Verge Aero Drones Take Armed Forces Day Celebrations to the Next Level

	Verge Aero's 180 drones moved from displaying two-dimensional images to precision-animated 3D volumetric shapes. Photo: Verge Aero

Families from across Georgia watched in awe in May as a spectacular firework display and 180-strong drone show by Verge Aero lit up the sky to mark Armed Forces Day.

The annual "Thunder Over Evans" event returned for 2021 following the relaxation of COVID restrictions, offering an opportunity for the community to come together to honor members of the armed forces. Event producers were keen to go the extra mile and supplement their traditional firework display with drones, ramping up the visual spectacle using Verge Aero's sophisticated control capabilities. The result was a choreographed vision of colorful and dynamic firework explosions and drone imagery as Verge Aero's fleet flew the US flag, spelt out "U-S-A," and military logos from all five services, all perfectly synced to an accompanying soundtrack.

"We've been doing our Armed Forces celebration for over a decade and work to make it better every year," says show producer Shane Thompson. "This year, the wonder team of Verge Aero joined us. They took our event to a level that we couldn't even imagine. The Verge Aero team was easy to work with, made edits that we asked for and even incorporated designs that we had in mind for our show."

Verge Aero's flight planning software is been designed to be 100% accurate, robust, safe, and reliable. It allows fast and easy creation of dramatic shows with complex graphics and animations. It takes care of all the safety critical aspects of flight so that designers can focus on making their show look fabulous.

Nils Thorjussen, CEO of Verge Aero adds: "We were honored and excited to be part of this year's Thunder Over Evans and were delighted with the overwhelming audience response. With thousands of spectators and a tight operating envelope, it took careful coordination with everyone involved to safely deploy our fleet and create a spectacular show."

During the event, Verge Aero's drones morphed into a range of words and images, including key symbols of American culture and the Stars and Stripes, to key messaging in support of the Armed Forces. The 180 drones moved from displaying two-dimensional images to precision-animated 3D volumetric shapes. The drone show culminated by repeatedly spelling out the letters U, S, A, in red, white, and blue to the delighted crowd, who called out the letters in unison as they appeared in the sky.

Thompson adds: "Verge Aero's displays will reshape the visual display industry in years to come. Our greatest fear now is how our event could meet the expectations of our audience without them. We hope that our relationship will continue that the Verge Aero will come back and help us to continue taking our event to the next level."