b'78 TUL OPERATIONSThey arent allowed to operate drones The airport continues to findmore than 250 feet above ground level, new uses for its four drones. and are required to maintain contact with the air traffic control tower. Furthermore, drones arent allowed to fly over an active movement area unless its closed, which requires a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen). We have to tell the air traffic control tower where were going to fly, how high and for how long, Dahl explains. If it impacts air traffic, theyll ask us to do it later. But most of the time, if we arent in any approaches or departures for active runways, they have no problem with us putting up drones.Due to their cost, TUL used a competitive bid process to purchase the drones. Hedging against a potential federal ban on using drones built in China, the airport specifically selected a brand made in the United States for its latest Eyes in the Sky prospective companies. We also use theacquisition.Dahl also deploys drones to performdrones to create engaging content for theThe X10 from Skydio is also the largest security audits throughout the airfield,Marketing team to share on social media. of the airports four drones. It weighs including the cargo ramp used by globalOur goal is to utilize the drones asabout 4 pounds with a battery on board shippers such as DHL and UPS. Deliverymuch as possible to support a wide rangeand is approximately 5 inches tall and trucks are required to enter and leaveof airport initiatives. 25 inches long. The wingspan is 31 this area one at a time, with gates at theinches, though the wings fold to reduce security checkpoint closing behind eachThe Operations Department keeps athe amount of space needed for storage.vehicle before another one passes through. log of all drone flights so officials knowTop horizontal speed for the X10 is 45 the type and date of inspections, as wellmiles per hour and maximum flight time is We can fly a drone and watch toas how many flight hours operators are40 minutes.be sure theyre using proper securitycompiling. Aside from Dahl, five other measures, Dahl explains.Airfield Operations agents with operatorsThe cameras include gee-whiz features Additionally, the aerial units allowlicenses fly the equipment, and havesuch as a telephoto lens that allows Operations staff to examine areas of thelogged about 780 hours of flight timeoperators to read license plates from 800 airport that are inaccessible by pickupsince 2022.feet above ground. In addition, the thermal truck during bad weather, such ascamera can detect a person on a rooftop portions of the perimeter fence.Learning Curvein complete darkness and can even reveal The drones are operated from a handheldsurface temperature differences even on We can fly a drone out there and findcontrol tablet equipped with a joystick andvery hot days, according to the Skydio things like an animal dig-under or downedcolor monitor. Dahl, who taught himselfwebsite.barbed wire, he explains. to fly them, describes TULs units as To maximize the return on TULseasy to operate. That said, he estimatesImproving Operationalinvestment, any airport stakeholder canthat it takes 80 to 100 hours to get fullyEfficiencyrequest a drone flight by filling out ancomfortable maneuvering the drones andA precise return on investment for the online form. If we can accommodatemaximizing their capabilities.drones is difficult to quantify. But Brown a request, we make it happen, DahlIt takes some time to learn how to flysays there is no doubt theyre helping TUL says. Were leveraging high-resolutionthem, for sure, he reflects. save money by reducing expenses. For drone photos and video footage toexample, the airport installed additional help our director of Real Estate andThe drone operators at TUL areinsulation in buildings that drone photos Business Development promote andexpected to log at least eight hours showed were leaking heated and share information about the more thanof flight time each month to keep theirconditioned air. Logically, that will translate 700 acres of available airport land withskills sharp.into lower utility bills. October 2025AirportImprovement.com'