The Star of the Show: Haley Carpenter, Great Lakes Drone Company Chief Pilot (AFW Jul/Aug 2024)
by Liz Booker
This article was published in the July/August 2024 issue of Aviation for Women Magazine.
The first hints of her presence at Florida’s Sun ‘n Fun Annual Aerospace Expo’s 50th anniversary night show were the perfectly lined rows of twinkling lights across the dark sky on the opposite side of the airfield. As the aerobatic performances and pyrotechnics continued in the foreground, those lights magically took on three dimensional animated shapes: jets and biplanes gently rolling; a giant space robot coming to life; a DJ spinning tunes; playful sun faces sipping beach drinks; a trail of marine animals dancing across the sky to the music; and, at the finale, the Sun ‘n Fun logo emblazoned at show center. The audience was mesmerized, but what most probably didn’t realize was there was one pilot behind all 500 of those artfully programmed lights—Haley Carpenter.
Haley’s career as head of the Starlight Aerial Productions division of Great Lakes Drone Company was born out of a love for Disney’s animation. As Chief Pilot for the company’s three lines of effort, which include Starlight, Great Lakes Rescue, and their nascent Farmbotics divisions, Haley oversees maintenance, programming, and operations for a wide range of drone applications. With Great Lakes Rescue, the company provides support to a variety of first responders in seven counties in Michigan, offering live-streaming—including infrared technology—to give on-scene commanders real-time visibility on emergencies ranging from fires to search and rescue and law enforcement operations. Their agricultural arm, Farmbotics, is set to provide aerial application services to supplement aircraft operations in tight spaces that present challenges to larger, less maneuverable airplanes and helicopters. Her most visible role, however, is programming and piloting drone light shows for night performances at airshows and other events with Starlight Aerial Productions, to include a spectacular backdrop for the 50th anniversary night shows at Sun ‘n Fun 2024.
Haley’s education, inspired by her enthusiasm for film and animation, seems at once an unlikely and a perfect fit for her role. She earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science with a focus on animation and her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Entertainment and Film Technologies from Full Sail University in Florida. These interests, along with a photography and videography drone hobby inspired Haley to go back to school for an associate degree in unmanned aerial systems and maritime technology programs (i.e. remotely operated vehicles underwater) from Northwestern Michigan College. She graduated from the program with her FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.
After a brief stint working for Disney, Haley signed on with Great Lakes Drone Company in 2022 and has supported over 200 aerial light shows as designer, pilot, or aerial observer. The company uses Lumenier ARORA lightshow drones, which can hold position in three dimensions in up to 25kts of wind and provide 360 degrees of full RGB-White color range. Each drone is the size of a textbook and weighs less than five pounds with battery. Most of Haley’s programs are for 100-drone shows. Sun ‘n Fun 2024 was a custom 500-drone show, and she programmed it in two weeks.
As Chief Pilot, Haley met with Sun ‘n Fun organizers to get a sense of their vision for the show, then designed images and programmed 3-D shapes, colors, movements, and timing for each craft. On show day, she managed preflight checks, launched the drones in sets of fifty, and monitored their flights and performances from a screen, never actually setting eyes on the show in real time. “The question we get asked the most, especially from little ones, is how many people are flying, and it’s one person using a computer to fly all 500 drones.”
Haley emphasizes the importance of safety in drone operations. She says the most critical phases are launch and recovery, particularly when there are people near the launch site. In flight, the most common issue they might encounter is a low battery, in which case they confirm the drone in question and recover it. Otherwise, once the drones are airborne, the show plays out as programmed.
Haley’s combination of an animation programming background and her knowledge of safe drone operating parameters uniquely qualifies her for her role. “Something we struggle with on a daily basis on any one of our fields is that we have pilots who show up with drones and don’t know their safety basics,” she says. As hobbyists, operators must pass The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST), the FAA minimum requirement for drone operations. Commercial operations of drones under 55 pounds require the more advanced Remote Pilot Certificate regulated under 14 CFR Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, which requires a more robust understanding of safe operations.
Her advice to anyone pursuing a career in drone operations is that they really focus on the safety aspect. “If you have any interest in any form of animation, it’s going to help you learn with the drones. The extra step for drone animation is drone safety; understanding how they operate and how they move so you can figure out how long it would take to make those shapes.”
Haley is motivated by the almost endless innovations possible with drones. For night aerial shows, her company hopes to develop ways to incorporate drone-based pyrotechnics and smoke for enhanced visual effects. More broadly, she’s eager to see what new applications present themselves in the future, to include drone delivery services, and sees herself growing with those innovations as a leader in their operations. “The industry is changing so much so fast, I’m just excited to see what happens.”
Great Lakes Drone Company Owner and CEO, Matthew Quinn, has this to say about Haley: “We’re immensely proud of Haley’s remarkable contributions to the Great Lakes Drone Company. Her mastery in blending cutting-edge drone technology with her passion for animation has not only elevated our capabilities at Starlight Aerial Productions but has also allowed us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in aerial entertainment. Haley’s vision and dedication exemplify our commitment to innovation and safety, setting new standards within the industry. Her work at Sun ‘n Fun’s 50th anniversary was a testament to the magic we aim to bring to every event, creating unforgettable experiences that captivate and inspire audiences worldwide.”
Haley Carpenter is a rising star in the world of drone operations worthy of the song that accompanied her opening act: “Welcome to the Future.”
