3/23/2021 Hillsboro Airport Advisory Committee Meeting

Miki Barnes
March 22, 2021

"No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, the ability to pay attention, and academic achievement."
Centers for Disease Control

The next on-line Zoom meeting of the Hillsboro Airport Advisory Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, 2021 from 3:00 to 5:00pm.

To register and review the agenda visit HACA Hillsboro Airport Community Advisors Committee Meeting #6. The meeting will include a discussion on lead.

The Hillsboro Airport is primarily a flight training facility. Its largest and noisiest tenant is Hillsboro Aero Academy, which is managed by Max Lyons and owned by two east coast investment firms - Graycliff Partners and Renovus Capital. Many of the students trained by the academy are recruited from outside the country. A second out-of-state company, ATP, also provides pilot instruction out of HIO. The piston-engine airplanes and helicopters used by these businesses rely on leaded fuel.

According to 2014 EPA National Emissions Inventory (NEI) data, the Hillsboro Airport is the largest facility source of lead emissions in Oregon. It ranks 11th in the nation out of more than 19,000 U.S. airports in lead pollution.

• Nationwide, piston-engine aircraft are responsible for 62% of all airborne lead pollution.
• Studies have revealed that those living within 2/3 mile downwind of an airport, especially children, have a significantly higher risk of exposure to this neurotoxin.
• Lead, even in very small doses, is linked to ADHD, learning and behavior problems, reduced IQs, increased violence, miscarriages, birth defects and a host of other serious health conditions.
• The CDC has identified lead as a probable carcinogen and further states that in adults, even in low doses, exposure to this pollutant may put people at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, reduced fertility, problems with pregnancy, and mental dysfunction.

The Hillsboro Airport is set up to insure that Hillsboro Aviation, owned by Max Lyons, turns a profit from the sale of leaded fuel (avgas). Businesses at other nearby airports also financially benefit from selling this toxic pollutant, including TransWestern Aviation. This company, located at the Scappoose Industrial Airpark, is owned by Oregon State Senator Betsy Johnson and her husband John Helm. Stark's Twin Oaks Airport six miles south of HIO, McMinnville Airport in Yamhill County, and Aurora Airport in Marion County are also part of the flight training network that poisons the air, compromises public health, and disrupts livability as pilots circle repeatedly over homes, neighborhoods, schools, day care centers, parks, recreational areas and prime farmland.

In addition the Port of Portland affixes a flowage fee to every gallon of fuel sold at HIO, and also profits from the lease arrangements with their various tenants.

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Related Articles

These two articles are examples of how Hillsboro Aero Academy recruits pilots from overseas to train over our homes and neighborhoods. The brunt of the noise, pollution and infrastructure costs is dumped on local communities.

Hillsboro Aero Academy Keeps the Rotors Turning - Hillsboro Aero Academy provides flight training at 3 locations in Oregon - Hillsboro Airport, Troutdale Airport, and Redmond Airport in Central Oregon. This article focuses on the international helicopter pilot training program currently operating out of the Port of Portland owned and operated Troutdale Airport.

Hillsboro Aero Academy Launches Certified Flight Instructor Completion Program to Meet Growing Demand - "HAA launched the new program largely in response to growing demand from international flight students with commercial pilot ratings from flight schools that do not offer additional training for CFI ratings."