Front Range Archives - FLYING Magazine https://cms.flyingmag.com/tag/front-range/ The world's most widely read aviation magazine Tue, 17 Sep 2024 16:23:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Greeley’s Ambitious Plan to Become Colorado’s Third Major Airport https://www.flyingmag.com/airports/greeleys-ambitious-plan-to-become-colorados-third-major-airport/ Tue, 17 Sep 2024 16:01:17 +0000 https://www.flyingmag.com/?p=217815&preview=1 City officials envision transforming the rural airport into a thriving commercial Part 139 facility and corporate aviation center.

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The city of Greeley is setting its sights on transforming the Greeley-Weld County Airport (KGXY) into a commercial facility in a bold move that could reshape air travel in northern Colorado.

With plans to pursue Part 139 certification from the FAA, city officials are laying the groundwork for scheduled passenger service and increased corporate activity. This ambitious vision aims to position Greeley as a key gateway to the Front Range.

AirlineGeeks had the opportunity to interview Paul Trombino, the current director of public works for the city of Greeley, to help understand his vision and the city’s ambitions for the airport. Trombino assumed the role of director in June 2021 and has now added the airport to his list of areas where the city has significant growth potential.

Greeley-Weld County Airport

Greeley-Weld County Airport was built in 1944 as a small regional airport. In the late 1940s, it saw small commercial service operations, with Challenger Airlines serving Greeley as a stop between Billings, Montana (KBIL), and Denver along with Salt Lake City (KSLC) and Denver. Ultimately, service ended, and the airport has since become a general aviation airport with around 120,000 operations annually.

In 1996, the airport underwent its most comprehensive expansion since opening in partnership with the FAA. It constructed a new 10,000-foot runway and taxiway system, along with a terminal, administration building, and landside infrastructure improvements to improve accessibility to the airport. Trombino highlighted how this significant investment was a sign of a strong “growth plan since 1996” and added how “[the city] has always seen potential in the airport” with the foundation already being set.

The airport is uniquely positioned because it already has a 10,000-foot runway. According to GlobalAir.com, the only public airports in Colorado with 10,000-foot plus runways are Colorado Springs (KCOS), Centennial (KAPA), Denver, Grand Junction (KGJT), Greeley, Hayden (KHDN), Montrose (KMTJ), and Pueblo (KPUB).

But what sets Greeley apart from this short list of airports?

Other than Centennial, which serves as a reliever airport for Denver International (KDEN), all other airports already see commercial service, making Greeley an attractive airport for future service additions. In fact, according to the FAA’s National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, Greeley is currently the only public airport with a 10,000-foot runway in Colorado that is classified as a GA facility.

Development Plans

As mentioned, Greeley has a unique 10,000-foot runway, but what else can the airport offer for the Front Range? For one, the airport is already profitable as a GA airport serving the community.

“Rural airports typically operate in the red, but Greeley is in the black, which is unique,” Trombino said.

The airport is projecting significant growth in the next 10 and 20 years, with revenue jumping from $125 million in 2023 to $360 million by 2033 and nearly $700 million by 2043.

Trombino is adamant that he “wants the current businesses to [stay] successful,” as bringing more operations to the airport “will bring more customers, from maintenance to fuel,” even with the city’s growth plans.

Its operational outlook aligns with this vision, with projections showing growth from 120,000 operations in 2023 to 300,000 by 2033 and 600,000 by 2043.

Another major player spurring this growth is JBS USA Foods, a major meat processing company headquartered in Greeley. The company currently operates its corporate jets out of Fort Collins but is looking to move to Greeley.

JBS is looking to move to Greeley by March 2026 and needs a new hangar and taxiway built for its needs. It also needs the runway to be developed to increase weight limits from the current 45,000 pounds to a minimum of 65,000 pounds, or even 100,000 pounds. Trombino sees this opportunity as “phenomenal for setting us up for success” and believes it will be an excellent platform for the city to present to the FAA as a necessity for an increase in runway weight.

Trombino stated that the FAA “envisions Greeley as one of the main airports in Colorado, alongside Denver and Colorado Springs.”

Furthermore, the airport does not face the same constraints as similar regional airports. Many airports near the Denver metro area suffer from environmental, capacity, and space limitations, but Trombino believes that Greeley’s location is insulated from such issues.

“[The city views] the space in and around the airport [like] a blank canvas,” he said. “The other airports don’t have the length that we do, and more importantly, they all have housing around them, which causes constraints that we don’t face.”

When specifically asked about similar competitor airports like Northern Colorado Regional (KFNL) in Loveland and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan (KBJC) in Broomfield, Trombino said that they “have capacity challenges,” and don’t necessarily have the “capacity to expand.”

The city also believes there is no better time than now to invest heavily in the airport.

“If the airport doesn’t follow the growth of the city, it will become an economic drag, as we think about the city in the future, including transportation,” Trombinso said.

With the recent announcement that the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles are moving to Greeley from Loveland and the University of Northern Colorado is building its Osteopathic Medical School in downtown Greeley, Trombino believes that “all of the things are starting to align for businesses and residents for further growth and jobs.”

With the Greeley-Weld County Airport directly sitting within the Colorado Enterprise Zone, it provides tax advantages for new businesses to invest in and around the airport. The city recently presented its Strategic Airport Business Plan to the FAA, highlighting how the airport can also develop an agriport and railport to connect. A major highlight is that the city “has the ability to create a spur off the main [Union Pacific Railroad] line,” which, in Trombino’s view, will open the airport and the surrounding area for further freight operations.

Future Airport Vision

It’s clear that the city has a strong vision for the airport, but building it up and making it commercially successful requires more than solid infrastructure. This includes interest from operators in utilizing the airport, alongside facing issues such as not being equipped with an air traffic control tower.

Trombino believes that there are multiple ways for Greeley to tackle this.

The 233rd Space Group is located right next to the airport and already utilizes some areas of the field. Trombino believes that if the city “made improvements, [the airport] could be a great training space for the Air Force National Guard.”

The city is exploring the option of taking advantage of its partnership with Aims Community College. Trombino views Aims as “such a good partner” and potentially “building an ATC tower in partnership with Aims” to allow training to occur at the airport, too.

Other ideas have also been proposed, including utilizing a remote tower system, which would be cheaper for the airport in capital and labor costs.

“I’m not afraid of having Greeley at the forefront of technology,” he said. “It’s a matter of where we are and where the industry is heading, [so] we haven’t built a new airport in the country since 1995.”

The logical next step is to understand the market dynamics of the surrounding area and how to convince airlines and passengers to select Greeley over Denver and Cheyenne, both of which are an hour away from the city, with all of the developmental plans starting to take place.

Trombino says the city wants to start conversing with carriers like JSX and others “by the end of the year.” His reasoning stems from reduced security costs and a proven model at Rocky Mountain.

Airlines such as JSX “will be important” and “could be competitive” at an airport like Greeley.

He compared the airport to existing models like Chicago-Midway or Orange County, allowing people to get in and out of the busier metro more efficiently than the bigger, more congested airports nearby.

The city “thinks that this needs to be a high-end airport,” with Trombino personally believing that Greeley could “become a primary ancillary airport” in the Front Range.

“The airlines have to know who we are and that we are coming,” Trombino said. “I think we will be the new place to be, and the people in the northern Front Range will be surprised.”


Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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Treat High-Altitude Turbulence with Knowledge and Respect https://www.flyingmag.com/treat-high-altitude-turbulence-with-knowledge-and-respect/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 01:44:48 +0000 https://www.flyingmag.com/?p=195743 Mountain wave turbulence can be a great teacher that cuts both ways.

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It was October 2006. I had just bought a terrific, well-equipped Cessna T210 about a year before. It had occurred to me that with such a great high-altitude aircraft that I should take some quality mountain flying instruction. A friend had told me of an outstanding mountain instructor based at Vance Brand Airport (KLMO) in Longmont, Colorado, and strongly urged me to take his two-day course.

The first day of the course was basic mountain flying. We covered mountain and high-altitude basics. Where and how to crash-land and survive. How to prepare an emergency pack. How aircraft performed. And so on. It was a thorough and excellent preparation.

By that time in my life, I had hiked and climbed all over central Colorado and felt a bit complacent about all the “stuff” I already knew. In fact, the instructor said he had never had a student as well prepared for emergency survival. (Wow! Thanks.)

The second day we launched from Longmont early in the morning. It was crystal clear and there was minimal wind. We worked our way along the Front Range, turned in toward the mountains just north of Pikes Peak, and then landed at Leadville-Lake County Regional Airport (KLXV), which is the highest airport in North America at 9,934 feet msl. We discussed density altitude, runway length, go-arounds at high altitude, and then landed.

I was alert in taking off from Leadville at almost 10,000 feet, but the turbo did its job, so away we went. We crossed Hagerman Pass (11,925 feet) at 12,500 feet while discussing the need for diagonal crossing of mountain passes in case of severe winds. It was all beautiful.

We worked our way down to the runway at the Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport (KGWS), which is 3,300-feet long at 5,916 feet msl. The instructor made clear that he wanted me at 72 knots, not 73 and not 71, because there was zero excess if I screwed up and landed in a housing development. Fortunately, that went smoothly. We turned around and departed down valley then worked our way up the valley to Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (KASE).

The reputation of Aspen being tricky is well earned. It lies in a narrow valley, but in the T210 it was pretty easy and has been such several times since. After the takeoff from Aspen, we headed to the north on a route that mountain pilots know well—and flatlanders often pay the price for not knowing well.

Heading easterly, we departed back over Hagerman Pass, and then the instructor said he wanted to demonstrate the effects of mountain wave flying. Heading north, we slid to the west side of the valley, and gently the wave pulled at us and we descended. We moved back to the middle of the valley and the descent stopped. We moved to the east up against the range that constitutes the Breckenridge Ski Resort and picked up the rising wave that swept us up and over the slope. It was elegant and beautiful. Then we flew north to return to Longmont.

As we approached Loveland Pass, somewhere around 13,000 feet, a huge, invisible sledgehammer slammed us, causing us to drop at least 1,000 feet. We had completely uncontrolled deviations 90 degrees left and right. Then we fluctuated up and down like a dying whale. I asked the instructor if he had been in s—t like this before. His response was, “Oh, sure…well, not this bad.”

Out of reflex, I dropped a notch of flaps. He admonished me to drop gear, too. Both the wings and fuselage needed to slow so they wouldn’t separate. This continued for what seemed like hours but it was likely minutes. As we slowly settled, we hit a sinker in straight-and-level flight, dropping at more than 1,500 fpm with pegged gauges. Fortunately, that diminished as we closed in on the top of Loveland Pass, which we missed by maybe a few hundred feet.

Unexpectedly, it stopped as it began. I was literally shaking and trembling. Wow. Was I almost killed?

Never before nor since have I experienced such turbulence. But I did come away with several lessons:

Mountain wave turbulence is unpredictable and can be treacherous. Keep plenty of clearance from terrain. Watch for capped clouds, spindrift snow, dust, or terrified pilots.

In particularly moderate to severe turbulence, slow down and drop flaps and landing gear if needed. Even in moderate turbulence and after years of flying, I will drop a notch of flaps to slow down things.

If turbulence is severe, use both flaps and gear and slow to just above stall speed.

Have good restraints and don’t be lazy about keeping them firmly fastened. Even with good restraints, we slammed our heads several times.

Mountain wave turbulence can be a great teacher that cuts both ways. Understand and respect it.

Subsequently, I have experienced many turbulent flights in the T210 and other aircraft. Admittedly, I had PTSD for several years after that episode, but you’ve got to get back on the horse and ride.

This is submitted in memory and honor of my friend and instructor, Cleon Biter, from Longmont. Cleon was an outstanding, patient, and brave flight instructor who died from nonaviation causes after surviving years of flying with young mountain pilots.


This column first appeared in the October 2023/Issue 942 of FLYING’s print edition.

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