SALT LAKE CITY — As the Pioneer Day holiday approaches, Utah cities are once again preparing for fireworks and drone shows to celebrate the state. But what goes into drone shows that are rising in popularity across the country?
Jesse Stone is a showman who once worked with ice castles in Midway and recently moved to aerial artistry.
He and his partners at Opensky, Nate Mortensen and Justin Egbert, are determined to bring the best drone show in the sky to Utah.
"This is completely new technology," Stone explained. "It's customized to create relevant images and designs and beautiful shapes out of light, that that are stunning animations and geometric abstract art in the sky."
Each drone is pre-programmed to follow a specific flight path and synchronized to fly in perfect formation.
The drones are also better for air quality which is why more cities have ditched fireworks.
"The advantage that drone shows have are that with a firework show, you get what you get, you know, it's a spectacle, it looks cool, but it's kind of meaningless," Egbert remarked. "With a drone show we can create a story."
But telling a story in the sky isn't cheap as it requires custom design work by an animation team.
"I would say you're looking around 80 to 120 hours, each show that lasts 12 minutes," Stone explained. "So it's a lot."
A drone show can cost upwards of $10,000, Mortensen said. Usually, costs are much higher.
"So on the low end, we are about $10,000-$15,000," he said. "A show [can go] all the way up to over six figures...depending on how large and how complex [it is]."
Salt Lake City spent $15,000 on fireworks shows three years ago. In comparison, they currently spend $37,000 on drone shows.
In addition to the cost, there are also limitations to drone shows. For instance, unlike fireworks, you probably won't see a big finale at the end of a drone show.
"We have a limited battery life, typically around ten to 15 minutes right in between there from launch to land," Stone said.
"We could potentially build certain elements into it to try to simulate a finale or have that big send-off," Mortensen added. "But that's where drones are just a little different than fireworks."
But as technology advances, so will drone shows and their level of entertainment.
The sky is definitely not the limit and Stone says he's looking forward to where the industry will go in the future.
"You feel the energy of the crowd. It's amazing," he said. "You've put on this awesome experience and on touchdown, it's just the best feeling in the world."
