ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The drones are ready to light up Allentown’s skyline for 2026.
“They weigh about 280 grams and they’ll fly for roughly 15 minutes from takeoff to landing,” said Ryan Ross, general manager and chief pilot with Slatington-based Star Flight Drone Shows.
The company is putting on Allentown’s first-ever New Year’s Eve drone show.
“We try and customize the shows as much as possible for our clients and we really capitalize on that by adding a soundtrack that really adds a feel to it and it really customizes it for them,” said Ross.
Ross said planning includes everything from coordinating with the FAA to figuring out a launch spot.
He said 100 drones that are all synced will be launched for this show in the area of Seventh and Hamilton streets.
“Everything is done through a computer system. It’s all preprogrammed. The computer runs the show and the design is preplanned and loaded into the drones ahead of time and once they take off, they have, they’re synchronized through GPS time sync,” said Ross. “We can adjust our flight path on site to get higher before they move out into position. In the design process, knowing where the location of the show is we can design it as such so we can work around those buildings and any obstacles.”
As for the specific designs, that will be a surprise.
“I think people are gonna really enjoy the show. We’ve worked very closely with the sponsors to make it very unique to Allentown,” said Ross.
Ross said he will have extra drones on the ground too.
The drone display is set to begin at midnight.