By Katelynn Liedtke

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Aerospace will be hosting a tabling event during the 2026 Music City STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) event on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9-10, at Lebanon Municipal Airport in hopes of connecting with MTSU alumni and prospective students. 

The department will be organizing an exhibit with MTSU Aerospace ambassadors to talk with attendees about the highly touted aerospace program and allow them to sit in one of the department’s single-engine, four-seat Diamond DA40 aircraft on display.

Community events like the Music City STOL are an important way for the Department of Aerospace to network. 

“One of our biggest pull-ins from people are actually alumni and since this is a huge community event, we actually get to see a lot of our alumni, connect with our alumni at it, and they’re our biggest word of mouth to students who are interested in our programs,” said Briana McDonald, outreach services coordinator for the MTSU Department of Aerospace, adding that the event is a great way for students to see a broader area of aviation that they may not have considered before.

MTSU aerospace students will also be volunteering for the event, where they will be on the flight line, recording distances, assisting with moving aircraft and ensuring the event runs smoothly. 

According to the Music City STOL website, the family-friendly event will showcase the competing pilots’ skills and the aircraft’s capabilities through competing for the shortest takeoff and landing distance. 

Food trucks will be on site and attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. 

Now in its fourth year, Music City STOL is produced by BOLD Aviation, a Tennessee nonprofit, with the city of Lebanon and the Wilson County Convention and Visitors Bureau as anchor partners. After three years in Gallatin, where the 2025 competition drew more than 1,300 spectators from 14 states, the event moves 30 minutes east to a long-term home at Lebanon Municipal Airport.

Organizers say STOL competition is aviation’s fastest-growing sport: pilots start with their wheels on a line, take off in as little distance as possible, then land as close to a second line as they can without touching down short. Takeoff distance plus landing distance is the score, and the lowest combined total wins. Aircraft range from vintage Piper Cubs and stock Cessnas to purpose-built backcountry machines on oversized tundra tires that can leave the ground in a few plane-lengths.

“You don’t need to be an expert in aircraft or aviation to love this,” said Chad Hall, event director of Music City STOL and chairman of BOLD Aviation. “It’s simple: shortest takeoff and shortest landing wins, measured to the foot, and you’re sitting close enough to feel the roar of the engine. Bring a chair and the kids — they get in free.”

Those interested in attending can visit the Music City STOL website to purchase tickets and learn more by clicking here.

Journalism major Katelynn Liedtke is a practicum student in the Office of News and Media Relations. Reach her at [email protected].