The Verge Aero drone show for Armed Forces Day in the U.S. showed that drone shows – and Verge Aero’s flight planning software – have reached incredible new levels of precision and complexity.
Drone shows have progressed from being an unusual fireworks alternative to being a must-have display in their own right, an art form that combines creativity with technical expertise to create stunning spectacles. Drone shows also demonstrate the precision and complexity of formations that can be accomplished by drone fleets, as the software used to control the drones has evolved.
Last week in Georgia, the “annual ‘Thunder Over Evans’ event returned for 2021 following the relaxation of COVID restrictions, offering an opportunity for the community to come together to honor members of the armed forces,” says a press release. “Event producers were keen to go the extra mile and supplement their traditional firework display with drones, ramping up the visual spectacle using Verge Aero’s sophisticated control capabilities. The result was a choreographed vision of colorful and dynamic firework explosions and drone imagery as Verge Aero’s fleet flew the US flag, spelt out ‘U-S-A’, and military logos from all five services, all perfectly synced to an accompanying soundtrack.”
“We’ve been doing our Armed Forces celebration for over a decade and work to make it better every year,” says show producer Shane Thompson. “This year, the wonder team of Verge Aero joined us. They took our event to a level that we couldn’t even imagine. The Verge Aero team was easy to work with, made edits that we asked for and even incorporated designs that we had in mind for our show.”
Nils Thorjussen, CEO of Verge Aero adds: “We were honored and excited to be part of this year’s Thunder Over Evans and were delighted with the overwhelming audience response. With thousands of spectators and a tight operating envelope, it took careful coordination with everyone involved to safely deploy our fleet and create a spectacular show.”
During the event, Verge Aero’s drones morphed into a range of words and images, including key symbols of American culture and the Stars and Stripes, to key messaging in support of the Armed Forces. The 180 drones moved from displaying two-dimensional images to precision-animated 3D volumetric shapes. The drone show culminated by repeatedly spelling out the letters U, S, A, in red, white, and blue to the delighted crowd, who called out the letters in unison as they appeared in the sky.
Thompson adds: “Verge Aero’s displays will reshape the visual display industry in years to come. Our greatest fear now is how our event could meet the expectations of our audience without them. We hope that our relationship will continue that the Verge Aero will come back and help us to continue taking our event to the next level.”
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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