Drone News Roundup: Incredible Marvel Universe Drone Light Show at Disney Paris, Car Thief Caught by Thermal Drone, and More!

This week we’re covering an incredible new show at Disney Paris that uses 500 light show drones in a mixed media spectacle featuring superheroes from the Marvel Universe.

We’re also covering news that police in Ohio used a thermal drone to catch an alleged car thief, a new FPV fly through shot for Home Depot by Jay Christensen, the addition of Flightwave’s Edge 130 Blue drone to the Pentagon’s Blue UAS list, and a new bill that calls for the creation of an Advanced Aviation office within the FAA to support taxi drone operations.

Now on to the links!

Incredible Disney Paris Drone Light Show Features Marvel Universe Super Heroes in Vivid Color

Right now through May 8, Disney Paris is running a special show featuring light show drones called “Avengers: Power the Night.” The show combines live acting, music, pyrotechnic effects, and video projections with background drone light show images etched on the night sky, making for an immersive spectacle that pushes the boundaries of what drone light shows can do. Up to 500 drones are used in the show, creating sequences that illustrate the powers of Marvel Universe heroes like Shang-Chi, the Scarlet Witch, Captain America, the Hulk, and Captain Marvel. Watch the video to learn more about the show and to get a sneak peek of the 3D illustrations being made possible by light show drones.

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Police Use DJI Matrice 30 to Catch a Car Thief

The Garfield Heights Police Department in Garfield, OH recently used a DJI M30 to find a teenager accused of stealing a car. The drone’s thermal camera was used to find the suspect by finding their body’s heat signature. According to an officer involved in the case, the drone put a tracker on the subject so that even if they fled the drone would track them. This event took place on the first day the department had deployed its new Matrice 30 in the field.

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New Home Depot FPV Fly Through from Jay Christensen

This Home Depot FPV fly through is another instant classic from cinewhoop maestro Jay Christensen. The single shot fly through starts in the sky outside a Home Depot at dusk, just as Christensen’s famous Right Up Our Alley starts, then zips in through the store’s sliding doors over the head of a patron. There is some impressive flying in this video, which is to be expected, but something that stands out is that it doesn’t seem choreographed. The movement of dozens of store patrons seems natural and unrehearsed, as if we’re simply flying through any Home Depot on a regular day. Whether everyone in the video was acting a part or just happened to be there seems besides the point. The end result is that we feel as if we’ve been given a secret glimpse of a normal experience, but from a new perspective—which is exactly the kind of magic that FPV drone shots like these can create, when done by someone who knows what they’re doing.

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Flightwave’s Edge 130 Blue Drone Added to the Pentagon’s Blue UAS List

Credit: Flightwave

A drone called the Edge 130 Blue from drone manufacturer Flightwave has been added to the Pentagon’s Blue UAS list, a list of drone models approved for use by the U.S. government. The Edge 130 Blue is a fixed wing drone with VTOL (vertical take off and landing) capabilities. It has an impressive maximum flight time of 125 minutes, can hover in place for up to 30 minutes, can fly in winds up to 40 mph, and can fly as fast as 65 mph. The addition of the Edge 130 Blue brings the total number of Blue UAS drone models to 16.

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New Bill Calls for Creation of Advanced Aviation Office within the FAA

Credit: EVE

A new bill was recently introduced to Congress calling for the creation of an Office of Advanced Aviation within the FAA. The office would help modernize the FAA’s operations, in part by offering support to usher in drone taxi operations in the U.S., focusing on research and development for drone taxi technology (also called Advanced Aviation systems), as well as on processing applications for Advanced Aviation. The bill looks likely to find bipartisan support. Its proposal is a further indication that drone taxis are coming, and that clear steps are being taken to support a future in which you can hop in an autonomous taxi drone for a quick commute, or even for a trip to another city or state.

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