As DroneDJ readers casting even furtive glances at headlines over the weekend will have noticed, mainstream new outlets have finally – and, it seems, all at once – discovered the existence and spreading popularity of choreographed UAV performances challenging the lock fireworks long held on nighttime celestial celebrations. Drone show specialist Sky Elements added another notable item to that amassing July 4th coverage by staging a series of spectacles across the US, including one setting what it says is a world spell-out record.
Sky Elements said it staged 40 total drone shows across the US in the run up to and through July 4. It noted its Monday evening performance rivaled the enormity of this post’s opening paragraph by establishing a new “Guinness World Records title for the largest aerial sentence formed by multirotor/drones.” That mark was set July 3 using 1,002 LED-equipped UAVs in the skies above North Richland Hills, Texas.
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Somewhat less expertly executed, however, was Sky Elements’ communiqué and social media posts of the drone show, which fail to note what that sentence actually was. Using its exceptional capacities of interpretation while viewing the footage, however, DroneDJ believes it came during the following formation (which, to further nit-pick, doesn’t spell out an actual sentence, but rather a greeting or elition-shortened phrase).
Still, the textual message was exceptionally large – and if Guinness says that size is unprecedented, DroneDJ isn’t going to argue.
Plus, UAVs the Fort Worth-based company deployed also created some truly stunning images – including Neil Armstrong’s moon walk, and George Washington forging the Delaware – that even spectators who aren’t fond of reading could enjoy.
The North Richmond Hills drone show was just one of the 40 performances Sky Elements staged in 11 US states celebrating July 4th, which spanned from Florida to California.
Those, meanwhile, were among the many aerial choreographies that mainstream news publications cited in their remarkably tardy discovery of UAV performances. Indeed, another endearing detail of Sky Elements’ Monday spectacle was its contrarian inclusion of fireworks that many reports prematurely pronounced obsolete and forever replaced by the quieter, non-polluting option drones provide.
In contrasting that recurring theme in the avalanche of epiphanic articles, Sky Elements echoed comments other drone companies had earlier made about the reinforcing visual effects fireworks can contribute to UAV choreographies. Not yet slain, then, are celebratory pyrotechnics by whirring rotors.
Averse to raining on that particular trendy thematic parade in mass media coverage, however, Sky Elements did note the environmental and physical advantages drone shows have over fireworks-only displays.
“Drone light shows are a feast for the senses and a greener and safer alternative to traditional fireworks,” Sky Elements said in announcing its world record-setting show. “Using drones significantly reduces the environmental impact associated with fireworks, eliminating harmful smoke and chemical residue. Additionally, drone shows mitigate safety concerns by eliminating the risks associated with fireworks accidents, making them a preferred choice for communities across America.”
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Indeed, many advance news stories noted that – unlike fireworks – battery-powered drones eliminate the risk of starting fires.
Fact check, please.
Images: Sky Elements
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