Lovins: Electric airplanes are not a fantasy

Hugh Roberts’ (Aug. 30) complaints of “pie-in-the-sky” about a Pitkin County takeover of the forward-base operator. That’s one of four models (private monopoly, public operation, publicly guided private operation, and competition). It’s not what we recommended or assumed (Essay #3, “Runway Robbery,” aspenflyright.org), but it was used in 2018 at 1,562 US airports — 75% by county or municipal governments, so it’s hardly exotic. Pitkin County holds secret all analyses comparing the four models.

Roberts’ strange quotation about avionics is unsourced, unknown, and not findable, but electric airplanes are not a “fantasy.” In January, McKinsey found $118 billion of them on order worldwide —more electric than fueled planes — 80% of the top 25 aerospace firms are involved. Many airlines are heavily invested; some announced electric air taxi services for next year. Roberts seems as unaware as the Airport Advisory Board seems determined to remain: it has declined for 22 months to hear a brief about new planes that may soon make the proposed new airport, and the bigger fossil-fueled planes it’s designed for, obsolete. (“Fossil-Free Flight” in aspenflyright.org, Essays.) We don’t rely on novel aircraft, but they’re important strategic context.

Aspen Fly Right has always supported a “safe, modern, efficient airport,” including prompt runway and terminal replacement, and shown how to pay for it without FAA grants. All five airport citizen groups agree on probably the entire airport modernization agenda — except bigger planes and the new airfield layout to fit them. Three citizen groups oppose that part, while two groups headlining people with the same names and faces as elected officials support it.

If Roberts is sure government can’t do anything right (the landfill to the contrary), he should reconsider which side he’s on. And if he thinks we’re getting anything wrong, he should kindly report it to info@aspenflyright.org, since we have a rigorous error-correction policy. If he can’t specify errors, he should stop griping.

Amory Lovins

Snowmass