Sue Osborn is chief pilot and head of operations for Skyshows Photo: NCA.
All up, Sue Osborn was piloting military drones over Afghanistan for around 12 years.
“What you see in Hollywood and in movies, you know, there’s a slight piece that’s truthful,” she says.
“People think it’s exciting all the time. There’s about 90 per cent of watching nothing and then 10 per cent of excitement.”
When she was discharged after a 27-and-a-half-year career in the Army following a knee replacement, she knew what to do. She worked part-time for a drone and robotic consulting company while also getting her own Brisbane-based company off the ground – Skyshows.
As the chief pilot and head of operations chosen by the National Capital Authority (NCA) to oversee the drone show over Lake Burley Griffin this Australia Day weekend, she promises 100 per cent excitement.
More than 600 drones, each measuring 25 cm and weighing 340 g, will perform a series of choreographed ‘stories’ every night from 25 to 27 January. The first salvo takes off at 8:30 pm, followed by the second at 9:30 and the last at 10:30. Each story lasts 15 minutes.
“Every drone knows where it’s going to be, how it’s going to get there to avoid a collision, how long they’ll stay there and what colour they’ll be – it’s all preprogrammed,” Sue says.
More than 600 drones will form the ‘stories’. Photo: National Capital Authority.
It might not be the same experience as flying 180 kg military drones over distances of 150 km, but Sue says the skills are comparable.
“Having to control a lot of things in a confined space – it’s kind of similar,” she says.
“Veterans, outside of the Army, always have something to offer. We’re definitely capable of transitioning our skills into other roles.”
Skyshows founders Sue Osborn and Andrew Crowe. Photo: Sue Osborne.
Together with best friend and former boss Andrew Crowe (who served alongside her in Afghanistan), Sue formed Skyshows in 2021 and won their first big contract with Elevate Sydney in January 2022. Since then, they’ve also done the Brisbane River Fire and Christmas Noël Sydney show and opened the NSW Art Gallery with a drone show.
“We’re quite selective – the shows we put on tell a story through the people or place or culture rather than entertainment logos in the sky,” she says.
Sue was previously in Canberra during a posting to the Royal Military College (Duntroon) and says the lake is ideal for the show.
“The space we have in terms of the aerial canvas is huge. It’s about 250-metre frontage, so that’s the biggest show we’ve ever had.”
On the night, she’ll be stationed at the ‘control tower’ on Rond Terrace.
“My job is to oversee and verify the steps the pilot is taking. I also do the airspace control and the ground risk control. I brief safety boats, the ground crew, and everyone in between, and then give the countdown to NCA for when we’re about to launch.”
The orange dots mark the best viewing locations. Photo: NCA.
Her proudest moment is when she can relax at the end of each show and hear the crowd cheer and whoop in delight.
“As the chief pilot, I don’t get too excited until the last drone lands because I don’t want to jinx myself … But yeah, definitely hearing the crowd afterwards is the best moment.”
Visit the NCA website for more information on the Drone Sky Show. No tickets are required, but registration via Eventbrite is encouraged.
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