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Electric Airshows announces UK launch

A new company, Electric Airshows, has been launched to provide drone light shows to the UK’s outdoor events market. Two well-known faces in the event production industry, Chris Crockford and Ian Lomas, have combined their expertise and event experience to offer this new professional service.

After months spent in research, pilot training and regulatory approvals, the pair are now operating an initial fleet of drones purchased from Chinese manufacturer and drone show specialist Damoda Intelligent Control Technology.

The quad-copter drones, using GPS RTK (Real Time Kinematics) positioning technology, have already flown several displays, including a series of events for Alton Towers. The drones, which each carry a removable 10 W RGBW LED and rechargeable battery pack, can fly and maintain position in winds of up to 8 m/s (17 mph).

Crockford and Lomas met over thirty years ago at Meteorlites, and although they ventured down different paths they remained in contact. Crockford’s career has included work in entertainment technology, including a spell with Avolites, where he consulted on the Pearl, Sapphire and Diamond series consoles and developed their eDMX wireless system. Having gained a PhD in Geospatial Rendering Systems and an MBA - not to mention an instrument rated pilot’s licence - Crockford took his tech skills to the world of Formula One, spending three years as Business Development Director with McLaren Racing.

Lomas has long been a familiar face in the production industry, racking up over three decades of experience in a broad range of concert touring, festivals and special events worldwide. The list includes many years at Neg Earth as Lighting Crew/Crew Chief for artists such as Take That, Stereophonics, Sting, ELO, Rod Stewart and Radiohead.

At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, when event work suddenly dried up, a chance phone call from Crockford was to reunite them. “I’d already been looking into drone technology of various kinds”, says Crockford, “but the use of drones for entertainment light shows really struck a chord with me. When I considered who might come on the journey with me, I immediately thought of Ian - and I’m delighted he agreed.”

(Photo: Electric Airshows)

www.electricairshows.com

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