Established by an act of the Massachusetts legislature in 1980, the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission (HFAC) has met monthly ever since. Originally it was created by an executive order on July 18, 1974 to review existing and projected activities at Hanscom Field, and to work closely with the Massachusetts Port Authority.

The commission consists of a representative from the four towns of Bedford, Concord, Lexington, and Lincoln, each representative to be appointed by the Select Boards of their respective towns. All other representatives on the commission are appointed by a majority of the Select Boards in the four towns.

In addition, two representatives shall be appointed from each of the following categories:

Local citizen groups concerned with problems related to aviation and transportation

Area wide organizations concerned with the environment, transportation planning, aircraft noise and land use and development

Other area towns impacted by aviation at Hanscom Field

Businesses basing aircraft at Hanscom Field

Aviation or aviation-related businesses at Hanscom Field

In addition, there shall be appointed in the same manner, one representative from a business aviation organization and one from a general aviation organization, both of whom shall be a regular user or employee of a regular use of Hanscom Field. 

This adds up to a total of 16 members, all of whom had a vote on the commission. The chair was elected annually and had to be one of the representatives from the four towns.

Over the 44 years of its establishment, the organizations represented on the commission include the South Lexington Civic Association, the North Lexington Association, the League of Women Voters, the town of Carlisle, the city of Waltham, East Coast Aero Club, Raytheon, Signature Flight Support, Jet Aviation, National Business Aviation Association, Massachusetts Business Aviation Association, Hanscom Pilots Association, and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Advisory ex-officio members include Hanscom Field Airport Manager, Mass Port Noise Administrator, Mass Port Community Affairs, Mass Port Project Manager, FAA Tower Chief,  Hanscom Air Force Base and the National Park Service.

The monthly meetings, usually held on the third Tuesday of the month, originally were held in the town of the chair, then moved to the civilian terminal at Hanscom Field, and since COVID have been held remotely. The appointed members were faithful attendees in the beginning years, but  attendance from the aviation community has dropped off over the past 10 years and now there is only one aviation representative who attends the meetings. 

Major items that came before the commission include the five year environmental reviews that Mass Port is mandated to produce, passenger airline services that have come and gone, runway reconstructions, additional Fixed Base Operators (FBO), demolition of old hangars, and vegetation management.

Individuals who have served on the commission over the years include:

• Sheldon Moll, Bedford

• Mark Siegenthaler, Bedford

• Mike Rosenberg, Bedford

• Emily Mitchell, Bedford

• Anne Shapiro, Concord

• Charles Blair, Concord

• Mark Gailus, Concord

• Peter Enrich, Lexington

• Michael Barrett, Lexington

• Hank Manz, Lexington

• Barbara Katzenberg, Lexington

• Sara Mattes, Lincoln

• Sarah Holden, Lincoln

• Chris Eliot, Lincoln

• Margaret Coppe, South Lexington Civic Association

• Graydon Wheaton, North Lexington Association

• Janet Kennedy, League of Women Voters

• Steve Lerner, Carlisle

• Thomas Stanley, Waltham

• Michael Squillante, Waltham

• Tom Hoban, East Coast Aero Club

• Larry Jorash, Signature Flight Support

• Rick Blaze, Signature Flight Support

• Jim Phelps, Signature Flight Support

• Paul Gamache, Signature Flight Support

• Frank Diglio, Jet Aviation

• Thomas Mitchell, Jet Aviation

• Ken Heider, Naional Business Aviation Associaton

• John Williams, Massachusetts Business Aviation Association

• Tom Hirsch, Hanscom Pilots Association

• Bradford von Weise, Hanscom Pilots Association

• Barbara Patzner, MP Airport Manager

• Sara Arnold, MP Manager Administrator/Noise Abatement

• Amber Goodspeed, MP Noise Abatement

• Richard Walsh, MP Community Affairs

• Anthony Gallagher, MP Community Affairs

• Mark Vatalaro, MP Community Affairs

• Thomas Ennis, MP Senior Project Manager

• Captain Rhonda Siciliano, Hanscom Air Force Base

• David Bayley, FAA Tower Chief

• Mark Wimmer FAA

• Nancy Nelson, Minuteman National Park

• Joan Goldmann, Lexington

• Florence Koplow, Lexington

• James Hogan, Lincoln