New partnership introduces plans for eVTOL-based air travel, including a pre-order for 10 aircraft SkyDrive Inc., a Japanese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer, has partnered with South Carolina-based SAI Flight and Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) to explore commercial air taxi routes and other innovative applications. The collaboration, formalized through a Memorandum of […]
Military End-Users Evaluate Over 35 Drone Platforms at Twentynine Palms (all images credit Defense Innovation Unit) On November 8, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) held the first annual Blue UAS Refresh event at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. The three-day event brought together more than 40 military drone end-users […]
If you’re a drone pilot hoping to get an advance on 2024 Black Friday deals, you’re in luck. It seems that holidays like Halloween and Christmas seem to start earlier and earlier every year. And in 2024, the same holds true for Black Friday.
Many great 2024 Black Friday deals are already out. Companies are competing with each other for your dollars — and presumably brands want to get your dollars before another one did.
Sure, the early marketing emails are annoying, but the good news is that you don’t have to wait until Black Friday to get your deals shopping done. Speaking of marketing emails, I’ve been gathering deals from the top brands all season. I’ve been filtering out which ones are actually worthwhile (after all, I’ve been tracking drones and their prices for more than a decade!).
And with that, I’ve put together an early guide to 2024 Black Friday deals for drone pilots that are actually worth it.
Sally French, The Drone Girl, reviews the DJI Air 3 in July 2023.
Price: $1,240 (normally $1,549)
DJI dropped its DJI Air 3S drone this fall, offering a spiffier version of the original Air 3. Among its biggest improvements are better omnidirectional obstacle sensing, a new Panorama mode and expanded internal storage (42GB up from just 8 on the DJI Air 3). It’s no secret that in a battle between the DJI Air 3 vs. DJI Air 3S, the latter is better. But that assumes the same price point.
The Air 3S Fly More Combo with DJI RC 2 retails for the same price as the DJI Air 3 on normal days. But for Black Friday 2024, the Air 3 is $300 cheaper. That makes the decision tougher in some ways, but either way you win: either a better drone with the Air 3S, or a $300 savings with the Air 3.
And for what it’s worth, when I reviewed the DJI Air 3 in the summer of 2023, I absolutely loved it — and still vouch today that it’s a great drone.
Between now and Dec. 2, the HOVERAir X1 is going for up to 30% off plus a free bonus battery in early Black Friday sales. The Standard it, normally $429, is now down to just $299. The Combo Plus, normally $519, has dropped to $359.
The HOVERAir X1 is an ultra-portable drone with features like auto-follow mode, one-tap cinematic templates, and 4K video capture. This drone is closest in comparison to the DJI Neo. And though I do generally recommend the DJI Neo over the HOVERAir X1 (not to mention, the DJI Neo is cheaper at $199), this is a good option of you want a DJI alternative to a selfie drone.
This is a killer deal on what I considered one of the best portable power stations for drone pilots. The DJI Power 1000 had been on sale at $699 earlier this week, but now it’s been discounted even further to $480.
Portable power stations like the DJI Power 1000 offer the best of both worlds between a car charger (which is usually slow and weak) and a generator (which is loud and bulky). The DJI Power 1000 weighs less than 30 pounds, can recharge devices within roughly an hour and is super quiet — like, even quieter than most household refrigerators.
If you’re constantly roadtripping or camping with your drone, this is a game-changer.
Right now, you can snag the DJI Mavic 3 Pro Fly More Combo (DJI RC) with 0% APR financing and a free DJI-branded water bottle when you shop directly through DJI.
The Mavic 3 Pro is a powerhouse for aerial creatives, featuring a triple-camera system, 43-minute flight time, and Hasselblad imaging technology that delivers stunning photos and videos. The Fly More Combo includes essential extras like extra batteries, a charging hub, and spare propellers, ensuring you’re ready for long flights right out of the box.
The 0% APR financing offer makes this premium drone (yes, it’s $3,000) more accessible by spreading out payments with no interest. For those who’ve been eyeing a flagship drone but don’t want to drop a hefty sum upfront, this deal can be a game-changer. Just know what you’re in for. While 0% APR means no extra interest for the period of the offer, just know that missing payments or stretching your finances too thin can lead to fees or negative impacts to your credit scores down the line.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the country’s resilience plan to the Ukrainian Parliament and emphasized goals for advancing Ukraine’s defense capabilities, Ukrainian media UNIAN reported on November 19. Among other things, Zelenskyy pointed out the importance of focusing on drone and missile production in 2025. “Next year, Ukraine will produce at least 30,000 long-range drones,” Zelenskyy announced, highlighting the critical role of UAVs in the country’s […]
– Red Cat Holdings, Inc. has been selected as the winner of the U.S. Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Program of Record. The production selection was made after a test and evaluation process of Teal’s next generation sUAS, completed by the Army Project Management Office for Uncrewed Aircraft Systems, Army Maneuver Battle Lab, Army Test […]
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.
(Photo courtesy of Sky Elements)
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.
Photo of a past Guinness World Record drone show courtesy of Uvify.
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.
The UK has announced the retirement of its Watchkeeper Mk 1 drones by March 2025 as part of a broader effort to modernise the Armed Forces and adapt to evolving threats. The decision, unveiled by Defence Secretary John Healey, reflects the rapid pace of technological advancements in unmanned aerial systems and lessons learned from the […]
– Anduril has been awarded a $200 million, five-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Marine Corps to develop and deliver a Counter Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) Engagement System (CES) for the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS). The MADIS CES Program of Record will provide cutting-edge, expeditionary CUAS capabilities to protect the […]
As grizzly bears continue to repopulate Montana’s northern prairies, wildlife managers use variety of methods to push them away from ranches and other potential trouble spots, including shouting at the bears over drone speakers. The noise of drone propellers alone sometimes isn’t enough to get the grizzlies to scram, said Dave Kemp, the Montana Fish, […]
Urban Aeronautics Alleges DJI’s High-End Drones Violate Emergency Landing Technology Patent by DRONELIFE Features Editor Jim Magill Urban Aeronautics, an electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicle manufacturer, is suing DJI, claiming the China-based drone giant improperly copied the Israel-based EVTOL company’s technology for safely bringing down a multi-rotor aircraft after one of the rotors fails. A patent lawsuit, […]
