The FAA has approved Disney’s use of drones to create an aerial spectacle over one of its Orlando theme parks. Disney had already patented technology to use drones to carry and create displays in the skies above its resorts. On Tuesday, the FAA gave the nod for the company to exploit that technology in what looks like a tip of the iceberg for the fertile minds at the company.
The first demonstration of the technology, released by Disney in a brief video (below), is a spiral of rotating drones carrying green lights to create the rough image of a Christmas tree. But Disney has major plans for drone shows depicting its characters and other magic in the future and a unique set of circumstances in which to exploit the plans. Disney parks are under permanent flight restrictions for security and nuisance (banner planes) reasons and the company actually had to apply for an exemption from its own flight ban to launch the drone effort.
