|
Cane River Cachet - February 2, 2002
By Ada D. Jarred
Who could resist Frank Sinatra’s rendition of Cahn and Van Heusen’s “Come Fly with Me”?
“Come fly with me, let’s fly let’s fly away....” Did you ever hear that line without wanting to take flight? Few of us did.
Dr. Tommy Hailey, a local archaeologist, will be doing that in the spring of 2002, using a powered parachute to conduct archaeological aerial reconnaissance of the Cane River National Heritage Area. His enthusiasm is contagious as he anticipates introducing this valid but fun technique to American archaeology. He tells his Northwestern students, “This is where archaeology is going, and we’ll take it there.”
According to Hailey, the use of aerial images for studying the layout and extent of specific sites and for scouting large areas to discover new sites has covered the last 80 years. Traditional methods of aerial photography, however, have not benefited the field. The length of the rope or the range of the radio transmitter hampers cameras on tethered balloons and radio-controlled aircraft. Satellites and high-altitude aircraft produce blurred images or ones of insufficient resolution for archaeological purposes.
Hailey believes that the powered parachute is just the answer to these problems. His Destiny experimental aircraft is equipped with a large, rectangular parachute for its wing. The two-seater can fly at altitudes from 10 to 3,000 meters at speeds of 28-30 miles per hour and is inexpensive to operate. Hailey is convinced that the vehicle will provide the low altitude and low velocity necessary for large-scale, high-resolution images.
The assistant professor plans to conduct two types of archaeological aerial reconnaissance: examination of known sites and exploration for undiscovered sites. The former includes Los Adaes, Fort Jesup, and cemeteries. The latter covers the agricultural lands along Cane River. The archaeologist will record digital still photography, digital videography, and color-infrared thermal imaging. His research is supported by the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.
A native of Jena, Louisiana, Hailey holds a B.A. in archaeological studies from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Texas A & M. He joined the faculty of Northwestern State University in 1994 as an archaeological conservator of a Civil War ironclad in the Red River. That conservation project is still ongoing. Hailey moved to a tenure track position in 1998, teaching anthropology and archaeology.
He remembers being interested in the past as early as the fifth grade. There were no archaeologists in Jena at that time, but Hailey liked being out of doors and facing the prospect of adventure and travel to exotic places. He remembers reading stories about archaeological sites in an edition of Childcraft, which belonged to a first cousin. Following high school, he worked on oil drilling rigs for several years and then served in the military for another couple of years before pursuing higher education.
A man who owned one as a recreational vehicle introduced Hailey to the powered parachute at New Iberia. He knew that the machine was utilized for archaeological purposes in England’s government-funded programs as well as in Europe. In the U. S. its use seems to have been limited to law enforcement surveillance and recreation. Hailey and his colleague Jason Lott flew with others at New Iberia then trained on the aircraft at Many. The two expected to conduct the project together; however, Lott has been employed by the LBJ National Park in Texas and is departing Natchitoches in the near future.
The powered parachute does not require a pilot’s license or an airport. The aircraft needs only 200-350 feet of level, unobstructed space for take-off or landing. Hailey’s supplier designed the machine for work with tribes in Venezuela and Africa who need to transport supplies and persons to and from remote places.
Visually, the aircraft is very appealing. On its neon yellow frame sit two comfortable seats, a 10-gallon fuel tank, and a 65 hp water-cooled engine. Dimensions of the frame are 80" wide, by 82" high, by 120" long. Other features include a landing light, canopy lights, rudders, throttles, and brakes. The two passengers can communicate with each other or the ground by intercom and earphones in helmets.
On the ground, the rainbow chute is laid out behind the frame; it ascends overhead as the craft climbs. The machine will produce a colorful spectacle of purple, orange, green, and red as the machine flies over the Cane River area.
Hailey insists that the aircraft has a good safety record with few fatal accidents. Most were caused by carelessness. The machine is currently housed at the Natchitoches airport; however, Hailey has ordered an enclosed trailer for transporting it. Only two problems remain. Mounting of the cameras is a challenge; Douglas Lupke with the U. S. D. A. Forest Service in Atlanta, Georgia and a specialist in aerial photography is assisting with this matter. The other is FAA approval. Hailey says the FAA is baffled by how to categorize the aircraft.
The columnist teased Hailey about being too young to remember another old song:
“Oh come Josephine in my flying machine
Going up! She goes!
Up she goes!”
Hailey insisted he had heard it but countered with his favorite tune for the research, Sara Evans’s “Born to Fly”:
“Oh, how do you wait for Heaven
And who has that much time
And how do you keep your feet on the ground
When you know that you were born
You were born to fly.”
The archaeologist asserts that this project has taught him patience, but he’s apparently still working on it.
Don’t forget to scan the skies during the spring. Look! It may be a bird; it may be a plane; it may be Tommy Hailey conducting archaeological aerial reconnaissance.
|
