Sky Elements Drone Shows:
Something Different – Something Spectacular
by Larry E. Nazimek
It’s safe to say that many readers have never seen a drone show, and some who have never even heard of them. As a matter of fact, I saw my first one on June 28, 2023, when the Chicago Blackhawks had a party in conjunction with the NHL Draft, in which they had the first pick.
Drone show, with 400 drones, at the Chicago Blackhawks draft party
Simply put, it’s a night show where a fleet of drones, operating in harmony, usually about 400 to 1,000 (but can be as low as 50 and can go up to 1,500), equipped with 1,000 lumen LEDs, fly in intricate patterns to produce pictures, some of which move, and some of which only appear to move, as the lights go on or off. The pictures depend on the client and the occasion. Some clients are sports teams. Others may be cities where the show is in conjunction with a festival or holiday. The show may be a series of pictures with a theme, and in some cases, will tell a story. They even form massive QR codes, where those in the crowd can point their QR code readers to get the code.
The LEDs are of red, blue, and green, the same as on a color television, where the combination varies to form any color. They can form an American Flag, but the effect of the lights going on and off in a pre-programmed manner, make it appear as though the flag is waving in the wind.
A show held at Chicago’s Navy Pier, in conjunction with the National Ice Cream Day, had an ice cream bar, where the lights gave the effect of pieces of the bar being eaten. The same effect was had with an ice cream cone, where the ice cream was not only being eaten, but the entire cone rotated. A blue rabbit (for Blue Bunny Ice Cream) was made to walk.
One might assume that the drones are made to fly in a massive formation, where one flies in reference to another, or that they move similarly to a band during a halftime performance at a college football game, where the marchers form various pictures. Such, however, is not the case.
Sky Elements Drone Shows President, Rick Boss, explained that, “Each drone is flying a pre-programmed course, where it doesn’t know that there are any other drones present.” With so many drones moving, one might wonder if they ever run into one another, but “...they have a minimum separation of two meters.”
Drone show, with 400 Drones, at the Navy Pier Gala
Sky Elements Drone Shows is the largest drone show company in the U. S., performing some 60% of the shows here. The company is large enough to run shows in different locations on the same day, which was especially the case this past Independence Day weekend.
Like any other type of aviation, weather can affect the shows. They can not fly in heavy rain. Light rain may cause a delay, but visibility will be the governing factor. Their wind limitations are 20 mph sustained or gusts over 30 mph. They can operate at high density altitudes, such as a hot summer day in Denver, but the motors will have to work harder, which drains the batteries sooner. The batteries do not like very cold weather, either, a factor in some shows in the winter.
In order to see the operation first hand, I went to a show at Navy Pier that was held in conjunction with a gala for major donors.
The show consisted of 400 drones. At the launch site, they were precisely arranged in a grid of 20 by 20, with one meter lateral spacing. Their WiFi antennas were on the corners of the site. The drones rely on 4 constellation GNSS and RTK to gain their precision in the sky.
The two operators were seated at a table with laptops. Because the drones are controlled by a central computer system that synchronizes their movements, ensuring they maintain a safe distance from one another while performing, there were no joysticks as would be the case for drone pilots controlling single drones. The exception, however, was their photographer, who took aerial shots with a drone designed for photography. All operators are FAA licensed.
When Sky Elements Drone Shows was relatively new, they would completely rehearse their shows, but they now rehearse most shows by computer.
With all 400 drones laid out on their grid, the operators ran a check to see which ones had batteries that were not completely charged and needed to be swapped out with charged batteries. Other checks insured that all drones were ready to perform.
Safety is paramount. The show would be conducted over water, to be followed by fireworks, so the Coast Guard had to clear the area of boats.
There is an “electronic fence,” where a drone that contacts it will automatically return to its starting point. If, however, that does not work, the drone will simply drop down.
When it came time to start the show, the drones rose up in rectangular formations. From there, they proceeded to the nearby show area. The drones formed Navy Pier’s skyline and other related scenes, including their famous ferris wheel. Another scene showed three “dancers” that moved around. Like many of the scenes, you can look at still photos, but if you did not see the show in person, you really can’t appreciate the artistry unless you see the video clip. The 9 minute show ended with a QR code display that lead to a Navy Pier web page.
Following the display, the drones went to their starting point, formed into the rectangular formations they began with, then descended to the ground in the same spots where they began. A fireworks show followed.
Boss pointed out that the fireworks went up to 600 ft., while his drones went up to 400. The fireworks caused a lot of smoke and odor, while the drones were completely safe and environmentally friendly. There will probably always be fireworks as a traditional form of entertainment, but drone light shows may be the show of choice for those venues that want a more sustainable and adaptable for of entertainment.
Drone show, with 1,000 drones, at Ft. Worth Independence Day show.
Drone shows are relatively new, but as technology continues to advance, they will become increasingly popular, versatile, and cost-effective.
It is customary to end articles by telling readers go to a company’s website for further information, but in this case, you should definitely check it out, because you can not appreciate what these shows offer by simply looking at still photos. https://skyelementsdrones.com/