FORT LUPTON, COLORADO · EST. 196618V   /   CTAF 122.9   /   PUBLIC USE
18V logoPlatte Valley AirparkTHE FRONT RANGE’S BACKYARD RUNWAY

EVERYONE IS WELCOME AT 18V

Good people.
Good flying.

More than 60 years of first solos, ramp-side breakfasts, and friendships. This is your community airport.

Erin Shoffitt, Airpark Manager

YOUR CONTACT AT 18V

Meet Erin Shoffitt.

Airpark Manager

Planning a visit, looking for hangar space, or have a question about the field? Erin is your first point of contact.

Email Erin

GET TOGETHER AT THE FIELD

There’s always a story to swap.

FRIFIRST OF THE MONTH

Coffee & Donuts

Date: First Friday of every month

Time: Morning, ramp side

The classic 18V tradition. Show up, grab a coffee, swap a story on the ramp. No agenda. Just community. Free and open to all.

Cost: Free

For the latest event details, contact Erin or join the email list.

Past airpark events · 2026

PAST EVENT · 2026

60th Anniversary Fly-In

Date: August 15, 2026

Time: 7:30 AM - 1:00 PM

60 years on the Front Range and we're just getting started. Join us for our 60th Anniversary Fly-In at Platte Valley Airpark (18V) in Fort Lupton, CO. Everyone is welcome — fly in or drive up. CAP breakfast starts with coffee and pastries at 7:30 AM, followed by the pancake breakfast from 8–10 AM (donations welcome). Blessed BBQ on the ramp serving at 10 AM. Vintage Aero Flying Museum open all day (vafm.org). Cooling station with misters, bubbles, and squirt guns for the kids. 7507 CR 39, Fort Lupton, CO 80621 | CTAF 122.9

Cost: Free

PAST EVENT · 2026

Pancake Breakfast: Great Turnout!

Date: April 11, 2026 (past event)

Time: 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Over 100 people showed up for our first Pancake Breakfast Fly-In of 2026. Thank you to everyone who flew in or drove out. Stay tuned for the next one.

Details

PAST EVENT · 2026

Pancake Fly-In: Thanks for Coming Out!

Date: May 30, 2026 (past event)

Time: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Another great morning on the ramp at 18V. Fresh pancakes and the Vintage Aero Flying Museum. Thank you to everyone who flew in or drove out to join us.

Front Range aviation events · Summer 2026 archive

These published dates have passed. Follow the organizer links for their current calendars.

Boulder Airport Day

Saturday, June 6, 2026

8:00 AM

📍 KBDU — Boulder Municipal

Public event on the main ramp, hosted by EAA Chapter 1627.

Details

Blood Drive

Friday, June 12, 2026

10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

📍 KAPA — Centennial Airport

Give back to the community — blood drive at Centennial Airport.

Details

Young Eagles Rally + Pancake Breakfast

Saturday, June 13, 2026

8:00 AM

📍 KBDU — Boulder Municipal

Free Young Eagles flights for youth starting at 8am, followed by a pancake breakfast. Hosted by EAA Chapter 1627. Recurring monthly through October.

Details

3rd Annual Longmont Fly-In

Saturday, June 13, 2026

📍 KLMO — Longmont/Vance Brand

Third annual community fly-in at Longmont/Vance Brand Airport.

Details

Air n' Space-A-Palooza 2026

Saturday, June 20, 2026

📍 Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum — Denver

Annual public aviation event at Wings Over the Rockies. A major Front Range aviation community gathering.

Details

Short Wing Piper Club Annual Convention

Week of June 22, 2026

📍 KGXY — Greeley-Weld County

5-day convention featuring flying challenges, an air rodeo, factory tours, aviation education, and community events.

Details

Erie Balloon Festival

July 2026

📍 KEIK — Erie Municipal

Annual hot air balloon festival at Erie Municipal Airport.

Mile High 150 Expo

Friday–Saturday, July 31 – August 1, 2026

📍 KBJC — Rocky Mountain Metropolitan

Two-day aviation expo at Jeffco Airport celebrating general aviation on the Front Range.

Details

23rd Annual Morgan Adams Concours d'Elegance

Saturday, August 22, 2026

6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

📍 KAPA — Centennial Airport

An elegant evening event at Centennial Airport benefiting Morgan Adams Foundation.

Details

FROM THE FIELD

Runway Reports.

Letters from the GM

The airpark’s published updates and flying stories. These are archived posts; conditions and prices may have changed since publication.

FROM THE GM · ARCHIVE

250 Years of Freedom and the Freedom to Fly

Read the original letter from the General Manager.

Read the GM letter

FROM THE GM · ARCHIVE

A Note from the Field — April 2026

Read the original letter from the General Manager.

Read the GM letter
Event
April 2026

Pancake Breakfast Fly-In 2026 — We'll Call That a Success.

The griddle came out, the planes came in, and 18V did what 18V does best. Pilots, families, dogs, and at least one absolutely stunning WWI biplane filled the ramp on a perfect Colorado spring morning. Good food, good people, and the kind of hangar talk that makes you remember why you got into flying in the first place. Thank you to everyone who showed up — based pilots, transient visitors, and a few who just drove over. First one of 2026 is in the books. See you next time. ✈️

#PancakeBreakfast #FlyIn #18V #CommunityAirport #ColoradoFlying

From LinkedInin
March 2026

Think You Know Colorado Density Altitude? Think Again.

Even seasoned pilots get humbled on a warm Front Range afternoon. At Platte Valley Airpark, we see it all: taildraggers, trainers, and a few folks who wish they'd leaned their mixture sooner. Want the local's take on backcountry departures, grass strip etiquette, and why sunrise matters? Drop by for a fly-in or reach out for our favorite mountain routes. Community, coffee, and real-world flying wisdom — always on tap.

#DensityAltitude #FrontRange #GeneralAviation

From LinkedInin
February 2026

There's Something About a Grass Strip That Just Gets in Your Blood.

Platte Valley Airpark (18V) sits just north of Denver — close enough to be convenient, far enough to feel like an escape. Our 2,500 ft grass runway is your invitation to sharpen those off-road flying skills: soft-field technique, crosswind awareness, density altitude respect. Taildraggers, experimentals, Cubs — all welcome. Honestly, everyone's welcome. Whether you're building backcountry skills or just looking for a fun hop away from the busy Class B, 18V is your Front Range playground. 100LL self-serve fuel on the field. Come fly with us.

#BackcountryFlying #GeneralAviation #GrassStrip #TailwheelFlying #ColoradoFlying #18V

Aviation Newsin
February 2026

GA's Best Financial Year Ever — and a Senate Bill That Could Change Small Airports

GAMA's 2025 report: $35.7B in billings, the highest ever. Jet deliveries up 11.8% to 854 aircraft. But leaders flag a bottleneck — not enough A&P mechanics to sustain it. A bipartisan bill would put ADS-B displays at 90+ contract towers relying on visual observation alone. Controllers would finally see what pilots see on ForeFlight. Aviation Real Estate Magazine's Top 100 Airparks list highlights communities like Platte Valley Airpark (18V) — runway living keeping GA growing from the ground up. Growing the fleet or the workforce — which matters more?

#GeneralAviation #PrivateAirports #AviationNews #FlyInCommunity #AviationEconomy

Field Conditions
April 2026

Density Altitude Season Is Here — Know Your Numbers

18V sits at 4,934 ft MSL. Add a 75°F April afternoon and you're performing at over 8,000 ft density altitude before you've left the pattern. The math is simple: lean aggressively, rotate with patience, and give yourself the whole runway. We've got 4,100 ft of paved and 2,500 ft of grass — use every foot of it. Summer's coming. Know your airplane's numbers cold before July gets here.

#DensityAltitude #SummerFlying #FrontRange #18V

Pilot Tips
January 2026

Mountain Wave Season — Respect the Rotor

Winter on the Front Range means mountain wave. If you're departing 18V westbound when the winds are howling off the peaks, know what you're getting into. The rotor zone below the wave can be violent and unpredictable. Stay east of the foothills until you have altitude, file IFR if in doubt, and never underestimate the lee side. Beautiful flying country — if you know the rules. The regulars here have stories. Ask them on the ramp.

#MountainFlying #ColoradoWeather #FrontRange #WinterFlying

Community
February 2026

Why the Regulars Are Out at 6:30 AM

There's a reason the regulars are on the ramp before sunrise. The air is smooth, the winds are calm, and the Rockies are lit up in alpenglow. By noon in summer you're fighting thermals and density altitude. But that early morning slot — that's what this field is really about. If you've never launched east from 18V into a Colorado sunrise with the mountains in your mirror, put it on the list. We'll be the ones already fueled up and taxiing.

#MorningFlying #ColoradoAviation #FrontRange #SunriseFlying

Pilot Tips
March 2026

Grass Strip Etiquette — The Unwritten Rules at 18V

9/27 at Platte Valley is 2,500 ft of soft-field character-building. A few things the regulars know: inspect first, especially after rain — we get freeze-thaw cycles that can surprise you. Soft-field technique isn't optional, it's respect for the surface and the pilots behind you. If you're in a heavy nosedragger, let the taildraggers and Cubs go first. They earned it. And if you nail a three-pointer in a crosswind? The guys on the ramp will notice.

#GrassStrip #TailwheelLife #SoftField #18V

Aviation News
March 2026

AOPA: Small Airports Are the Backbone of GA

AOPA's latest advocacy push highlights what pilots at fields like 18V already know: small community airports are irreplaceable. They're where flight training happens, first solos get celebrated, and the real GA culture lives. Over 5,000 public-use airports in the US, and the ones that matter most to the community are rarely the ones with the big towers. Platte Valley has been doing this for 60+ years. We're not going anywhere.

#AOPA #GeneralAviation #SmallAirports #GAAdvocacy

Read more
Our Story
January 2026

60+ Years on the Front Range — What That Actually Means

Platte Valley Airpark has been here since 1966. That's six decades of first solos, hangar friendships, fly-in breakfasts, and the kind of community that forms when pilots spend enough time together. New management under Delta Zulu is investing in the field — better fuel pricing, events, and a renewed focus on making 18V the best community airport on the Front Range. The soul of the place hasn't changed. It's still about showing up, flying airplanes, and knowing your neighbor's name.

#PlattValleyAirpark #18V #GA #CommunityAirport #ColoradoFlying

Event
April 2026

Pancake Breakfast Fly-In — April 11

The griddle is coming out. Saturday, April 11 from 8 to 11 AM on the ramp at 18V. Fly in, drive in, or wander over from your hangar. $10 donation suggested, kids free. CTAF 122.9, no landing fee, 4,100 ft of paved runway and 2,500 ft of grass waiting for you. This is what community airports are for.

#FlyIn #PancakeBreakfast #18V #FrontRangeFlying

Read more
Field Update
March 2026

100LL at $6.65/gal — Still the Best Deal Near Denver

Self-serve 100LL at Platte Valley Airpark is $6.65/gal, 24/7, credit card. Compare that to KBJC, KAPA, or KGXY on your next trip to the Denver area and you'll see why transient traffic keeps coming back. We're not trying to win on amenities — we win on community, value, and a ramp culture that makes you want to linger. Stop in on your next cross-country. We'll be here.

#100LL #AvGas #FuelPrice #FrontRange #18V

Community
February 2026

All Aircraft Welcome — And We Mean It

Cubs. CubCrafters. Experimentals. Classics. Warbirds. Ultralights. If it has wings and a prop (or a rotor — we don't judge), 18V has a place for you. The grass strip is especially popular with the tailwheel crowd, but the paved runway handles everything from Cessna 150s to the occasional turbine. No attitude. No FBO pretension. Just pilots and airplanes doing what they were built for.

#AllAircraftWelcome #TailwheelFlying #GrassStrip #Warbirds #CubCrafters

THE STORY BEHIND THE FIELD

Sixty years.
Still making memories.

From the Flying D Ranch to the aviation community you know today, 18V has a story worth telling.

Explore our historyCommunity stories
Ryan Sander, Facilities Lead

Ryan Sander

Facilities Lead

A little news from the field.

Fuel prices, fly-ins, and community updates.

Unsubscribe anytime. Signup opens in a new tab.
100LL · $6.65/galSelf-serve · 24/7Plan your fuel stop