In Brief: Free flight seminar; reaching out to Redstone; Aspen Ideas Festival announces speakers

Signature Aviation hosts free flight seminar

Signature Aviation’s Vail Valley Jet Center at the Eagle County Airport will host a free seminar for private pilots, flight students, and local professional flight crews at noon to 2 p.m. Saturday on the complexities of navigating through the Colorado Rockies — some of the world’s most challenging terrain.

The two-hour session for those who frequently fly into Eagle County, Aspen, and Rifle airports will be taught by FAA safety inspector and Colorado local David Cole. It will cover route planning, mountain weather changes and the unique conditions and geography that make the Rocky Mountain a challenging place to fly. Pilots can receive Federal Aviation Administration WINGS proficiency training credit for attending.

Signature Aviation Eagle County/Vail Valley Jet Center will waive service fees for aircraft flying in for the seminar, and brunch free for attendess

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Visit here to register: https://lp.signatureflight.com/colorado-mountain-flying-2023

County seeks input on Redstone STRs

This month, Pitkin County is undertaking an outreach effort to better understand how short-term rentals (STRs) are regulated and could be revised in the village of Redstone.

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Last June, the Board of Pitkin County Commissioners adopted an ordinance that established the STR Licensing and Regulation Code for unincorporated Pitkin County. The regulations went into effect Sept. 20, 2022.

Throughout adoption of the regulations, the county heard from the public that regulations for the village of Redstone should be considered differently because of the area’s unique characteristics and zoning, officials said. Redstone is the only historic district in the county.

“We know Redstone has unique zoning and historical character. Based on the concerns we heard, we are soliciting feedback about whether STR regulations should be applied differently to the Redstone Historic District, which includes Redstone Boulevard, areas zoned Village Commercial, Village Residential, and the R-30 zone district,” said Francie Jacober, chair of the Board of County Commissioners.

The county launched a survey April 1 that asks the public whether the county’s STR regulations should be applied differently to the Redstone Historic District, the area immediately surrounding Redstone Boulevard. Areas outside the Redstone Historic District are not subject to change at this time. Residents, neighbors, businesses, and visitors to Redstone are invited to take the survey.

In addition to the survey, which closes April 30, the county invites anyone interested in the topic to join an informational town hall style meeting on Thursday, April 13, from 5:30-7 PM at the Church at Redstone. 

The Board of County Commissioners will host a separate town hall meeting Thursday, May 18, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Church at Redstone to review and discuss the results of the outreach effort and give direction on what, if any changes, should be made to STR regulations for Redstone.

The survey is available both digitally and in paper form. Paper surveys can be filled out and turned in at the Redstone Inn. Find a link to the survey and more information on the county website.

Aspen Ideas Festival announces speakers

The Aspen Ideas Festival has announced some speakers lined up for June 24–30, including:

• Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures and former CEO of Google, and Daniel Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, expanding on the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence as discussed in their book, “The Age of AI.”
• NYU Dean of the College of Arts and Science Wendy Suzuki on practical neuroscience for better living.
• Poet and Solito memoirist Javier Zamora on the power of storytelling as the U.S. grapples with its identity as a nation of immigrants.
• Duke professor of law and philosophy Nita Farahany digs into ethical dilemmas around neurotech and cognitive liberty.
• Actor and comedian Rainn Wilson explores possibilities for finding hope in a cynical world and how a new spiritual revolution could help us heal on both a personal and global level.
• American performer and playwright James Ijames, winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, on how the arts can help us form a more perfect union and interpreting Shakespeare for modern times.
• Ashleigh Huffman, Sports Diplomacy Chief for the U.S. Department of State, on cultural diplomacy and how sports shape foreign relations.
• Rabbi Shira Stutman on “radical welcoming” and the role of faith in happiness.