A fly system is a system of ropes, counterweights, pulleys, and other such tools within a theatre designed to allow a technical crew to quickly move set pieces, lights, and microphones on and off stage by 'flying' them in from a large opening above the stage known as a flyspace, flyloft, fly tower, or fly gallery.
Types of fly systems
There are many types of systems that are made of different materials and operated in different fashions. The most common type in permanent theaters is the counterweight system. Other types include the pin-rail system which relies on sand bags as counterweights and uses a single main pulley to hold the control line, and motorized system which use electrical motors to move a load. Some older theatres use traditional non-counterweight systems, referred to as 'Hemp' houses. This refers to the material of the ropes. Hemp houses are human-powered and need a skilled fly crew to safely move scenery in and out.
Counterweight fly system
Structure and operation
In a typical counterweight line set, a counterweight-carrying arbor moves up and down a track parallel to a wall. The arbor is attached to several steel cables which weave around a series of pulleys at the very top of the fly tower (above the stage) and attach to a long pipe, or batten that is the width of the stage. The combined weight of the arbor and the counterweight inside it initially matches that of the batten, so both are equally balanced on the series of pulleys above the stage. A long rope or operating line, attached to both the bottom and the top of the arbor feed through two pulleys underneath and above the arbor's entire movement track, allowing an operator to pull the rope up or down and move the arbor and pipe batten with ease.
As more weight is added to the pipe batten (in the form of curtains, scenery, lighting equipment, and rigging hardware), it is counter-weighted by adding more steel weights to the arbor. This enables an operator to "lift" the load on the pipe off the ground and fly it "out" (meaning "up" in theatrical terms) sometimes as high as 70 feet (clear above the stage and above the proscenium). Some theatres have 50 or more individual parallel sets of lines running up the length of an off-stage wall in a theatre, while some venues only have a very few line sets, for the most commonly adjusted things such as electrics.
Arbor
An arbor is a steel frame which holds counterweights and is moved vertically opposite of the batten. The bottom attaches to the purchase (control) line, which runs around the tension sheave, through the lockrail, up over the head sheave and back down with the hoisting cables (or lift lines typically made of galvanized aircraft steel cable) to attach at the top of the arbor. The hoisting cables run from the top of the arbor, up around the head sheave, across the stage to the loft sheave (attached to the gridiron (grid) over the stage) and down to the batten. When the arbor is raised (via the purchase line) the hoisting cables slacken, which causes the batten over the stage to lower. Complementary to this process, when the arbor is lowered, it pulls the hoisting cables down causing the batten over stage to raise up.
Weights
Counterweights are a key part of the fly system. They are placed on the arbor and balance the load being flown; they counterweight it. Weights are usually made of lead or steel and vary in thickness from 1 to 3 inches (76 mm). Weights are usually loaded from the loading bridge, but can also be loaded from the fly gallery or locking rail. It is customary to paint the weights that counterweight the batten (pipe) yellow; these weights should not be removed. When draperies are flown permanently, their respective weights are also painted yellow. Finally, weights usually have a flat corner for easy removal. It is customary to stack weights in an alternating manner, with the flat corner opposite to the opposite side as the previous weight.
Counterweights are generally made of flame-cut steel and come in various sizes. The footprint of each weight is approximately identical, but they typically come in thicknesses of .5, 1, 1.5, and 2 inches (51 mm). Counterweight systems are generally built to use either 4 or 6-inch (150 mm) wide plates. Counterweights are sometimes also known as 'bricks' or simply 'steel'. Often a rigging worker will simply be asked to load a number of inches of steel, which correlates to a specific weight.
Batten
A long steel pipe which moves up into the flyspace and down onto the stage, usually parallel to the proscenium arch and to the stage floor.
Locking rail
A locking rail is located on the stage deck, or on a backstage catwalk, usually perpendicular to the proscenium arch, generally extending from the proscenium line to the back wall. It has a rope lock for each lineset, a built in lever-operated clamp which keeps a balanced load from drifting, as well as a safety lock. There is also usually a headset system or a cue light system to signal the flyrail crew. It is possible to load (add counterweights) from this rail, but it is considered more proper to load weight at the loading bridge.
Single vs. Double Purchase
Single purchase systems are simpler and more common than double purchase systems. The difference is that instead of the lift lines (wire rope) and operation line (fiber rope) terminating at the arbor, they run through an extra set of blocks and terminate at the head block (above) and tension block (below). This has the effect of giving the arbor a mechanical disadvantage of 1:2 as compared to the batten. The arbor must carry twice the weight of the batten to remain balanced, but only travels half the distance. For every foot of hand line the operator pulls, the batten moves two; this allows for balanced systems to move in and out much more quickly. Because the travel of the arbor is half that of the fly tower, the loading rail could be placed only halfway up, but it is more common to raise the operating rail to that height and leave the loading rail at the top. This allows for open space underneath the entire lineset wall, so that the operating rail can be just offstage but the amount of useful floorspace is not reduced. Note: The operating line is not actually required to pass through the extra blocks for the arbor/batten relationship to change; it is still helpful since it gives the operator a 2:1 advantage over the effective weight of the arbor, which is likely to carry more steel than in a single purchase system.
Hazards
Conterweight fly systems can be very dangerous if not operated by a competent and trained technician. Runaway situations can occur when the weight on the arbor is not equal to the weight of the batten and its load, especially since it is not uncommon to unbalance the bar to facilitate quick flying in one direction. When this happens, gravity could lift a person off the ground and up several feet in the air, creating both a drop and collision risk. Communication and inspection is key to maintaining and operating a safe fly system. A standard practice in theatre is for the flyman to always call out a warning before flying anything in. This alerts any rehearsing performers or working technicians on stage to be aware that an object is being flown in and to be alert. People on stage generally acknowledge the operators warning by yelling out a confirmation that the warning was heard.
Hemp Systems
Construction
A hemp system, so named for the type of rope that was once used for rigging, is another type of fly system. A purchase line (rope) is run to the grid, with one end dangling for the operator and one end holding sandbag counterweights. A trim clamp, commonly known as a 'knuckle-buster' is attached to the purchase line and the lift line(s) which attach to the scenery or batten. When there is no rope to pull the sandbags up, the batten is kept a few pounds heavier than the counterweight, so that the scenery can be flown in. In some hemp systems a separate line (often called a "bag line) is attached to the sandbags and rigged through a sheave above the operating rail, and is used to pull the sandbags upward, causign the scenery to move in toward the stage. A pin rail is used to tie off, or belay the hauling end of a rope. A knot keeps the scenery in place when the set is not moving.
Many theaters have permanent pin rails installed along the edg
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