Aerial Archaeology

Dr. Tommy Ike Hailey Conducting Aerial Reconnaissance at New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Aerial photography has proven to be an invaluable tool in the examination of archaeological sites from the pioneering work of O.G.S. Crawford in the 1920s to the present. The view from above, whether oblique or vertical in orientation, provides a perspective that cannot be reproduced on the ground, a perspective that has aided, and continues to aid, archaeologists in the investigation of known sites and in the discovery of new sites.*

In the summer of 2001, the NSU CRO received a grant from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT) to conduct experimentation into the utility of the PPC as an aerial platform for the photographic documentation of archaeological sites.*

Different configurations are available, but in order to afford ourselves the greatest payload capacity for personnel and camera equipment, we opted for a 65 hp Rotax 582 liquid-cooled, two-cycle engine and a 550 ft2 rectangular parachute, the most powerful engine and largest parachute offered by Destiny (the manufacturer) at that time. Our PPC features seating for two persons, so that one person, as the pilot, can concentrate on flying the aircraft while a second, in the rear seat, can act as the camera operator. For in-flight navigation, our PPC is equipped with two GPS receivers—a Garmin GPS II Plus for basic navigational information, such as bearing, ground speed, wind direction and altitude, while a Trimble ProXRS is used for more precise recording of flight lines and points of interest noted during the course of aerial surveys.*

Double Ditch Site, North Dakota From an Elevation of 330 Meters. Photograph By Tommy Ike Hailey.

The Whittington Site on Cane River, Louisiana From an Elevation of 330 Meters. Photograph by Tommy Ike Hailey.

NSU Cultural Resource Office's Powered Parachute Assembly. Photograph by Tommy Ike Hailey.

*The following was reproduced from Tommy Ike Hailey, “The Powered Parachute as an Archaeological Aerial Reconissance Vehicle,” Archaeological Prospection 12, (2005) 69-78.