How safe are drone light shows?
As drone light shows are taking the entertainment and advertising industries to new heights and as the popularity of this technology grows, you may ask how safe it is to have hundreds to thousands of drones flying above you.
The fact is that drone light shows are considered safe events, as they are carefully planned and rehearsed in advance, following special safety standards to minimise the risk of accidents or malfunctions.
For example, at Drone Sky Shows, we have multiple levels of safety protocols built into our drone show systems and have performed all our drone flights with a perfect safety record. Moreover, we continuously review and update our safety procedures as needed.
This demonstrates that drone displays are as safe as they come when carried out expertly by a team of professionals.
To help you understand what makes the Drone Sky Show system one of the safest in the world, we’ve listed a few of its safety features below.
Safety measures implemented by Drone Sky Shows
To ensure the safety of drone light shows, at Drone Sky Shows we follow several best practices, including:
Purpose-built drones
The drones used by Drone Sky Shows were specifically designed by Damoda for drone shows. These high-performance drones have a proven track record of dependability all over the world.
Maintenance of drones
We ensure that the drones used in the show are in good working order and have been properly maintained.
Skilled and experienced team
To fly the drones, we only employ operators with training and experience.
Compliance with civil aviation regulations
Drone Sky Shows complies fully with the strict Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations.
Flight zone and safety zone
We have established guidelines and protocols for launching, flying, and landing the drones, including the flight and safety zones.
The flight zone is chosen after careful consideration of the surrounding environment. Drones should not fly over areas where people or vehicles are moving around. The system is configured with additional security provided by geo-fencing to confine the drones to the designated flight zone. A safety zone (an area between the drones and the audience) of about 100 meters is also put in place as an added layer of security.
Flight path and drone communication
Every drone is equipped with two radio communication systems—one main and one backup—operating at different frequencies. This ensures communication is always maintained with the drones. In case all communication is lost, the drones automatically execute a “return-to-home” or “land” command.
The show creation software allows full control over the drone flight paths. Various checks exist to ensure that there is no intersection of flight paths that would cause the drones to collide.
Supervising stations and emergency kill switches
The drones are visually monitored at all times. The emergency kill switch can be used to instantly halt all of the drones if an abnormal flight is discovered. The drones will then safely land.
Adherence to weather conditions
We monitor weather conditions and if necessary, cancel the show due to unsafe conditions.
With the speed at which drone technology is evolving, from controlling a few dozen drones to now being able to safely control and manoeuvre hundreds to thousands of drones simultaneously, drone displays are bound to become even safer in the future.
In summary, drone sky shows, when conducted professionally, are one of the safest ways to light up the night sky.
