Centennial Airport becomes state’s first to o er unleaded aviation gas

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arapahoe County Commissioners and Centennial Airport leaders came together May 3 to celebrate the airport becoming the rst in Colorado to o er unleaded aviation gas.

“ is is a super exciting day for Centennial Airport,” said aiport CEO and Executive Director Mike Fronapfel.

e celebration featured a worker of jetCenters of Colorado, a xedbased operator that supplies fuel at Centennial Airport, pumping unleaded fuel into an aircraft owned by Aspen Flying Club, one of the ight schools at the airport.

Fronapfel said jetCenters of Colorado is the largest xed-based operator and fuel supplier at Centen- nial Airport.

“We really appreciate their partnership and them stepping up to the plate immediately to start addressing this,” Fronapfel said.

Tony Buckley, president and CEO of jetCenters of Colorado, expressed his excitement about the change and the company’s commitment to the movement.

“We’re also very proud that we can be on Centennial Airport and be the rst company to o er UL94 (unleaded fuel) in the state of Colorado,” Buckley said.

Danny Smith of Aspen Flying Club said that transitioning to unleaded fuel has been an industry initiative for many years.

“And so we’re very excited that it’s nally here,” Smith said. “It’s just one of the many initiatives that we at

Aspen Flying Club have been taking over the last several years to be good industry partners and participate in the community,”

Fronapfel said Aspen Flying Club was a great partner in this e ort, as well as two other ight schools at the airport, ATP Flight School and Flights Inc.

“Appreciate everybody’s help and partnership in this, and we look forward to continuing this transition as quickly as we can and as safely as we can,” he added.

Incentivizing the transition to unleaded fuel

ere are not many nancial incentives to transition to using unleaded aviation fuel, Fronapfel said, ese are some of the antisemitic experiences that students, parents and teachers shared during the May 8 Cherry Creek School District Board of Education meeting.

“ is is what is happening in the hallways of your schools,” said resident Rikki Mor. “Our kids do not feel safe. Our kids are scared to say they’re Jewish for fear of retaliation.” “ at is why we are here. is has to change,” she added.

Mor was among a crowded room of people who gathered at Cherokee Trail High School. Many described instances where students experienced antisemitism within Cherry Creek Schools and expressed feeling unsafe.

When Emily, a student at Campus Middle School, took the microphone, she described a time when another student said his brother and his friend “told a Jewish kid to go back to the gas chambers.”

Being Jewish herself, Emily said it really a ected her and she asked

SEE ANTISEMITISM, P6