Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

How much area does an aerial photograph cover?

The area covered by an aerial photograph (air photo) depends on the scale of the imagery. Most air photos were taken on 9 x 9 inch film. The chart below reflects coverage for a variety of photographic scales.

Scale1 inch = feet1 side (miles)Area (square miles)
1:12,00010001.702.9
1:20,00016672.848.1
1:24,00020003.4111.6
1:40,00033335.6832.3
1:58,00048338.2367.73
1:63,36052809.0081.00
1:80,000666711.36129.1
1:100,000833314.20201.6

Note: The photo scale is determined by dividing the flying height by the camera focal length.

Example: If the flying height is 20,000 feet and the camera focal length is 6 inches, then:

     20,000 feet ÷ 0.5 feet = 40,000 scale or 1:40,000

Updated Date: February 1, 2022
Was this page helpful?