Hefei, China (Looking Up)
My Flight Plan for a Drone Show With 22,581 Drones
A show in China put 22,580 drones in the sky at once, all flown by one computer. My show needs one more.
On February 3, a drone show in Hefei, China, flew 22,580 drones at once, all controlled by a single computer. That’s a world record. So my show will have 22,581. Here’s the flight plan.
The Flight Plan
Minute one: All 22,581 drones rise together. The crowd gasps. One drone rises a little higher than the others. That’s my drone.
Minute two: The drones spell D-O-N-N-Y across the sky. Big letters. Visible from space, or at least from the parking lot.
Minute three: A strong wind. The letters rearrange themselves into D-O-N-U-T. Still a great word. Everyone gets hungry. Snack sales go up. I take a cut.
Minute four: The drones form my face, smiling, two hundred meters wide. Everyone waves at it. It looks like it’s waving back. It isn’t. It’s the wind again.
The Backup Plan
If somebody breaks the record before my show, I’ll add another drone. And another. The plan is simple: whatever the record is, plus one. Then I land them all in a perfect line and take a bow. One drone bows with me. That’s my drone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who will fly your drones?
One computer, like the record. And me, shouting helpful directions at the computer.
What if one drone doesn't take off?
Then it's 22,580 drones, which is a tie. I don't do ties.