Popularity of Drones Increases Into Public Entertainment

The most significant burst in popularity to use drones for public entertainment was the formation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Symbol, during the opening ceremony, with 1824 drones. This year numerous cities across the U.S. utilized drones rather than fireworks for their Independence Day shows. Los Angeles County imposed, on May 25th, a costly regulation requiring firework show organizers to have a permit from the Los Angeles Regional Water Control Board. This caused many cities and companies to cancel their participation in firework displays in 2023 because the timeline was too short to employ an alternative drone show display, let alone meet the qualifications & parameters of the FAA.

As the future of drones for Independence Day celebrations grows, it inspires a quick glance at how fast drones have become a major part of “up there” (unmanned aerial vehicle UAV and unmanned aerial system UAS).

September 28, 2005: FAA issued the first airworthiness certificate, September 28, 2005, for a civil unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the General Atomics Altair

June 9, 2010: FAA signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Boeing subsidiary, Insitu Inc., and the New Jersey Air National Guard to facilitate FAA understanding of how unmanned aircraft systems were constructed and how they functioned and operated in the national airspace system

August 29, 2016: FAA implemented the first operational rules for routine non-hobbyist use of small UAS, or drones

August 22, 2019: The FAA warns warning the general public that it is illegal to operate a drone with a dangerous weapon attached and is a violation of Section 363 of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act. Timeline of Drone Integration | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)

The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) is providing public events and tools for the use of UAS / Drones as the popularity increases. Their free “Droning On” events for the public, including this weekend’s event at the Fullerton University. Including a Film Festival with stunning imagery. Winners (socaldronefilmfestival.com)

The next FAA event will be the Southwest Edition at Northern New Mexico College in Española, NM Sept 21-23. Followed by the Navajo edition Sept 25 -27. Navajo Nation Division of Transportation Complex • Mentmore, NM Droning On | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)

Additionally, the FAA has nine Community Engagement toolkits.

• Remote ID Toolkit
• Hurricane Awareness Digital Toolkit
• Drones and Wildfire Digital Toolkit
• No Drone Zone
• Follow Buzzy the Drone!
• Manufacturer's Toolkit
• Recreational Flyers Toolkit
• Know Before You Fly

"FAA's mission is to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world. As we integrate drones into our National Airspace System (NAS), we are working to educate the drone community, stakeholders, and citizens about the rules to operate safely.”

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