A composite of two of the formations seen in the drone show Saturday, following the announcement that Joe Biden was projected to become the next president of the United States. This past Saturday, major news outlets announced former Vice President Joe Biden and his running mate and senator Kamala Harris as the projected winners of the 2020 presidential election.
Biden and Harris addressed the world later that evening with speeches that concluded with a drone and fireworks light show.
The drone show especially excited many in the rapidly-growing industry, after years of negative media coverage and concerns about overregulation. Numerous unconfirmed sightings of drones near airports and aircraft, in addition to rulemaking proposed for Remote ID, reportedly set to be decided by year's end, are a clear indicator that drones continue to be controversial.
Drones in a national security TFR isn’t a small deal. Someone slogged through a ton of paperwork. Kudos. https://t. co/pwSQUUtHkF
— Brendan Schulman (@dronelaws) November 8, 2020
That's why it's such a big deal that a formation of drones was used on Saturday night, so close to two people about to become among the most powerful (and most closely-guarded) in the world. After a bit of sleuthing, we were able to confirm that the company responsible for the light show was Verge Aero, based in Pennsylvania.
'This event is certainly a first on many fronts,' Nils Thorjussen, Verge Aero's CEO, tells DPReview. 'While I’m unable discuss the event in detail, there were many unique challenges we've never faced before, as you can imagine. '
Drone light shows have been around for several years, but they don't come cheap. It takes anywhere from fifty to tens of thousands of drones to form illuminated shapes in the sky, and when the cost of setup, plus travel and accommodation for a staff of trained professionals is factored in, they're typically very expensive.
And it raises awareness. Drones are becoming less and less seen as this really bad thing in the sky but are now seen as a tool; a tool to improve entertainment, science and research, public safety, agriculture, inspection and STEAM education. #UAVsForGood https://t. co/TD61rtIffP
— Romeo Durscher (@romeoch) November 8, 2020
Mass light shows with hundreds of drones might be beyond the means of most of us, but, says Thorjussen, 'we're developing the tools to make drone light shows more accessible. '
He predicts that 'soon enough, as with other technologies in the past, they'll become more affordable and mainstream. ' Good news for an industry that all too often is on the wrong side of the headlines.
To learn more about all the components that go into a drone light show, head over to Verge Aero's blog.
. dpreview.com2020-11-12 01:35
