Precision Aerial planning biggest drone show in Africa

Last year in September Zimbabwean drone services start-up Precision Aerial stole the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show – the country’s biggest exhibition fair for local and international companies.
Well; the did not literally steal it; but if you wanna catch our drift; they did steal the show with their show-stopping performance of a drone light show that held thousands of visitors in a hypnotic state for a good minute.
Held on the evening of the industrial exhibition fair’s closing day, the light show was part of festivities to celebrate local telecommunication company Econet Wireless’ 25th anniversary and involved 100 small drones painting the Harare skies in white, red and blue.
And, having carried out such a successful the first time, it was natural that somebody else would want it to run again.
And Precision Aerial has obliged.
Working in collaboration with world-renowned light show company Lumasky, Precision Aerial are planning an even bigger show, set for Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe’s tourism capital this coming Monday.
The drones – all 600 of them, and six times as many as last time – will actually be flying over the falls themselves as part of opening night festivities at the Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress.
The DWP congress is ostensibly one of the biggest annual events for the wedding industry, which brings together celebrity wedding planners, royalty specialists and destination wedding experts, wedding regalia, implements and paraphernalia suppliers to share insights, experiences and trends in the industry.
Now in its tenth year running, the event will be held from April until 17 in Victoria falls; with the light show set be carried out on the opening night on April 15.
“We are putting together a drone light show; the second one that we would be doing in Zimbabwe,” said Tawanda Chihambakwe, managing director at Precision Aerial.
“And this one is going to be even bigger than the last show we did. For the last show, we had 100 drones; this time we will have 600 drones flying in unison; and we will be flying them in conjunction with Lumasky, a well know light show company that has completed several drone light shows around the world.”

Lumasky is indeed one of the leading drone light show providers in the world, boasting of a team of talented designers, programmers, technicians and event organisers with years of experience in producing drones as well as in launching drone shows.
The company has been performing light shows all over the world since 2018, working with such brands as Samsung, Hyundai, Formula 1, FIFA, Lexus and many others.
Said Chihambakwe; “This one for Zimbabwe will undoubtedly be the biggest yet in the country and the arguably the biggest in Africa (set to beat the 500-drone light show record set in the DRC last year).”
According to Chihambakwe, the plan is to fly the drones right above the actual gorge that constitutes the smokey thundering falls of Mosi-oa-Tunya themselves during the night; and it does promise to be a spectacle.
Precision Aerial is now liaising with aviation and security authorities at the moment to ensure that the show proceeds under law and in a safe environment.
“The drones themselves are already in the country, and we are going through the clearance process with all stakeholders before we set them loose over the falls,” Chihambakwe said.
While the light show itself is set for Monday night, the team will be carrying out some flight demonstrations today in front of aviation regulators, show organisers and other stakeholders.
“As Precision Aerial, the technical partner for the drone light show, we are proud to be the first ROC holder (licenced drone operator) to bring and deliver a drone light show to Zimbabwe. The planning and coordination to do this was incredible,” Chihambakwe said at the completion of the Harare show last year.
“Our special thanks go to the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), security departments, the air force and the office of the president for helping us make this possible.”
If you’re in Victoria Falls this Monday evening, look to the skies.

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