Colorado pilot fights for approval to fly electric plane to commute to work

Colorado pilot Jonathan Sawyer's property in unincorporated Jefferson County features unusual yard decor that reveals his love of aviation. Now, he hopes to get approval to make his commute in his electric plane.

"I've been a pilot all my life for 50 years," said Sawyer.

His decor can also be seen as a symbol of Sawyer's tenacity to push boundaries, something he's been doing for years. 

"I like that he pushes boundaries," said his neighbor, Patrick Sullivan. "I mean, that's kind of how America was made."

CBS Colorado first met Sawyer seven years ago, when he clashed with neighbors and county commissioners over launching and landing a helicopter on his property. Ultimately, the courts sided with the county and banned Sawyer from flying his helicopter.

"They came down hard on that, and I lost it," said Sawyer.

But that didn't stop him from trying other ways to fly to and from his property. Sawyer got his hands on a small electric airplane and is one of only a handful of people in America with FAA approval to fly it.

"I bought it and worked with my neighbors because their objections were about noise and about gas, and an electric plane has neither of those problems," said Sawyer.

His neighbor, Patrick Sullivan, backs that.

"If you weren't actually looking around, paying attention, you wouldn't hear it," he said.

Jefferson County's violation program is complaint based, and Sawyer thought he'd worked out any issues that would result in one.

"My plan is to commute from my driveway here to my office right next to the area airport, and I do so with this little airplane," Sawyer said. "Sixteen minutes uses less electricity than if I drove it in my Tesla. Very efficient, 16 minutes, and my office is 10 minutes from the airport."

A few months into his convenient commute, though, he says the county received another complaint. 

"That's why the plane's not here," he said.

But in typical Sawyer fashion, he's not ready to give up on his dream of using his driveway as a runway.

According to the Jefferson County zoning resolution, if a use is not listed within the permitted uses of a zone district, then it's not allowed. Sawyer believes it's time the county specifically addresses flying aircraft.

"This is the future, and I just happen to be an early adopter of these new technologies," Sawyer added.