No solutions for frustrated neighbors of Centennial Airport

BY FREDA MIKLIN GOVERNMENTAL REPORTER

When the Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable (CACNR) met on February 1, there was hope that unhappy residents who have been living with increased noise and air pollution from planes flying out of Centennial Airport (APA) might get their concerns addressed by the Federal Aviation Administration, whose regional manager was there in person.

The meeting ended after three hours with neither the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) nor APA officials offering a solution to the problem or even saying they had the power to solve the concerns, primarily about intrusive training flights, that have brought citizens to these meetings month after month.

The CACNR, though comprised of many elected officials, as well as staff from cities, counties, and other governmental and quasi-governmental agencies, is strictly a volunteer advisory group.

Mike Fronapfel, executive director and CEO of APA, reported meeting recently with representatives of several APA-based flight schools. Pointing to an incident where one school had conducted a training flight over a residential area between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., he reported that the school’s representative acknowledged that it was probably not a good idea, but, Fronapfel noted that they were “within their legal rights” to have done so.

Fronapfel also noted that, “Although air traffic control (part of the FAA) gives direction to the aircraft that are in the pattern, it’s not always giving absolute direction…”

Greenwood Village City Council Member Donna Johnston, a member of CACNR, said, “The residents are mad, I’m mad, because it’s maddening to have as many as two flight school planes or more at a time buzzing over your house for hours on end… If the FAA can make one change, it can make another--one that not only ensures safety in the sky, but one that ensures safety and sanity for those of us on the ground...We can expect this type of meeting to be the new normal until the problem is resolved. My recommendation tonight is that the FAA take decisive action, with a date certain, to stop the incessant flight school traffic overhead.”

Michael Valencia, FAA Regional Air Traffic Manager, ac- knowledged that the mid-air collision that occurred on May 12, 2021 caused the FAA to review its procedures “in light of its number-one goal,” which “is to prevent collision.” The result, he said, was that, “We determined that we really needed to tighten up our ship…to increase positive control to prevent a collision…

We directed controllers to get better at it,” he reported.

Valencia reminded everyone that Denver International Airport (DEN), as well as APA, Rocky Mountain Airport, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo “each do over 1,000 operations a day.”

Next, Joseph Bert of the FAA’s Northwest Mountain Region, presented a report entitled, “Centennial Airport Traffic Pattern Briefing.” It found that “the primary and overriding causal factor for the increase in the visual flight pattern footprint at APA is simply increased aircraft …”

More significantly, it found that although the total number of aircraft flights at APA was up 24% between 2019 and 2022, the number of aircraft flights over Greenwood Village between 2019 and 2022 was up 75%. He added that each flight was counted only once, regardless of the number of touch-and-go operations that flight, if it were for training purposes, might have done.

When Johnston asked again what the FAA’s solution to GV residents’ concerns was, Valencia punted the question to Justin Biassou, FAA community engagement officer, who said, “Volume is certainly something that has to be dealt with on the source. We want to make sure that we’re working with you as the community to understand that there are air traffic control questions and that we are able to be here to answer all of those for you… You have an additional amount of traffic that leads to an extended downwind. To that end, we as the FAA are service providers and we want to be able to ensure that we have safe separation of aircraft at all times… I believe that we are operating safely and efficiently in that area… There haven’t been any changes since the 2021 midair (collision) other than the recognition that we have an extended downwind due to increased traffic and demand at the airport.” He emphasized that the FAA had shared “openly and honestly” with the community in response to questions it had received.

Johnston said that she recalled “someone telling me that after the midair crash, that there were nine planes in rotation—these are flight schools—and that was reduced to maybe four or five, and that was an FAA decision. So, why wouldn’t you be able to reduce the amount of traffic further?”

Bert disagreed with Johnston’s premise, explaining, “I did not find anything that regulated the amount of aircraft in the pattern in our research. As far as I know, we don’t do that anywhere.” CACNR Chair Brad Pierce spelled it out simply, “The FAA is not going to limit the number of planes in the pattern.”

Biassou also pointed out that, “We have strict constraints that are given to us by Congress and our mandate is to ensure safe operations…We know that the airport receives grant funding from the federal government… That would also make it difficult for the airport to restrict those, as well. We want to make sure that we share with you those limitations…to demonstrate the constraints of our respective organizations to restrict traffic…as long as they are safely operating.”

Despite being asked by multiple people multiple times whether they had made a change to the air traffic patterns after the midair collision in 2021, FAA representatives repeatedly denied having done so.

Fronapfel disagreed with the FAA that there had been a significant increase in the volume of flights at APA between 2019 and 2022 and offered statistics that he said demonstrated that the volume of flights had decreased, not increased, then added, “We have a lot more analysis we want to do on our end, and work with the FAA on trying to really zero in on this.”

As Chair Pierce opened the public comment portion of the meeting, new Arapahoe County Commissioner Jessica Campbell-Swanson asked if she could have the privilege, as an elected official, to ask a question or two that had been unaddressed thus far. She addressed herself to Valencia, saying, “Pinning down the cause of the increased flight pattern north of Arapahoe is an