Travel and commuting – The Durango Herald

Utah’s Arches to require timed tickets as visitation swells

SALT LAKE CITY – A Utah national park famed for its otherworldly sandstone arches will require visitors to get timed-entry tickets during its high season next year, the second Utah park to i...

DATE: Dec 11, 2021 | CATEGORY: Regional News

Will flight restrictions help as new virus variant emerges?

A new coronavirus variant identified in southern Africa is leading to a new round of travel restrictions just as many had finally begun to ease. The risks of the variant, called omicron, ar...

DATE: Nov 29, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

Is travel safe during the pandemic this holiday season?

Is travel safe during the pandemic this holiday season? It depends. It can be safe if you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but officials say people who haven’t gotten the shots should d...

DATE: Nov 22, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

National parks to offer look into green-friendly transit

Americans may soon get a better glimpse into a future of green-friendly transportation by visiting a U.S. national park. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Transportation Secretary Pete Butt...

DATE: Nov 18, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

U.S. Park Service, tourism group partner to highlight tribes

ALBUQUERQUE – The National Park Service has partnered with a tourism association to ensure the contributions, cultures and traditions of Native Americans are incorporated into exhibits and p...

DATE: Oct 28, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

United States issues its 1st passport with 'X' gender marker

DENVER – The United States has issued its first passport with an “X” gender designation, marking a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who do not identify as male or female,...

DATE: Oct 27, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

U.S. details new international COVID-19 travel requirements

WASHINGTON – Children under 18 and people from dozens of countries with a shortage of vaccines will be exempt from new rules that will require most travelers to the United States be vaccinat...

DATE: Oct 25, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

‘Into the Wild’ bus on display during preservation work

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A bus that people sometimes embarked on deadly pilgrimages to Alaska’s backcountry to visit can now safely be viewed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks while it underg...

DATE: Oct 18, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

New landmark recognizes Chinese contributions to Yosemite

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – A century-old building originally used as a laundry by Chinese workers at Yosemite’s iconic Wawona Hotel has been restored and turned into a visitor's attrac...

DATE: Oct 4, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

Q&A: America’s new COVID-19 rules for international travel

WASHINGTON – The Biden administration is rolling out new international travel policies affecting Americans and noncitizens alike who want to fly into the U.S. The goal is to restore more nor...

DATE: Sep 21, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

Wildfires, smoke snuff out outdoor adventures across the nation

LOS ANGELES – Andy Farquhar’s plans for an outdoor adventure have gone up in smoke twice this summer. The retired attorney and teacher from the Philadelphia area had planned to hike with a ...

DATE: Sep 9, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

How Sept. 11 changed air travel: More security, less privacy

DALLAS – Ask anyone old enough to remember travel before Sept. 11, 2001, and you’re likely to get a gauzy recollection of what flying was like. There was security screening, but it wasn’t a...

DATE: Sep 6, 2021 | CATEGORY: Travel

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Patriotic drone show unfolds above Durango’s night skyAbout 1,200 people watched production from city Transit Center

One hundred forty drones took to the skies above Greenmount Cemetery at 10 p.m. sharp Saturday in a glowing and patriotic spectacle featuring vibrant images colored red, white and blue against the black backdrop of night.About 1,200 people gathered Saturday at the Durango Transit Center to watch the city’s premiere drone show produced by Verge Aero after a street dance and band performance by McCurry Trio and Desert Child for Independence Day celebrations.Spectators were treated to drone depictions of the American flag, star patterns, a soaring bald eagle and a homage to the city with drones flying in formation to spell out “Durango” to close out the street dance that started at 6 p.m. Across the valley from Greenmount Cemetery, the headlights of cars shined from Rim Drive near Fort Lewis College where more spectators watched.

Ellen Babers, Durango community events administrator, said the show went well. She heard “Ooh’s” and “ah’s” from the crowd when the drones transitioned from one image to another.She said a segment that consisted of stars rotating at various intervals, shrinking into smaller stars before expanding into the shape of a larger star, appeared to be a crowd favorite.“People really liked the Durango part,” she said. “When it spelled out Durango, people seemed surprised. Like, ‘Oh, this isn’t just a generic show, this is about us.’”Other images included an outline of the continental United States, the letters “USA,” and a spinning globe shape that gave the drone show a 3D feel.

The drones were laid out earlier in the evening in a square grid, with each drone placed 4 feet apart. Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer of the drone show, worked with a crew of about six people, including volunteers. Saturday evening at Greenmount Cemetery where the drones launched and landed, Peter Smiatek, pilot and designer with Verge Aero, and his crew of about six people, including volunteers, had laid all the drones out on the grass in a square grid. Each drone was placed four feet apart. Smiatek synced the drones to a GPS and radio tower in preparation for the evening’s show. Six minutes before takeoff, a deer wandered straight past the drone grid, narrowly avoiding stepping on them.“That could have been a disaster,” Smiatek said as his crew scanned the nearby area with flashlights. No other deer were visible.Two minutes before takeoff, the crew’s portable generator shut off – out of gas.

“We have double secure power,” he said. “The generator fell off two minutes before the show started. It’s like Murphy’s law, anything that could happen will happen. So it’s best to be prepared.”During prep, the crew ran several tests with the drones. The drones shot up 3 to 4 meters, hovered for about one second and then dropped back to their designated grid space on the grass.

Smiatek worked from a makeshift command station where his laptop and transmission tower were perched.“The base station is the heart of the show,” he said. “It’s a computer and it’s a distribution system connected to radios and an antenna. And that’s it, basically. Very flexible and a good system.”Chris Lutts, vice president of sales at Verge Aero, said he thinks Durangoans enjoyed the performance. From Greenmount Cemetery, he could hear the cheers and whistles of the audience at the Durango Transit Center.“The people we’ve been working with have been great,” he said. “Clearly, the city enjoyed it, so that’s awesome. That’s why we do this. It’s no different than any other entertainment, man. You love that feedback. It’s validation that what you’re doing is something that people really like.”cburney@durangoherald.com