What is Colorado Air and Space Port (KCFO) like for based aircraft?
Colorado Air and Space Port is a public, county-owned airport about 19 miles east of downtown Denver with two 8,000 foot runways, a field elevation of 5,512 feet, and roughly one-fifth the traffic of Centennial. Tailwind owners there pay no landing or ramp fees. It is the Denver-area field with room to build, which is why Tailwind develops on Violet Hill at KCFO.
Where is KCFO and how do you get there?
The airport sits at Watkins, Colorado, in Adams County, about 19 miles east of downtown Denver and just south of Interstate 70. It was known as Front Range Airport until 2018, when it received an FAA spaceport license and took its current name. Day to day it operates as a general aviation airport with fuel and services on the field.
What are the runways and elevation?
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Runway 8/26 | 8,002 by 100 feet, roughly east to west along the north side of the field |
| Runway 17/35 | 8,000 by 100 feet, roughly north to south along the east side |
| Field elevation | 5,512 feet MSL |
| Owner | Adams County, Colorado |
| Location | Watkins, about 19 miles east of Denver |
Two long runways matter more than they sound. Summer density altitude on the Front Range routinely runs above 8,000 feet, and 8,000 feet of pavement gives piston and turboprop owners margin that shorter metro fields do not.
How busy is it compared with Centennial?
Centennial recorded 360,725 operations in 2023, the most of any general aviation airport in the country, with roughly 850 based aircraft including about 180 jets. The most recent FAA count for KCFO was about 75,600 operations, so the field runs at roughly one-fifth of Centennial's traffic. Less time in the pattern, shorter taxi queues, and two runways to spread what traffic there is.
What does it cost to base an aircraft there?
Tailwind owners at KCFO pay no landing fees and no ramp fees. Hangar owners hold a ground lease from Adams County for the land under their building; Tailwind's are 40-year leases at a low fixed rate. Owners also carry building insurance, utilities, and Colorado's possessory-interest tax on privately owned improvements on public land. See how an airport ground lease works.
What is the hangar situation at KCFO?
Adams County owns a set of T-hangars and storage units on the field and, unlike the in-town airports, has land set aside for new hangar development. Tailwind's Violet Hill development is part of that. Buildings 1 and 2 are sold out, 12 hangars in all, with both buildings going up now, and Tailwind now develops build-to-suit private hangars and multi-unit buildings on the same site. Tailwind builds only at KCFO.
What about weather?
KCFO sits on open high plains east of the metro, which means big sky, wind, and the same hail exposure as the rest of the Front Range. The answer is an insulated, heated, enclosed hangar with a tight door, which is how Tailwind builds. See protecting an aircraft from Colorado hail.
Frequently asked questions
What was KCFO called before?
Front Range Airport. It became Colorado Air and Space Port in 2018 after receiving an FAA commercial spaceport license. The identifier stayed KCFO.
Are there landing fees at KCFO?
Tailwind owners pay no landing fees and no ramp fees at Colorado Air and Space Port.
Is fuel available on the field?
Yes. Fuel and general aviation services are available at the airport.
Does the spaceport designation affect general aviation?
In daily operations KCFO functions as a general aviation airport. The spaceport license covers horizontal-launch vehicles and does not change how based aircraft use the field.