Celesta, drones for theme parks
Celesta is setting up an attraction, not a show.
A fireworks display is set off one evening. A park display is repeated forty, sixty, a hundred times. That single difference alters the equipment, the script, the permits and the cost. Celesta plans the park displays for the entire season, not just for the first evening.
The gap
It’s not the same job than a one-night show
Most drone service providers sell the event as a one-off: a date, a flight, then pack-up. A theme park, on the other hand, buys equipment that has to last the whole summer. The two may seem similar on opening night, but by the thirtieth night they are worlds apart.
One evening
The spectacular show
- The flight is scheduled for a specific date and with a specific aircraft type.
- The fleet arrives, makes one stop, and sets off again the next day.
- The authorisation relates to a specific evening.
- The audience discovers, is amazed, and won’t be coming back.
- The price is charged per performance.
A season
The theme park attraction
- The celesta – an instrument that can be played exactly the same way, night after night.
- The fleet remains on site and is wearing out: batteries, propellers, LEDs.
- The authorisation covers a range of dates, not just one.
- Some of the audience are returning and have already seen it all.
- The price is calculated at the end of the day’s trading.
Achievements
Flights that you can go and have a look
Each record specifies the location, the flight number and what was deployed during the flight. Please enquire by telephone about upcoming public dates.
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Pyrotechnic display featuring drones in Buchy
View the project: Pyrotechnic display featuring drones in BuchyA demonstration to showcase the new hybrid formats In Buchy, Celesta organised a technical demonstration combining a pyrotechnic display and…
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Marly-le-Roi Town Festival: A Drone Show and Fireworks Display
View the project: Marly-le-Roi Town Festival: A Drone Show and Fireworks DisplayA town celebration in the heart of a royal park The Fête de Marly returns every June to the grounds…
The six constraints
What the season demands and that nobody tells you
These six points are not visible on a model. They become apparent on the tenth evening, when the production has been performed ten times and the audience begins to return. Celesta addresses them in the script rather than during the run.
01
Fleet wear and tear
Batteries, propellers and diodes have a finite number of cycles. A fleet sized just to meet the initial demand will struggle to last until the end of summer: Celesta builds in a reserve right from the start.
02
Repeatability
A visitor on a Tuesday must see the same performance as a visitor on a Saturday. The flight is therefore locked, documented and can be replayed by a team other than the one that wrote it.
03
The returning visitor
Some members of your audience have already seen the show. A ‘park theft’ performance by Celesta therefore includes variations: a sequence that changes, an alternative ending, and a theme linked to the date.
04
Serial authorisation
Flights over the public fall into a specific category. For a given season, the application submitted to the DGAC covers a series of dates: it is assessed only once, but this assessment takes place in advance.
05
Who is initiating the theft?
No one moves a production team every evening. Celesta trains your operators in day-to-day operations and retains control over operational management.
06
The weather for the season
Out of every hundred evenings, there will be wind. Celesta agrees the cut-off point with you in advance and plans an alternative solution: it’s better to have a decision made in advance than to have to make a last-minute call at 8 pm.
The method
From the first meeting on the final evening of the season
Six stages, in this order. The first four take place before a single aircraft takes off, and that is when the outcome of the entire season is decided.
01
The aim
What the park already tells us, and what the sky has yet to reveal. A phrase chosen by you, to which each sequence must relate.
02
Location
Celesta identifies the sightlines from your driveways, the available heights and the areas to be avoided. It is the site survey that determines the number of units, not the other way round.
03
The model
The flight is modelled in three dimensions and can be viewed before it actually takes place, from your visitors’ real-life perspectives. What you approve is what will be played back.
04
The file
SORA risk analysis, submission to the DGAC for the entire series and local declarations. This is the stage that determines your opening date.
05
The trials
On-site test flights, flight path adjustments and a full-scale rehearsal. The threshold for cancelling the flight in strong winds will be agreed with you at this stage.
06
The season
Night-after-night operations, fleet maintenance and training your teams in day-to-day operations. Celesta remains in charge of operations.
Read before signing
The theft is being watched before it came into existence
An amusement park commits an entire season to a promise. Celesta models the flight in three dimensions and shows it to you from the actual vantage points along your walkways, before the first aircraft takes off.
This isn’t an artist’s impression: it’s the flight plan itself, the one that will be compiled and played back. What you approve is therefore exactly what your visitors will see.
Seasonal highlights
What you need to know before raising the issue internally
Decisions on seasonal performances are made by the committee, often the previous winter. Here are the four key points that Celesta sets out at the very first meeting, so that you can make a decision without having to wait for a quote.
What a season entails
Key points
Time allowed before the opening, including the examination of the application
2 to 3 months
Between your call and an initial quote
48 hours
Operating licence filed with the DGAC
For the series
Training for your operators and fleet maintenance
Included
Drone light show: from
10 000 €
A run of performances is then counted at the end of the day, rather than per performance.
Let’s talk about your season
Tell us how many evenings, We’ll tell you what that entails
Please provide us with the venue, the operating window and the number of evenings envisaged. Within 48 hours, you’ll receive a letter of intent and a detailed quote, signed by a Celesta operations manager rather than a sales representative. If your schedule isn’t feasible, we’ll let you know before providing a quote.
Before you ring us
The questions that operators ask themselves
How many drones are needed for a fleet?
The number is determined by the distance between your runways and the flight zone, not from a catalogue. The further away the audience is, the more aircraft are needed to ensure a manoeuvre remains visible. Celesta determines the size of the formation after the site survey, and allows for a reserve to cover the season.
Can we put on the show again every evening?
Yes, that is in fact the format for which these flights are planned. The plan is finalised and documented so that it can be repeated exactly, and the fleet is sized to provide the necessary reserve for day-to-day operations.
Do you need a licence for each event?
No. A flight over the public falls under a specific category of European Regulation 2019/947, and the application submitted to the DGAC covers a range of dates. It is assessed only once, but must be submitted well in advance of the start of the season.
Can our teams go ahead with the flight?
To some extent. Celesta trains your operators in day-to-day operations, from preparation to activation, and retains responsibility for control and maintenance. Nobody moves a production team every evening, but neither would anyone entrust a swarm to untrained hands.
Can we display our characters and licences?
Yes, subject to your rights. A recognisable silhouette stands out very clearly in flight, and that is what the swarm does best: a fireworks display cannot form a recognisable shape.
What happens on windy evenings?
A swarm has flight limits that cannot be circumvented. The cut-off point is agreed with you at the time of writing, and an alternative solution is set out in the contract. Over the course of a whole season, the question will arise: a written decision is better than an arbitration at 8 pm.