Jet Suit Takes Flight, New Drone Show Featured,
Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounters Premieres
DETROIT (Sept. 7, 2022) – The North American International Auto Show (aka Detroit Auto Show) today announced the black-tie Charity Preview will take flight with a thrilling display of personal mobility featuring the Gravity Jet Suit and a first-time drone spectacular that will illuminate the Detroit skyline with hundreds of drones. The Friday, Sept. 16 fundraiser at Huntington Place also will mark the premiere of the auto show’s Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounters.
Tickets to Charity Preview are $400 each or $700 a pair and are available at naias.com. Huntington is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2022 Charity Preview, and WXYZ-TV Channel 7 is the Official Television Partner of the gala.
Attendees will get a firsthand look at human flight as Gravity Industries helps kick off the evening with a grand entrance that takes a page from a superhero meets James Bond movie. Its patented 1,000-horsepower Jet Suit will show Charity Preview guests why it has captivated global audiences and social media, generating over two billion video views worldwide.
The Gravity Jet Suit holds the 2019 Guinness World Record for Jet Suit speed reaching an unprecedented 85.06 mph, and it is technically capable of reaching 12,000 feet. The Jet Suit, along with five other pioneers in the air mobility space, are part of the auto show’s new Air Mobility Experience with flight demonstrations and displays.
Charity Preview attendees will also enjoy an all-new spectacle over the skies of Detroit’s riverfront, featuring 300-400 drones flying 200 feet high and boasting 900 lumens of light each. Sponsored by Visit Detroit, the drone show, which will be able to be viewed from three miles away, is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Charity Preview night, with a repeat performance on opening day of the Public Show, Saturday, Sept. 17 at 9 p.m.
The gala, too, will highlight the premiere of the auto show’s all-new Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounters, a Jurassic walk-thru experience featuring off-road SUVs and trucks alongside some of the most life-like and life-size creatures from the prehistoric era. Held in the Huntington Place Ballroom, Charity Preview attendees will have the opportunity to preview the exhibit before it officially opens to the public on Saturday, Sept. 17.
In keeping with the philanthropic spirit of Charity Preview, a few dinosaurs will be making extra-special visits to area children’s hospitals, schools and organizations for children with special needs even before the dinosaurs make their way to Charity Preview and the auto show.
Gala guests will also experience hundreds of vehicles in addition to experiential activations, including Camp Jeep, Bronco Mountain, F-150 Lightning and Ram Truck rides. Music icon Nile Rodgers & CHIC will entertain on the main auto show floor with their legendary dance-floor hits like “Good Times” and “Le Freak,” while Your Generation in Concert follows up on the Atrium Stage with a variety of hits from throughout the decades.
“This year’s Charity Preview will give guests a chance to preview today’s latest vehicles and tomorrow’s future mobility, while experiencing some great dance music and fun activations, all for the benefit of the children in our community,” said Detroit Auto Show Chairman Joe Lunghamer.
The event runs from 6 to 11 p.m. (with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 5 p.m.) inside Huntington Place. Outside in Hart Plaza, the public is invited to join in celebrating this special night with a variety of entertainment featured and street food available for purchase, from 6 – 11 p.m.
Charity Preview has raised more than $100 million for children’s charities in Southeastern Michigan over the past 25 years alone. In total, the event has generated over $121 million since its inception in 1976. Beneficiaries for this year’s Charity Preview include:
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan
- The Children’s Center
- The Children’s Foundation
- Detroit Auto Dealers Association Charitable Foundation Fund, a fund of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan
- Detroit PAL
- University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital
About the North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show (aka Detroit Auto Show) is one of the most influential annual automotive events in the world and a showcase for emerging technologies. September of 2022 ushers in the next-generation auto show in Detroit featuring a totally transformed indoor and outdoor experience, including brand-defining vehicles, product ride-and-drives and dynamic experiential activations. The reimagined event includes: Media Day, an opportunity for automakers and industry suppliers to debut new products and technologies; Industry Tech Days, a chance to preview emerging mobility technologies and engage with innovators; AutoMobili-D, an inside look at future mobility platforms; Charity Preview, a signature fundraising gala for children’s charities; and the Public Show, a nine-day mobility and community celebration with activations and entertainment citywide. For more information, visit naias.com.
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Dates for the 2022 Detroit Auto Show are:
- Media Day, Wednesday, Sept. 14
- AutoMobili-D and Industry Tech Days, Wednesday, Sept. 14 and Thursday, Sept. 15
- Charity Preview, Friday, Sept. 16
- Public Show, Saturday, Sept. 17 through Sunday, Sept. 25
About Gravity Industries
Gravity Industries designs, builds and flies Jet Suits, pioneering a new era of human flight. The company was founded to challenge perceived boundaries in human aviation and to inspire others to dare to ask, “What if?” Launched in March 2017, the business secured $650,000 investment within the first two months from Tim and Adam Draper; Tim best known for his early investments in Baidu Inc., Tesla and Skype.
Gravity has since built a successful business spanning search and rescue, paramedic, entertainment and defense applications, as well as a flight training school, which is welcoming clients to learn to fly a Jet Suit (on a safety tether) at the world-renowned Goodwood Estate in the UK and at locations in the U.S. In the last five years, Gravity has also executed over 200 flight events across 38 countries.
