Fireworks versus drones. Which will win out?
Does it have to be one or the other? Or can both coexist, even work together?
Due to environmental pollution, noise and lights spooking pets and wildlife, fireworks have been gradually falling out of favor in San Diego and beyond.
Enter drones, which seem to be gradually replacing pyrotechnics for the Fourth of July and other celebrations. Drones are considered by most to be a less impactful and more environmentally sensitive community celebration alternative.
But emerging drone technology is presently more expensive and less adaptable than standard fireworks, which, by their very nature, with bright lights and loud booms, are glitzier and more dramatic than synchronized drone shows portraying patriotic figures and symbols.
In exploring the differences between pyrotechnics and drones, their pluses and minuses and their potential for being used together, Times of San Diego talked to pyrotechnic pioneer H.P. “Sandy” Purdon and Jeff Stein, founder of Drone Studios, to get their perspectives.
We asked them if drones will replace fireworks – or if we’ll one day end up with some hybrid of both.
Purdon is the founder/executive producer of the Port of San Diego’s Big Bay Boom July 4th Fireworks Show. The largest fireworks show on the West Coast, Big Bay Boom, is launched across San Diego Bay in sync with music.
Stein has flown over 500 successful and diverse commercial drone pilot jobs since 2016, ranging from documentaries, music festivals and events, live broadcasts, car commercials, real estate, promotional marketing and beyond.
Both experts in their fields had different takes on whether drones and fireworks can ever be joined, or whether technology is destined to eliminate pyrotechnics.
Pyrotechnics purveyor Purdon suggested the likelihood of the two ever cooperating or merging “depends on the drone technology.” He took issue with the contention that drones are far less environmentally disruptive. He argued drone use nationally has “presented some considerable issues to the environment.”
Noting drones are basically “machines connected to satellites with metals and exotic materials inside,” Purdy pointed out that drones’ current short battery life forces their displays to be shorter than fireworks, lasting “less than 15 minutes.”
He added, “After launching them, they can also be difficult to keep up in a large space.”
As to whether drones and fireworks can ever be combined, Purdy replied, “That’s to be seen.”
Stein noted he’s not opposed to fireworks. And he’s more inclined than Purdy to believe it’s possible for the two divergent styles to someday merge.
“I love fireworks, but I think drones can create more variety and diversity in sky shows,” he said, warning that either method used poses dangers in “high-risk” fire areas. He defended drone shows as being “lower risk” for polluting side effects, arguing drones used over water are “pretty safe from pollution.”
Stein also envisions that combining the two technologies could accomplish amazing things. “They’ve been done together,” he said. “But it’s been rare (so far) that existing companies have done that.”
Purdon suggested drone shows can be “kind of boring to watch,” while intimating they can be more dangerous than is generally believed. “Drones can become disconnected and fall to Earth,” he warned.
The creator of the Big Bay Boom also pointed out that those shows are done not in shallows but in “45 feet of water.” He said his company is scrupulous about sending out divers “all day the next day to find any debris left over after the fireworks show.”
Concluded Purdon: “I think drones will (eventually) enter the picture. But I don’t think you can get away from fireworks. You need the bang, sparkle and light show. If you eliminate fireworks, you lose that wow effect that drones can’t provide.”
Stein suggested lasers may yet be a third alternative that could one day be combined with drones and fireworks to create a triple-whammy of a display. “Adding lasers to the equation could be another innovation in synchronized drone shows,” he said while noting that utilizing lasers presents issues in terms of waivers and permits required by the FAA to use them in holiday displays.
Of the possibility of ever marrying drones with fireworks, Stein concluded: “They can be complementary. Drone shows are aerial animations, a short movie in the sky with a phased approach. Both have their place.”
