were to agree to close the airport (after what would likely be long and expensive litigation), the City would have to compensate the FAA at 2041 market rates for the value of the land that it purchased with federal tax dollars.  The amount the City would owe the FAA is likely to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars (see above: How much would it cost to decommission the airport?).  Add that to the millions unnecessarily spent on litigation and the millions the City would have to spend to keep the airport in a serviceable condition until it can be closed.

After all these costs are accounted for, it is highly unrealistic to expect that any housing developed at the airport could ever be “affordable.”

Adding thousands of additional homes on the site – whether affordable or not – would have many unintended consequences.

Let’s consider that about 4000-8000 additional cars and trucks would use Valmont Road every day. They would also further clog up other city streets causing gridlock unless existing thoroughfares are widened, and more land gets converted into concrete parking lots.

Water consumption in the area would probably increase 2000-fold, further straining our already limited water resources while we are in the midst of a worsening drought and suffering from the effects of climate change.

There would also be 10 years of heavy equipment Diesel smoke in the air.  This would destroy the quality of life for the people who already live near the airport. The residents of the two mobile home communities south of the airport would be most severely affected.

Yes. The City has given pre-approval to many plots of land better suited for affordable housing. In fact, Boulder already has viable options to build at least 12,000 - 19,000 new housing units, which would eventually allow for a population increase by 25-40%.

The East Boulder Subcommunity Plan, which has been in the works since 2019, will allow 5,100 homes and apartments of various sizes.

The Transit Area Village Plan II at Pearl and Foothills is the second phase of the Boulder Junction redevelopment, approved unanimously by the City Council in September 2023. This area could include up to 1,500-2,500 housing units over a decade of development.

The University of Colorado’s “CU South” property will begin development sometime after 2027. Voters affirmed this annexation in 2022 after years of negotiation between the City and the University, allowing CU to create up to 1,000 new housing units for staff, faculty, and upper-level students and 100 affordable housing units for the community.

The Williams Village II redevelopment on 28th and Baseline could include 600 units of mixed-use housing.

Alpine-Balsam, an 8.8-acre property at Broadway and Balsam, formerly the site of Boulder Community Hospital, was purchased by the City of Boulder in 2015 with a vision towards a city administration campus, mixed business and housing. A community envisioning process planned for up to 260 housing units. The City paid more than $40 million for this site and has been financing the debt ever since. This should be a priority for development!

These properties alone could provide 9,500 housing units, many times more than the 2,000 units that could possibly be built at the airport site. Most of these sites boast existing infrastructure, convenient transit access, proximity to bike trails, retail, cultural offerings and essential services — amenities the airport site does not offer. Collectively, these projects offer a robust solution to the city’s residential needs for decades to come, perhaps surpassing market demand.

But that’s not all! The City has also been developing an Urban Services Study for the Area III Planning Reserve, north of Boulder. The City already owns approximately 200 acres of the 500 undeveloped acres, and the area is of sufficient overall size to accommodate more than ten thousand new housing units.

None of these options would destroy critical transportation infrastructure, none would require a long drawn out legal fight with the FAA and massive grant repayments to the Federal Government, and all are available now, not in 18 years.