Foy Flight Automation . . .
Just as Peter
Foy was the pioneer of modern stage flight in the 20th
Century, so to
was he the pioneer of stage flight automation. In his
work with the Ice Capades, it
became apparent that the speed, forces at play, and
complexity of choreography demanded
systems beyond the capacity of manual operation. Now into the 21st
Century,
as this new chapter in flight technology dawns, Flying
by Foy once again stands as a leader,
with its decades of experience in this field.
The automated approach is not always
the best approach. Many times classical,
hand-operation is still the better choice; but when
shows demand it, nothing beats the
services of Flying by Foy Flight Automation
Services. Here is a tiny sampling of
some of our system components.
|
IW8 Winch -
Unveiled at LDI 2007
This innovative winch system
mounts within a standard 12" truss, and has thus
proven ideal for large touring productions. The
system provides 60' of lift
and 120' of travel in its standard
configuration. It is rated to lift 300 lbs at
7 feet per second |
|
DW-V2 Winch -
Unveiled at LDI 2007
Barbara Foy is shown here
proudly posing with the IW-8's big brother.
This winch system features a flexible mounting
system. It can
lift 400 lbs at 5 fps, 200 pounds at 10fps, or
100 pounds at 15 fps.
Our systems are precision
engineered and custom built in house to exacting
standards.
|
|
 |
|
Pegasus DMAC
Control System
Both of the above
winches are run on Foy's unique
custom engineered
Pegasus Control System. The system
is Windows-based and has an
extremely user-friendly front end
for the writing, editing, and
storage of cues. The system is
capable of hundreds of axis of
motion control. An option to
remotely interrogate the system once
it is installed is also available,
as is a wireless handheld control
option.
Depicted to the
right is our standard
5-axis compact control console
|
 |
|
|
Winches and Consoles are Just the Start!
The needs of Film and modern
arena shows can be very complex and exacting.
Often performers are required to spin, pitch,
corskscrew, and even fly in multi-performer
rotational patterns. Flying by Foy shines in
these circumstances, designing, with its staff
of engineers complex automation systems allowing
for sophisticated control of performers through
any number of flight geometries and
circumstances. A tiny sampling of these systems
are depicted below.
 |
|
The following rig was
developed for Céline Dion's Las Vegas show. The
requirement was for a couple to fly
independently into the air, join up, and then to
continue in flight while circling one another.
The flying effect was magnificent!
 |
|
Putting it Together
This is one of our favorite
examples of such engineering in the service of
art. In this new musical, Nina and the Twelve
Months, produced in Tokyo, 13 performers fly
simultaneously. 12 lift in sequence, forming a
circle in the air, revolving, separating, and
then landing individually, whilst Nina spirals
in the center.
 |
|
