Online media is bombarded with scandalous tales of drone exploits on a nearly daily basis. From head-on collisions with their humans to contraband smuggling attempts across borders and prisons, man’s ingenuity knows no bounds when finding innovating ways to leverage the flying potential of these over-the-counter flying robots. Nowhere is their rampant popularity more visible than in AIR 2015, an aerial performance spearheaded by hundreds of zones; think Cirque du Soleil , but with drones instead of acrobats. One can’t help but wonder, what could possibly go wrong?
The sheer ambition — I mean, calculated risk — of such an unprecedented event can only mean one thing: it’s not happening on US soil. AIR 2015 will take place in the Amsterdam Arena sometime in 2015. While no exact date is given on the website, it does showcase the hype-inducing trailer below.
“In this high energy and explosive show, drones will take center stage to bring a collaboration and fusion of music, video, projections and special effects. AIR allows you to experience a variety of ballet and battles, races and lasers, circus, illusions and most of all magic from hundreds of drones,” states a message on the event’s website .
As it stands, the Federal Aviation Administration has finally issued the first draft of its rule proposal governing commercial drone use in the US, insinuating that domestic drones may soon be on their way to performing slightly more practical functions beyond spying on neighbors or taking illegal wedding photographs.
The operational limitations include, but are not limited to, a maximum airspeed of 100 mph (87 knots), a maximum altitude of 500 feet above ground, a maximum weight below 55 lbs (25 kgs), a pilot accredited with through a FAA-approved aeronautical knowledge exam, and the maintenance of visual-line-of-sight (VLOS) with the operator or visual observer. Unfortunately, the VLOS restriction makes it practically impossible for drone deliveries to ever take off, but at least we’ll have legal photographs.
Source: air2015
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