Comment on LIFT Aircraft Introduces First Pay-Per-Flight eVTOL Experience by Walter S. Kyle

I hold an ATP ME LAND, FIRST CLASS MEDICAL and an expired CFI (Gold Seal) Single, Multi, Instrument and Glider ratings with over 1,000 hours of Instruction and over 10;000 hours Pt 135 PIC in both Cessna 402s in New England and 1,100 hours PT 135 in a BE-99.

Part 107 licensed also.

First Class Medical, current, No Restrictions.

How do I apply for thr ainstructors position advertised on Glassdoor

Comment on Clearing the Air on New Jersey’s Drone Sightings by Tm

Definitely not misidentified. I was kind of suspicious as well after seeing grainy nighttime cell phone videos but tonight while in Wayne I witnessed three. I said to my son oh look a drone as the noise is undeniable as it was approaching our direction. As it got closer he said why are they so big. Soon after we saw another flying in perpendicular direction and then another one parallel to first one. You can’t mistake a drone sound for anything else.

5 best ways drones are celebrating Christmas in 2024

As Christmas lights twinkle and carolers sing, drones are taking holiday cheer to new heights—literally! From spectacular light shows to delivering holiday surprises, here are the most innovative ways drones are spreading festive joy this season.

1. With world’s longest drone show

Sky Elements shattered records with a dazzling 30-minute drone display over the past weekend. Featuring thousands of drones, this show told a sweet story about a penguin and a snowman. The show, held in Texas, marked Sky Elements’ 12th Guinness World Record ever and required rotating three fleets in and out in order to run a show that long.

Watch a condensed version of the 30-minute show here:

2. By delivering Christmas gifts (more efficiently than Santa)

Just in time for Christmas, as of December 2024, two Dallas shopping malls now offer drone delivery as a service. Done in partnership with Google-affiliated Wing, DoorDash and real estate investment company Brookfield Properties (which owns the two Texas malls), the service marks the first such mall drone deliveries in the U.S.

Though, Wing has successfully run drone deliveries at malls in Australia.

3. By giving Santa gets a (really) big drone

To build hype for its DJI Agras T50 drone, drone maker DJI shared a video made by Instagrammer Bry183 that makes Santa a drone pilot. It’s year 2024, so let’s do it, Santa!

4. By flying through everything Christmasy

What’s it like being, like, literally in Christmas? My friends over at AirVuz put together an epic collection of their best Christmas-related FPV flight reels. They show holiday light displays (and give you some epic neighborhood tours), they fly through the “A Christmas Story” house and they even capture Santa skiing. There’s too much good stuff in here not to miss.

5. With some great drone sales

Christmas may be tomorrow, but there’s still time to get someone you love a drone-related gift. I’ve put together a guide to the best, last-minute Christmas gift ideas for drone pilots.

Think shipping is always slow to your house? Not so! Many of my favorite gifts are digital gifts, meaning no shipping (and no wrapping) needed. You definitely can’t go wrong with an online course via something like a Drone Dojo Subscription ($27) or the Drone Pilot Ground School’s Part 107 test prep course ($199 with discount code DRONEGIRL100).

Other digital gifts include software, like an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription ($450).

And come post-Christmas, I’m expecting some even bigger sales. Check major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and DJI’s own store for flash sales and bundle discounts that include extra batteries or carrying cases. Keep an eye out for refurbished options — they’re often significantly discounted and rigorously tested to perform like new.

What are you doing for Christmas this year? Do you have a festive drone tie-in? Tell me in the comments!

The post 5 best ways drones are celebrating Christmas in 2024 appeared first on The Drone Girl.

Sky Elements shatters world record for longest drone animation with Christmas spectacle

It’s been a good and bad weekend for North Texas-based drone light show company Sky Elements. Yesterday we gave an update on a drone show put on by the company in Lake Eola, Florida, where footage shows multiple drones colliding out of control and falling into the lake and on land.

One boy ended up in the hospital after being struck by one of those out-of-control drones. According to CNN affiliate WESH, the injuries were so severe that the boy underwent open-heart surgery.

Read more about that story here.

But in other news — this time over in Texas — Sky Elements achieved a groundbreaking milestone on Dec. 20, 2024. They’ve broken all sorts of records, but this record is unique. Sky Elements shattered the Guinness World Record for the “Longest Animation Performed by UAVs or Drones.”

In collaboration with the City of North Richland Hills, the American drone show company Sky Elements flew 2,500 drones that told a darling Christmas story across the sky in a dazzling 30-minute display. And being such a long show, this one had a full story behind it involving penguins and a snowman.

This historic event marked Sky Elements’ 12th Guinness World Record. Michael Empric, a Guinness World Records adjudicator, was present to officially verify the accomplishment.

The event took place at the Birdville ISD Fine Arts/Athletics Complex. There, attendees watched the show from their cars, tuning in to 88.9 FM to experience the synchronized audio that complemented the visuals, evoking a modern-day drive-in movie experience.

Watch a condensed version of the 30-minute show here:

The previous record

The achievement surpassed the previous record of 26 minutes and 26 seconds, held by a Chinese drone company in Shenzhen, Guangdong.

That show happened a few years back and was put on by Shenzhen HighGreat Innovation Technology Development Co., a company that also makes light show drones. During that show, HighGreat actually broke what at the time was four new Guinness World Records, including the largest number of drones flying simultaneously (5,164), the largest light image (composed by 5,184 drones), the longest animation show performed by drones (26 minutes and 26 seconds), and the largest number of varied consecutive formations by a single fleet (88).

Why the new Sky Elements record matters: a shift in drone innovation

(Photo courtesy of Sky Elements)

In recent months, conversations around drone records often centered on sheer size — how many drones could take flight in synchronized displays. While impressive, the frequent breaking of such records has begun to feel reminiscent of the early days of drone delivery, when novelty milestones like delivering pizzas, sandwiches or coffee dominated headlines.

The past weekend’s record-breaking drone show shift the focus to technological advancements, particularly in flight duration and animation complexity. Sky Elements’ latest record isn’t just a bigger number; it’s a leap forward in drone technology. Extending drone show times to 30 minutes requires advanced hardware, software and meticulous planning. In fact, this show rotated three fleets in and out, which enabled them to run a show that long.

This record underscores significant progress in both battery efficiency and drone reliability as well as drone show planning. All of those qualities are crucial factors for the future of drone applications beyond entertainment, such as search and rescue, agriculture, and logistics.

The technology behind the show

Sky Elements relies on UVify drones, which are made by American drone company UVify and manufactured in South Korea. The company’s are largely considered the best light show drones you can buy, known for their precision and performance. Uvify’s drones are engineered to excel in demanding environments, offering extended battery life, high-speed capabilities and robust durability. The drones cost about $1,500 each.

UVify also rolled out a new rental network that makes putting on ultra-massive systems possible, by way of what’s called the FAB (Fleet Augmentation by UVify) rental system. With it, UVify implements a revenue-share system where customers who use extra drones share show revenue with UVify in exchange for borrowing their drones.

Want to buy your own set of UVify IFO drones? Mention UVify promo code DGIFO to your UVify sales representative to receive a 5% discount plus an additional free battery and set of high-performance props per IFO. 

What to know about Sky Elements

This latest feat is just one of many in Sky Elements’ portfolio. Sky Elements is now a 12-time Guinness World Record holder, including another reason record-breaking drone show in Texas involving firework drones, plus a show at IAAPA 2024 that put 2,484 drones over the Orlando Convention Center to break the record for “Largest aerial display of a bird formed by multi-rotors/drones.”  The company was also a finalist on “America’s Got Talent.”

The company will likely face some setbacks after that Orlando drone show that went wrong

Still the company has earned a reputation for pushing the boundaries of drone entertainment, previously setting records for the largest drone show in the U.S. and creating displays for high-profile events like the MLB World Series, NFL games and movie premieres.

The post Sky Elements shatters world record for longest drone animation with Christmas spectacle appeared first on The Drone Girl.