The [Vance Brand] Airport has served this community since 1945, supporting not just aviation, but the very people who call [Longmont] home. Today, that legacy is under threat — not from budget cuts or infrastructure decay, but from silence and neglect by city officials who failed to act on clear threats to public safety.
A woman in Longmont self-reported to the airport manager that she was shooting at airplanes — a criminal act with potentially deadly consequences. She was also involved in shining high-powered lights at aircrafts during nighttime operations, a federal offense that endangers pilots, passengers, and the surrounding community. These actions could have led to a catastrophe. Yet, the City of Longmont chose to sit on this information for months, failing to alert the FAA, law enforcement, or the flying public.
This is not just mismanagement. It’s an alarming dereliction of duty that has put lives at risk.
Despite this, the city remains silent, while community trust erodes. If anything should be taken from this horrifying episode, it’s not that we should turn our backs on [Vance Brand] Airport — it’s that we must stand together to protect it.
This airport is more than a runway. It’s the livelihood of local mechanics, instructors, and hangar owners. It’s where aspiring pilots learn to fly — pilots we desperately need in the face of a growing national pilot shortage. Without general aviation airports like Longmont, larger hubs like Denver International Airport will struggle to staff flights that carry you and your family across the country.
It’s also a passion. Pilots dedicate years — decades even — earning their licenses and perfecting their skills. They fly not just for work, but for the love of flight. Longmont Airport is where their dreams take off.
Don’t let the city’s failure define our future. Don’t let silence ground our planes. Stand with the people who make this airport a vibrant part of Longmont’s history and future.
Join us at the Longmont City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 20 at 7p.m. This is our airport. Our community. Our sky. Let’s fight to keep it!
Sincerely,
Amy Poe
