S

The Tullahoma Municipal Airport received a special visit courtesy of the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division.

According to statement shared on the city’s Facebook page, a drone team from the TDOT Aeronautics Division made a scheduled visited Tullahoma Municipal Airport on Tuesday, July 29. The visit was to provide Tullahoma Airport a providing a photogrammetry aerial survey of the entire 838 acres over the airport.

The runways were under a scheduled closure during the survey for safety.

Photogrammetry is the science of making digital three-dimensional models from two-dimensional imagery.

“When completed, this data can render 3D images that airport authorities can later use to analyze any airport surface changes or issues that could affect runways and taxiways,” city officials stated. “This imagery will give the ability to test and simulate surface changes that could affect flight in the event of future construction or changes to ground cover, among other potential concerns. The imagery taken was photo only, not LiDAR.”

The drone flight took a little over 90 minutes to map the entire property, taking 3,225 overlapping photos.

“This work is important for flight safety and future needs of the airport, and provided by the TDOT Aeronautics Division at no charge to the city,” city officials said. “Great job, Tullahoma Airport, and thank you to the TDOT drone team.”

Check out the photos and video of the drone landing by visiting the city’s official Facebook page.