Drone News Roundup: Stranger Things Drone Light Show Wins Guinness Record, Avata 360 Fly-Through, and More!

This week we’re covering a Stranger Things drone light show that got Sky Elements its 17th Guinness World Record.

We’re also covering a new cinewhoop-style Avata 360 fly-through, a “love letter to Earth” from DJI shot on the Mavic series, Autel’s lawsuit against the FCC, and two upcoming EDRS panels.

Now let’s get to those links!

Stranger Things Drone Show Sets Guinness World Record

A Stranger Things-themed drone light show produced by Sky Elements has earned a Guinness World Record, marking the company’s 17th record-setting show. The light show recreated imagery and some moving scenes from the Netflix series, including the show’s villain Vecna, demogorgons, and depictions of the show’s “upside down” world. The specific record was for the largest aerial display of a fictional character, with 4,979 drones used to create an image of Vecna.

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Using the Avata 360 for a Unique Cinewhoop Fly-Through

Called “One Take. Every Room. Every Face.” this short video from DJI shows how the new Avata 360 can capture cinewhoop-style fly-through footage with a twist—while flying through a group of people, the drone appears to turn upside down. Because the camera captures everything around the drone in a spherical image, pilots can focus on getting a smooth flight path while leaving more framing decisions for post-production. The result is a fun fly-through that looks like trick flying, but is largely the result of creative reframing in post—something that would be much harder to pull off with a typical FPV drone.

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DJI Shares a “Love Letter to Earth” Shot on the Mavic Series

DJI describes this new cinematic short shot on the Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 3 Pro, and Mavic 4 Pro as a “love letter to Earth.” The video contains footage shot in five continents and over 30 countries over a period of 2,920 days—that’s about eight years. It combines sweeping landscape shots, wildlife footage, coastlines, forests, deserts, and urban scenes from around the world into a beautiful montage of our planet’s scale and variety. Take a look if you’re in need of some inspiration today.

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Autel Sues FCC Over Covered List Designation

The Autel Alpha | Credit: Autel

Following in DJI’s footsteps, Autel Robotics has filed a lawsuit challenging the FCC’s decision to add the company to the agency’s Covered List, escalating the growing legal fight over whether Chinese drone manufacturers will be able to sell new drones in the U.S. The Covered List designation acts as a de facto block for companies—if you’re on the list, you can’t get FCC equipment authorizations, which means you can’t sell your drones in the U.S. According to the lawsuit, Autel argues the FCC exceeded its authority and failed to provide sufficient justification for the designation. DJI has made similar arguments in its own legal fight with the FCC, recently saying the restrictions could cost the company roughly $1.5 billion in 2026 alone due to blocked product launches and delayed approvals.

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Catch Zacc’s Two Panels at EDRS 2026

Attending the Energy Drone & Robotics Summit (EDRS) next month in Houston? I’ll be moderating two panels focused on how drones and robotics are changing industrial inspections in the energy sector.

The first panel, From Data to Decisions: Turning Drone Data into Actionable Inspection Insights, looks at what happens after the drone flight—how inspection teams are using tools like OGI, ultrasonic testing, LiDAR, and thermal imaging to turn raw drone data into maintenance and operational decisions. Panelists include experts from Acuren, INEOS, and Occidental Petroleum. The panel will be on Wednesday, June 24 from 9:30-10:15AM CST.

The second panel, From Surface to Seabed: Remote Inspection Across the Full Offshore Asset, focuses on offshore inspections above and below the waterline, including aerial drones and subsea robotics used in harsh offshore environments. Speakers include leaders from CAN USA and AUAV with extensive offshore inspection experience. The panel will be on Tuesday, June 23 from 2:50-3:45PM CST.

EDRS 2026 takes place June 22–24 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott near Houston, Texas. If you’ll be there, please come say hello.

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