It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…no, it’s definitely a bird. For the people in Orlando on the night of Nov. 20, 2024 they were treated to a record-breaking drone show.

2,484 drones flew over the Orlando Convention Center as part of a Guinness World Record attempt. The record broken? “Largest aerial display of a bird formed by multi-rotors/drones.” And though not a formally-tracked record by Guinness standards, the drone show was the largest drone light show flown in the United States.

Drone light show company Sky Elements put on the show as part of IAAPA 2024, a massive conference all about theme parks. This year specifically, the IAAPA conference is heavily emphasizing drones, both for attractions like nighttime drone shows as well as practical use cases like cleaning.

Record-breaking drone shows

This particular show marks the Sky Elements team’s 10th Guinness World Record attempt. It also marks the company’s third attempt specifically at the IAAPA conference. Sky Elements broke two Guinness World Records at IAAPA Expo 2023 the prior year for the categories of “largest logo flown with multi-rotors/drones” and “largest flag created with multi-rotors or drones.”

Guinness World Records tracks about 65,000 world records, and there is a large handful having entirely to do with drone light shows. Other records up for grabs include the record for “Largest aerial display of a fictional character formed by multirotors / drones.” Sky Elements earned that one when it put 2,400 drones on the field of Petco Park in San Diego as part of a “Deadpool and Wolverine” themed show for San Diego Comic Con. Other notable records to its name include most remote-operated multi-rotor drones launching fireworks simultaneously.

India-based drone light show company, BotLab Dynamics last month broke 5 world records in less than 13 minutes in a single show that broke records including largest aerial logo display formed by drones.

What drones does Sky Elements use?

Sky Elements flies a model of drones from UVify called the IFO Swarm drones. In fact, Sky Elements was one of UVify’s first U.S. customers, and  Sky Elements has the largest standing fleet of IFO drones in the United States.

Sky Elements is the first company to have received FAA approval to fly pyro drones in the U.S. For its pyro shows, Sky Elements uses the UVify IFO-P, which is a retrofitted version of its IFO drone and is capable of carrying up to 12 pyrotechnics devices.

How to get your own light show drone

Each IFO drone costs $1,585. That means there’s going to be nearly $4 million in tech in the sky at one time tonight.

And should you want to buy your own, it’s relatively doable. UVify’s setup is a turnkey system, meaning everything needed is included. That means you get training, hardware, software, 24/7 support every day of the year, and access to the company’s Fleet Augmentation Bank. Shortened as FAB, it’s a rental network that enables operators in the UVify IFO network to access thousands more IFO drones to augment their fleet size at their convenience. That’s useful if, you know, you want to put on a world record attempt.

You can’t just buy a light show drone on Amazon or any other big store. You’ll have to reach out and email UVify’s sales team.

When you do, drop my name. It benefits you! Mention UVify coupon code DGIFO in your email for a 5% discount plus an additional free battery and set of high-performance props per IFO. 

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– BotLab Dynamics’ recent Amaravati Drone Summit 2024 was held in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India on October 22, where 5 Guinness World Records were broken with a display of 5,500 drones in a single show. Here are the key records set during the event: Largest Aerial Display of a Vehicle Formed by Multirotors/Drones  – A […]

Drone light shows have become a captivating blend of technology and artistry. One company at the forefront of the trend, Sky Elements, just made history by finishing third on AGT Season 19.

It’s a huge milestone considering no drone light show company has come anywhere near this far on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, let alone made a podium finish. Their AGT Season 19 run brought an innovative twist to a competition traditionally dominated by singers, dancers, and acrobats. Alas, Sky Elements didn’t win the final, $1 million prize, but they did cement their status as trailblazers in the world of entertainment.

“Inspirational, brilliants, unique,” said judge Simon Cowell of Sky Elements podium finish. “I think it was great for us, and I think it was great for you.”

How Sky Elements got so far on AGT Season 19

Sky Elements’ rise to prominence on AGT is nothing short of remarkable. For starters, they showed their prowess in mastering the technical challenges of using drones as artistic tools. That’s not just having the right hardware and software, but also working with the Federal Aviation Administration to fly swarms of drones over Pasadena.

From there, they brought in intricate choreography that was just as emotional as it was thoughtful.

In a finale packed with performances from world-class artists and entertainers, the drone specialists held their own, delivering one last breathtaking display outside the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. That was their fifth drone show to air on NBC’s America’s Got Talent.

Their audition nabbed a Golden buzzer from Simon Cowell. Perhaps the spacewalk who turned out to be, well, Simon Cowell himself, had something to do with it. They then performed a circus-themed drone show at Quarter Finals, which took them to an emotional Semi-Finals performance. That show memorialized the daughter of Sky Elements Chief Pilot Preston Ward. Named Briley Rose, she passed away as an infant. For the America’s Got Talent finale, which yours truly (that’s me, Drone Girl) attended live, Sky Elements performed a show called American Dream.

Winners were determined based on audience votes. The America’s Got Talent rules allow each person to submit up to 10 votes for every performer.

The final results of AGT Season 19

Ultimately Sky Elements didn’t get enough votes to win the top, $1 million spot. Here were the top 5, in order from position 5 all the way down to the top, gold medal spot:

5. Learnmore Jonasi – The comedian’s unique brand of humor and relatable storytelling earned him a spot in the top five.

4. Solange Kardinaly – The quick-change magician brought clever humor — and impeccable sewing skills — to the stage.

3. Sky Elements – The drone show company amazed audiences with their precise and colorful light shows, using hundreds of drones to create unforgettable spectacles.

2. Roni Sagi & Rhythm – The electrifying dancers (one of which is a dog) fused rhythm and incredibly choreography.

1. Richard Goodall – The singing janitor stole America’s hearts — and ultimately nabbed the $1 million prize.

A star-studded finale

The AGT finale wasn’t just about the competition. The episode featured performances by some of the biggest names in entertainment. Olympic legend Simone Biles promoted her Gold Over America Tour, while The Voice coach Michael Bublé serenaded the audience with his classic crooner style. Neal Schon and members of Journey performed timeless hits (including a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” with winner Richard Goodall.

Others in the top 10 performed alongside already-famous performers. For example, DJ Steve Aoki spun a set in tandem with AIRFOOTWORKS.

For us, though, the highlight was Sky Elements’ top-three finish, which highlights a turning point for tech-driven performance art on mainstream stages.

Want to learn how to make your own drone light show? Check out the Drone Dojo light show kit, which starts at just $1,000. Or, check out the even more robust DroneBlocks Light Show Kit which includes more drones for $7,500.

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They’ve got talent. Sky Elements, alongside the other nine finalists, gave it their all on Tuesday night for the live performance of the America’s Got Talent finale. It’ll be a tough task for America to have to decide the winners. But we’ll go ahead and admit our bias and say it absolutely should be Sky Elements.

It’s not just because Drone Girl has a penchant for drones. Sky Elements has truly done what’s never been done before. They’re the first drone act of any kind of make it this far in the NBC-backed talent show, which is now in its 19th season.

And of course, every act is complex. The Hakuna Matata Acrobatic group performed not just complicated stunts, but complicated stunts done on a rolling barrel while wearing blindfolds. Sebastian and Sonia, who are aerial stunt performers, still plowed through their performance despite Sonia’s wrist injury. Roni of Roni & Rhythm has to coordinate with a performer who isn’t even human (aka it’s her dog).

But the Sky Elements drone show took on a special kind of challenge. Sky Elements also relies on non-human performers, being their massive fleet of drones. Their performance ends up higher in the air than any aerialist would ever go. And hey, their act even requires approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to pull off.

The Sky Elements ‘American Dream’ finale

For their final performance, Sky Elements paid tribute to the American Dream in an act that paid all sorts of tributes to the American dream. That included images of someone sailing to America, a train car, a patriotic eagle and the Statue of Liberty. It was set to the song “A Million Dreams” by Pink.

Watch it for yourself below:

Watching America’s Got Talent in-person (and how it’s different than the real show)

I was there in person to document the finale performance, live. It films at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, where the vibes are electric. Oh, and loud. (If you ever see America’s Got Talent in-person, bring ear plugs, as the cheering is the loudest you’ll ever here.)

Now most acts occur live. But, the drone segment was pre-recorded. That’s a necessary measure because it’s not dark enough to see the drones when the show goes live (which is 5 p.m. PT). Even though the drones were the last act, that occurred around 6:50 p.m. PT, which is four minutes before the day’s official sunset time.

But that didn’t diminish the impact of their performance. On the screen, their drones danced and twirled, painting the night sky with patterns paying tribute to America’s history. That’s fitting for America’s Got Talent.

For people in the audience, what viewers at-home saw was also aired on the screen — enabling the judges to give feedback too. And when the recording ended, the Sky Elements team took the stage, and the crowd still erupted in cheers. Their passion for making drone shows is infectious.

Less than a day after NBC posted the clip of the Sky Elements America’s Got Talent finale to its YouTube channel, it has already racked up nearly 100,000 views and more than 200 comments. Commenters called it the “Best act I’ve ever seen on AGT, ever” and proof of “why they should win the whole thing.”

Sky Elements is one of the 10 teams vying for the $1 million final prize. The winner will be named in a special, crowning show set for this Thursday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. ET.

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