Despite months of raising concerns about aircraft flying over residential areas surrounding Centennial Airport, residents say the issue of frequent traffic and noise persist. 

“I've been attending these meetings for the last, feels like close to a year. And I have to say, it hasn't gotten better. It's gotten worse,” said Amy Friedman, who lives in unincorporated Arapahoe County.

She was among 11 residents who spoke during the Aug. 2 Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable meeting.

The roundtable — made up of local elected officials from Arapahoe and Douglas counties, appointed community representatives, airport staff, and others — is meant to work with the airport to find ways to reduce and mitigate the impact of aircraft noise, according to its website.

Although residents expressed frustration, members of the roundtable said progress has been made. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently joined a subgroup that involves Centennial Airport leaders and flight schools to address community concerns. 

“That’s really positive progress,” said Centennial Airport Executive Director and CEO Mike Fronapfel. “We’re one of only a handful of airports in the country where the … FAA has come around and gone down this path, with setting up a technical committee to address some of the noise concerns.”

Fronapfel encouraged community members to offer comments on the FAA’s noise policy review, given that the FAA extended the deadline for public comment to Sept. 29. Those interested in learning more can visit faa.gov/noisepolicyreview. 

Aircraft at Centennial Airport, located in Arapahoe County near Dove Valley Regional Park, on April 26, 2023. It is one of the 25 busiest airports in …

Residents voice concerns, frustration

Centennial Airport, located in Arapahoe County near Dove Valley Regional Park, is one of the 25 busiest airports in the nation, according to the FAA.

For months, residents have been attending meetings to raise concerns about increased air traffic, noise and lead pollution impacting the community, specifically those living north of Arapahoe Road. 

One of the main sources of noise complaints is training aircraft, as residents have described training planes flying loops over their homes.  

In the pursuit of relief, two resident groups have formed — Quiet Skies Over Arapahoe County, which advocates for changes, and Safe Skies Colorado, which is pursuing legal action. 

At the Aug. 2 meeting, Lisa Mauvais, of Arapahoe County, shared examples of when aircraft have traveled north of Arapahoe Road, showing visuals of how frequently planes fly loops over residential areas. 

Mindy Davine, who lives in Greenwood Village, said she is tired of getting woken up by aircraft noise at 5 a.m. and hearing aircraft again at 10 p.m.

“We keep repeating the same thing over and over and over again,” Davine said to the roundtable. “It’s been almost a year, and nothing has changed. It’s gotten worse.” 

Mike Koscielniak, from Castle Rock, said he is a pilot and part of the Colorado Pilots Association. He said he has attended the last few meetings and has been writing to the board of directors about them.

“We’re aware of what’s going on. And I feel your pain,” he told attendees.  

He said he would like to see more pilots and flight school representation at the meetings.

“There should be more engagement of the pilot community with the residents,” he said. “I know we’re trying to get the board to do stuff, but they can’t do it unless they get the cooperation from the pilots.” 

The May 3 celebration featured a worker of jetCenters of Colorado, a fixed-based operator that supplies fuel at Centennial Airport, pumping unleaded …

Residents continued to raise concerns about lead pollution, given that aviation gasoline is the fuel most commonly used in piston-engine aircraft and is the only transportation fuel in the U.S. to contain lead, according to the FAA. 

In October 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed an endangerment finding for lead emissions from aircraft engines that operate on leaded fuel. 

“When it comes to our children the science is clear, exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health effects,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a news release. “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions to air in the country.” 

According to the news release, the EPA’s consideration of endangerment is “a first step toward application of EPA’s authority to address lead pollution.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser signed a letter July 18 urging the EPA to adopt the proposed finding.

“The proposed finding is one important and necessary step towards addressing this problem and protecting adults and children most at risk from lead exposure due to avgas (aviation gasoline),” he wrote. 

Mike Fronapfel, Centennial Airport’s CEO and executive director, highlighted the partnerships that made bringing unleaded aviation gas to the …

Earlier this year, Centennial Airport became the first in Colorado to offer unleaded aviation gasoline.

For the month of May, unleaded fuel made up 15% of the airport’s overall aviation gasoline sales, said Centennial Airport Executive Director and CEO Mike Fronapfel. In the month of June, it made up 20% of overall sales, he said. 

“We’re hoping that we continue to see that progress,” he said. 

Brad Pierce, chair of the Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable, speaking during the Aug. 2, 2023, meeting. Sitting beside him is Alison …

FAA joins group with Centennial Airport users, leaders 

Months after requesting the FAA get involved in a sub-roundtable technical working group to work with airport leaders on addressing community concerns, officials said the FAA is now participating.

Fronapfel said he is really excited that the FAA is finally at the table.

In March, Fronapfel asked the noise roundtable to form a sub-roundtable technical working group to explore and recommend solutions to the issues caused by the extended training pattern traffic. 

Fronapfel said he and Brad Pierce, the chair of the noise roundtable, sent an email Feb. 14 requesting the FAA participate in the working group. 

During that March meeting, members of the noise roundtable approved a motion to form the technical working group as a subcommittee of the noise roundtable. 

In May, airport leaders announced they would hire a lobbying and advocacy firm, The Normandy Group. Louis Dupart, founding partner of The Normandy Group, spoke at the June noise roundtable meeting and said he was working to get the FAA to join the technical working group. 

Pierce said during the Aug. 2 meeting that the FAA has joined the group, which has been renamed and is now called the Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable Study Group Committee.

The study group committee is made up of some members of the noise roundtable, Arapahoe County Commissioner Jessica Campbell-Swanson, the flight schools and the FAA, Pierce said. 

“We have, I think, everybody there that has the authority and the determination and dedication to solving, or at least looking at solving, the problem,” he said.  

The group already had its first meeting, which Pierce said focused more on getting to know one another and did not involve talking about potential solutions yet. 

“The takeaway, for me, is the FAA was actually there,” Pierce said, adding that there were four FAA representatives who attended the meeting in person. 

On Aug. 2, 2023, members of the Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable spoke with concerned residents. From left to right: Brad Pierce, chair …

Pierce said a lot of people had their hand in getting the FAA to participate.

Arapahoe County Commissioner Leslie Summey, who is on the noise roundtable, said she and Commissioner Bill Holen spoke with the FAA while they were in Washington D.C.

“I took your concerns to Washington D.C.,” she said. “I have been very excited to know that I got to be a part of that, that helped to get those four people in the room from the FAA.”

Summey said that in her viewpoint as a commissioner, the progress is slower than everybody wants it to be. 

“However, it is now moving in a way that I don’t think it was. And that’s exciting,” she said. 

Alison Biggs, a Douglas County representative on the noise roundtable, said the study group committee is a good example of what the noise roundtable is doing and also how much the community’s involvement has helped. 

“We’ve got a lot to do yet, but at least we’ve got a toe hold going,” she said. “We’ve got to keep all working together for this.”