Looks like trouble for this year’s Fourth of July celebrations. Previous articles mentioned several cities in the United States opting for drone displays instead of fireworks. However, the show planned in Northern California may be at risk of never actually happening.
The Travis Air Force Base had already prepared 500 Shooting Star drones for the event. It received cancellation a few hours before the event because of the strong winds. The fear arose from the nearby woodland area, where forest fires can take place. The area has a high chance of wild fire, and as a precaution, cancellation of the event.
Travis Air Base Fire Problem:
The Shooting Star drones were to form a red, white, and blue American flag several hundreds of feet in the air. The Fourth of July show for the Travis Air Base is now rescheduled for tomorrow, July 5th, at around 9 in the evening. That is, of course, if the weather permits.
Fireworks usually are a staple in these types of events. But the past few years we have seen a rise in drone use. Using Intel’s Shooting Star drones, events now have an alternative that offer similar light displays. They offer similar dazzling light displays, but without the loud noises, smoke, and unpredictability. Using a preprogrammed routine, a fleet of drones can create formations while a lone controller is at bay.
Still, this technology is fairly new, so issues like weather and area may cause problems. Like the one in Travis Air Base, windy or rainy situations can limit flight from these drones. There is also the risk of fire, or drones crashing while on the air.
It is still a long way to go from being perfect, but Intel seems to have found great footing to start. More and more events worldwide use drones, specifically Intel’s Shooting Stars, for their light exhibitions. Fireworks are becoming scarce in the process, which is a good thing. Maybe in the next few years, New Year’s and Fourth of July’s celebrations no longer involve people in emergency rooms with injured limbs.
