Recognizes Two Airports Based On Members' Flying Experiences

The Colorado Pilots Association gave airport recognition awards to Telluride Regional Airport, Telluride, Colorado and Marble Airstrip, Marble, Colorado at its annual meeting on November 5. The awards are part of a recognition program in which members of the organization, based on their flying experiences, identify and make recommendations of those Colorado airports that have gone out of their way to provide exceptional services and facilities for General Aviation.

Separate awards are presented annually to a Commercial Service and a General Aviation airport. Telluride Regional Airport was selected under the commercial service category in recognition of community’s exceptional accomplishment in bringing air service to this important mountain recreational area, its ability to construct and improve an airport at a site with extremely difficult terrain features, and efforts made to assure environmental compatibility with a minimum of noise impacts to surrounding urban and recreational development. CPA member Jorge Rufat-Latre in nominating the airport writes; “The airport provides impeccable service, attention, diligence, and enthusiasm to its customers. It is a delight to land at Telluride and to receive all of the help I want and beyond. It is also a delight to see what the airport has done to preserve a little of the history of mining in the state with its model of a mining display in the passenger lounge.”

Under the general aviation category, the award is given to Glen & Diane Gallegos for their generosity and support of general aviation in permitting aircraft access to their family-owned Marble Airstrip located in mountainous terrain near Marble, Colorado. The airstrip is one of the few locations available in the state for those seeking a backcountry flying experience. As a testimonial to its attractiveness as a fly-in location, visitors in more than 40 aircraft landed at the location during a Colorado Pilots sponsored fly-in there on September 9 of this year. In nominating the site, CPA member William Murrish wrote; “Glen & Dianne have gone above and beyond the call of a normal private airstrip owner by opening up their airstrip to Colorado Pilots Association. I realize that other Colorado Airports draw bigger crowds but I really think they are deserving of special recognition considering that neither are pilots, yet go through tons of uncompensated upkeep to provide us with an incredible landing and camping facility. For example, this last year Glen cleared a whole new area for camping. Their big CPA annual fly-in is a big hit and continues to grow. Bravo to them!” The award to Marble Airstrip is the first given to a private-owned airstrip under the Colorado Pilots Association Airport Awards Program.

Colorado Pilots Association is a statewide organization of over 700 members dedicated to making Colorado a better, safer, and more desirable place to fly. Objectives of the organization are to support aviation-related activities in Colorado, promote flying safety, protect the rights of the flying community, and to provide information and assistance to the general public on aviation matters.

FMI: www.ColoradoPilots.org