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Home My WebLink About2026-03-17-HFAC-min Hanscom Field Advisory Commission (HFAC) Minutes – 17 March 2026 Prepared by Massport Staff Video of HFAC Meeting on the Lincoln, MA TV Page: https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/lincoln/?page=HOME HFAC Website: https://sites.google.com/view/hfac • Call to Order: Chair Margaret Coppe called the meeting to order at 7:01pm • Announcements: • Chair Coppe recording HFAC Meeting; greeted all to March 17th meeting pursuant to MA Open Meeting Law • U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) selected Beta Technologies to be part of the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) which will accelerate integration of eVTOL into the national airspace system (NAS); mostly medical flights into New York City • Minutes: The February 2026 Meeting Minutes were reviewed for approval • The February 2026 Meeting Minutes were approved unanimously with the following amendment: o Change “2025” to “2026” in the Other Business section • Monthly Noise Reports: presented by Amber Goodspeed in February 2025 as compared to February 2026: • 7am - 11pm operations decreased 1.2% in February 2026 • Singles (including touch and goes) decreased 7.8% in February 2026 • Turbo activity decreased 2.8% in February 2026 • Jet operations increased 5.0% in February 2026 • Helicopter activity decreased 0.9% in February 2026 • Night Operations (11pm-7am) increased 7.6% with 171 in February 2025 compared to 184 in February 2026 • Patty Dahlgren asked about listing the aircraft that are correlated to noise complaints o Amber Goodspeed will research data; indicated location and time of disturbance key to understanding patterns o Barbara Katzenberg would like to see aggregate of what is causing the most unhappiness to the community o Thomas Hirsch pointed out that aircraft movement in the airspace close to the airport is controlled by the FAA Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and not at the discretion of the pilot o Christopher Eliot volunteered to plot aircraft at times reported; Patty Dahlgren will supply Airnoise data • Capital Programs and Third Party Development Reports: Amber Goodspeed presented the Capital Programs and Third Party Development reports and noted that: • Vegetation Management Plan work at the Runway 29 end will recommence in April 2026 • High mast pole lighting replacement project has resumed and will continue through Spring and Summer of 2026 1 • Hanscom Terminal Building first floor window replacements and sewer main work anticipated to begin in March o Elevator work has been delayed until March 2026 and will continue through October 2026 • Massport will present an updated Taxiway (TWY) Echo plan and schedule at the May HFAC meeting • Chair Coppe asked for update on the North Airfield Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report (SDEIR); North Airfield Ventures, LLC (NAV) plans to file not until late May or early June 2026 • Patty Dahlgren asked about lease of Fam Camp; Amber Goodspeed will add to Project Report when appropriate • Cargo or Scheduled Commercial Passenger Services • Amber Goodspeed stated there has been a request by Tradewind Aviation for future scheduled passenger service o Matthew Hatfield, Director of Airline Route Development for Massport, reiterated that since Massport accepts FAA grant funding, Massport must allow operations at Hanscom Field o Adam Schaefer, Chief Operating Officer of Tradewind Aviation, provided overview; using Pilatus PC-12 aircraft o Seasonal service to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard from 18 June through 14 September 2026 with three round trips daily to each location from Hanscom Field; all the flights will operate between 7:00am and 8:30pm o Christopher Eliot asked about benefits of turboprop aircraft versus jet aircraft; Adam Schaefer explained the carbon footprint for a short haul turboprop aircraft flight is much less than for jet aircraft o Thomas Hirsch queried about use of electric aircraft for flights; Adam Schaefer indicated that electric aircraft cannot support routes at this time, but Tradewind is considering once technology advances o Chair Coppe asked questions about flight duration, cost, parking and tourism marketing; flight about 40 minutes costing about $250-500 one way; still research parking options; will connect marketing with local tourism groups o Patty Dahlgren asked about the fuel used in PC-12; Adam Schaefer reported 80 gallons of Jet- A per trip • Agenda Items: Topics discussed on published agenda: • Amber Goodspeed and Kate Larson, Senior Managing Consultant, Harris Miller Miller and Hanson (HMMH) presented 2024 Hanscom Field Annual Noise Report: focused on noise output, aircraft and nighttime operations o Chapter 4, 2024 Operations; all arrival and departure activities between 7:00am and 11:00pm o Chapter 5, 11 P.M. to 7 A.M. Operations; all nighttime arrival and departure activities o Chapter 7, Noise Abatement Policies: historical relevance of the policies o Chapter 8, Noise Monitoring System; comparison and location of Noise Monitor Terminals (NMTs) 2 o Barbara Katzenberg asked about FAA’s review of its civil aviation noise policy and more effective ways to measure and communicate aircraft noise impacts; Kate Larson indicated she has not heard any movement o Link to Report: https://www.massport.com/sites/default/files/2026-03/2024-Annual-Noise- Report.pdf o Chair Coppe questioned how Aviation Environmental Design Tool (AEDT) model incorporate aircraft aging; Kate Larson explained aircraft type is modeled the same way throughout the life of aircraft o Amy McCoy asked how the AEDT handles fleet mix; Kate Larson confirmed aircraft added singularly to model • Chair Coppe reported comments from HFAC on Strategic Plan Overview for Hanscom Field were submitted o Tommy Butler, Massport Deputy Director for State Affairs & Community Relations, conveyed Massport is categorizing comments for submission into final report with intention to make comments accessible to public • Terrence Parker provided update on recent communications with Massport regarding passenger screening o Terrence Parker, Terri Ackerman and Megan Chapman submitted formal proposal on 04 March for Massport Legal team to review; proposal builds on areas where believe meaningful alignment between Massport and HFAC exists o At February HFAC meeting, unanimously agreed on four core priorities to guide this effort: 1) Ensure full compliance with all applicable laws and constitutional protections 2) Prioritize passenger safety 3) Minimize fault and potential liability 4) Remain responsive to community concerns On 06 March, received response from Massport's Deputy General Counsel acknowledging receipt of HFAC proposal and confirming that it is currently under review; will follow up after opportunity to evaluate it • Chair Coppe opened discussion on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flights at Hanscom Field o No new discussion was presented • Christopher Eliot provided summary of meeting with Flavio Leo, Massport Director of Aviation Planning & Strategy, about the potential benefits/pitfalls of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) use in Massachusetts o Examined science behind how SAF is produced and had different opinions on aviation’s climate impact o Tommy Butler added Commonwealth will pilot a three-year trial period to assess technology; not a cure all on day one but a step forward to reduce aviation emissions; Christopher Eliot believes SAF is a dead end pursuit o Kati Winchell pointed out SAF is 50% conventual jet fuel; Tommy Butler replied that is 50% less impact 3 o Chair Coppe asked if goal is to reduce emissions or provide cheaper fuel sources; due to time constraints, Massport will follow-up at future meeting to address Chair Coppe’s questions and concerns • Citizen Comments: • Toby Sackton reported Megan Chapman submitted research on 60 seat Rule to Massport; waiting for reply • Toby Sackton also reported received Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request providing the minutes of the Massport Board meeting on 19 June 1980, at which the rules and regulations for Hanscom Field were decided • Other Business: The date for the next HFAC meeting will be at 7:00 pm on 21 April 2026 o No HATS meeting scheduled for the near future • Action Items: • Amber Goodspeed will research reporting aircraft types • Amber Goodspeed will present the State of Hanscom at the April HFAC • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m. Attendees: Margaret Coppe, Christopher Eliot, Thomas Hirsch, Barbara Katzenberg, Terrence Parker, Tommy Butler, Amber Goodspeed, Matthew Hatfield, Kate Larson, Mike Vatalaro, Mark Wimmer, Ray Andrews, Win Bland, Alex Chatfield, Patty Dahlgren, Evelyne Delori, Ira Goldman, Carol Haines, Adam Hohulin, Roy Jameson, Jeanne Krieger, Kathy Madison, Amy McCoy, Piper Pavelich, Wendy Rovelli, Toby Sackton, Adam Schaefer, Stuart Trout, Kati Winchell, and Veronica Wirtz. 4