FRISAWhat now?
Boulder City Council has decided to keep Boulder Municipal Airport open indefinitely and has approved the FAA grant. The question now is “What now?” How do airports, pilots, neighbors and the city collaborate on sustaining aviation in the best place that has ever been or ever will be? This is a community conversation on sustainable aviation, aimed at more cooperation on a shared goal of continuous community improvement.
Schedule
| 2:30 pm | Doors open, posters, ramp display (noise monitor and an aircraft, if the airport approves) |
|---|---|
| 3:00 pm | Welcome and opening talk on unleaded avgas and quieter training aircraft |
| 3:20 pm | Panel 1: Airport Managers (Boulder, Platte Valley, Longmont, Rocky Mountain Metro, Erie) |
| 4:15 pm | Research Talks: 5 lightning talks, 8 minutes each |
| 4:55 pm | Posters, demos and reception |
| 5:30 pm | Panel 2: Pilots and Neighbors |
| 6:30 pm | Room reset |
| 6:40 pm | Candidates Forum (until 8:00 pm) |
| 8:00 pm | End |
Panels
Airport Managers
Managers from Boulder, Platte Valley, Longmont, Rocky Mountain Metro and Erie on how their airports and neighbors can work toward the same goals.
Pilots & Neighbors
Pilots, instructors and residents on what each needs from the other, and what they can do together.
Call for Papers
Abstracts are due Friday, Oct. 23, 2026.
Decisions go to authors Monday, Oct. 26. Five abstracts are selected for 8-minute talks; other accepted abstracts are presented as posters. Optional full papers (up to 6,000 words) are due Dec. 15 for open online proceedings. Open to researchers, students, pilots, operators, airport staff and residents.
Topics
- Measuring aircraft noise and community exposure
- Lead from 100LL: monitoring, health and the transition to unleaded fuel
- Electric, hybrid and quieter training aircraft
- Flight-training operations, pattern work and noise-abatement procedures
- ADS-B and operations data for airport planning
- Complaint systems, community engagement and trust
- Airport finance, FAA grant obligations and land use
- Sustainable aviation fuels and airport decarbonization
Submissions closed.
Candidates Forum
All candidates invited. None endorsed.
Getting there
Hangar at 3304 Airport Road, Boulder, CO
Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU)
Open in a map
Parking and entrance: details will be posted here before the event.
Accessibility: tell us what you need in the registration form below (“Accessibility needs”) and we will follow up with you.
Register
Registration is free and is the only way to sign up. It helps us plan seating and print your name badge.
Your private link to come back and edit later. Keep it; anyone with it can edit your registration.
Questions? Email research [at] frontrangesustainableaviation.org.
Download the poster
