Today, it is increasingly common to organize nighttime drone shows, instead of sending fireworks, for example. And generally, these light shows go very well. However, a recent incident, reported by the Australian media, underlines the importance of never flying these drones below people during shows.
As reported by our colleagues from Digital Trend, the incident occurred in Perth, Australia, during the “City of Light” event during the holiday season. The show did not go as planned since, according to the media, spectators witnessed the crash of several of these drones, equipped with LED lights.
50 drones crash
Video of the incident, below, was posted by Australian outlet 9News Perth. Fortunately, since the drones were flying over a river, there was no risk to the public.
According to Joshua Van Ross, managing director of Drone Sky Show, the organizer, of the 500 drones used for this show, 50 crashed. And if these crashes did not hurt anyone, the financial losses are still significant.
The highly-anticipated City Of Light Christmas drone show didn’t go exactly as planned last night…
Multiple drones began malfunctioning and falling from the sky throughout, crashing into the Swan River below as crowds watched on. #9News pic.twitter.com/oThMMvUEYf
— 9News Perth (@9NewsPerth) November 21, 2022
A big loss for the organizer
Each drone is worth around 1,287 euros. And as a result, the loss of these fifty drones will therefore cost the organizer more than 60,000 euros.
Van Ross admits that this disaster made him “a little cry”. “I try not to think about it…but it was an expensive show for us,” he also said. The organizer would be used to losing two or three drones during a show like this. But fifty lost drones is too many.
Interference issues?
As for the cause of the incident, several possible causes are mentioned. First of all, there can be wind, which interferes with the drones causing collisions between them and propellers breaking. Another possible cause: interference that could have disrupted the GPS of these flying machines.
The day after the show, divers were reportedly sent to search for the crashed drones. But it is unlikely that these can still work after this immersion.
In any case, as mentioned above, this rare incident reminds us of the importance of not flying drones above people for this kind of spectacle. Otherwise, despite these crashes, the inhabitants of Perth were still able to admire the spectacle.
Wonder how many drone casualties there were @ the end of last night’s City of Lights drone show. Kids were asking if they were supposed to fall into the water. Still a nice family night out. #howitstartedhowitsgoing #Perth pic.twitter.com/RHHmE5pMDW
—Aleisha Orr (@AleishaOrr) November 21, 2022
Source: Presse-Citron
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
