Disney Granted Permission to Start Flying Drones Over Theme Parks

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a waiver this week giving Disney permission to fly drones over its theme parks.

As you may remember, Disney filed a petition last year to be able to use the drones at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, stating that they would be used for entertainment purposes.  It is believed that Disney intends to use these drones  for parades, stage shows and nighttime spectaculars.  Speculation arose earlier this year that Disney has its sights on mimicking the paper lantern launch from Tangled as well as a castle reveal according to submitted blueprints (pictured above).

In its petition, Disney referred to these unmanned crafts as “Flixels” and advocated that the drones will be kept 100 feet away from guest areas at all times. The flight paths are intended to take place over water, landscaping or restricted areas with these drones reaching heights of up to 150 feet.

The petition raised eyebrows when announced earlier this year due to the fact that in 2003 Disney advocated that both Walt Disney World and Disneyland be considered no-fly zones. However, they argued that the Flixels will not impact or impede current air-traffic patterns and are thus not in violation of the zones in place.

The advent of  Flixels at the theme parks does have the ability to radically transform Disney’s entertainment offerings. Watch this space to see what exciting developments are on the horizon now that the petition has been approved.

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Image copyright Disney.

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