Girandolas safe for shows?

[Kooooou]

I am thinking about starting my NY and J4 shows with some girandola launches of 4-6 at a time, but have always questioned their safety due to erratic flight patterns and also the possibility for large chunks falling back into the crowd due to the design and altitudes they gain. The "hog" girandolas I have on hand so far have tested out great though, with all 4 tests flying straight up every time and following the break, I could never find remains (sadly only tested them during pitch black nights). Has anyone had bad experiences with girandolas, either with their flight or large debris fallout? I'm leaning towards not using them in shows with crowds nearby (specifically on a 30 acre field), but am wondering what others' opinions or experiences have been. Thanks in advance.

[Big Worm]

LOVE em! I've never had a problem with one not flying straight. I have had one not lift and blow up in the launcher. The frames will fall back down somewhere. Don't use them if your crowd is close.

[cptnding]

I absolutely love them but I honestly feel like I'm rolling the dice every time I shoot one. Except for the little reloadable ones anyway.
Obviously lots of setback helps but those things can go a long long way. How far would they be from your audience? Early this year I sent up 6 larger ones similar to the hog ones and 2 of the frames landed about 30-40 feet from they audience and they were launched every bit of 250' away. And they did not take a wrong turn on the way up.
I've never seen a mishap but twice I have seen them take a wrong turn and go over and well behind the audience. Once was at a wholesale demo and once was in a show. The guy who used to do the announcements for the PGI competitions would always joke " you can run but you can't hide" lol.
At the last PGI I had a chance to talk to one of the well know girandola builders and he stressed the fact that they need a much longer rod to launch off than what is in the consumer and 1.4pro versions. His opinion was that the 3 or 4 inches that is provided with these is what causes most of the unpredictability. They do not have enough time to spin up and stabilize. I haven't tested this but I plan to over the winter.
If the "hog" ones you have are like the ones I have shot they are very nice. I had a few of the sexy version and the header was impressive. It wouldn't hurt my feelings to remove the girandola from the cake though. All the shots before it launches were pretty weak and slow paced for my tastes.

[cptnding]

Oh yeah the first Dominator pro one I launched turned and went about 75 feet just above the ground into the side of my riding mower. Very funny at the time. I've sent up cases of them since without any problems.

[Robbro097]

I bought a case of dominator 1s for my show this year but chickened out when i didn't have time to test prior to making my script. Thanks for reminding me i really wanna shoot those

[Kooooou]

Thanks for the replies! The audience will be between 100-150ft away only, and that depends on the spot I pick on the land. The hog ones I have are banger only, so not the sexy version. They'll be a unique addition to any show but with the limited distance I have, and the experiences shared here and by other fellow pyro buddies has me thinking I won't use them for more than a fun shoot. I'll look at stabilizing them more, and will also try a daytime test to see how far apart these larger girandolas fragment, but definitely have to think about the audience's safety.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

The announcer at PGI also said "Girandola is Italian for "Which way to the crowd?" As a PGI Safety Team guy I was asked to provide oversight of the amateur girandola contest shoot this year. I was way off to the side, in line with the row of launching posts. I still had 3 come directly at me after liftoff. The rest all went straight towards the crowd. It was unbelievable. Like someone steered them purposely at the crowd. There was maybe 3-4 that went straight up.

I love them. They are super cool. But it only takes 1 incident/accident before you lose your house and life savings. I don't love them that much.

[Kooooou]

Yep Rick, I've decided not to use them for shows. They should still be ok for fun shoots where there is room to run should anyone have to. Sounds like you had some heat-seeking girandolas at PGI. The house and savings account are things I can't afford to lose, and the wifey would follow shortly after.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I don't know if they were heat seeking, but they sure found my happy ass! That's okay. We had willows raining down on us during one of the shows when we Florida boys were freezing our asses off. So we welcomed that heat. Made for some cool video too.

I think you made the right call on those girandolas. The winner of the large girandole competition sat at our table for the PGI dinner at the end of the convention. He was telling us how he tests all his components to ensure they fly right. This is some PhD level s--t that went right over my head. My hat is off to anyone that can build that stuff.

[NWA_Fireworks]

The announcer at PGI also said "Girandola is Italian for "Which way to the crowd?" As a PGI Safety Team guy I was asked to provide oversight of the amateur girandola contest shoot this year. I was way off to the side, in line with the row of launching posts. I still had 3 come directly at me after liftoff. The rest all went straight towards the crowd. It was unbelievable. Like someone steered them purposely at the crowd. There was maybe 3-4 that went straight up.

I love them. They are super cool. But it only takes 1 incident/accident before you lose your house and life savings. I don't love them that much.

Was this the competition from the girandola class (using ice cream buckets)? My whole family participated in that one. Ours did well enough. Not like the one that literally landed on the judges table!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

It was Sir! I thought for sure that one would be the winner. That was too cool. But I was happy to see the lady from New Zealand win.