North Texas’ Sky Elements Breaks Texas Record With 1,001 Drone Light Show

Fort Worth-based drone show company Sky Elements broke a Texas record Sunday night—and spread a little holiday cheer as well.

To attract attention for the North Richland Hills toy drive benefitting the Community Enrichment Center, Sky Elements presented a “1,001 Drones Holiday Show” over the Birdville ISD Fine Arts/Athletic Complex. The event was free to attend, with viewers encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for the drive.

The 1,001-drone light show broke the previous Texas record of a 1,000-drone show presented by Intel, according to WFAA.

Sky Elements was founded two years ago as a spinoff from a pyrotechnic company, WFAA added, as the drone light show phenomenon was taking off—literally—around the world.

The photo below is of a Sky Elements holiday light show over downtown Dallas.

Sky Elements holiday drone light show over downtown Dallas. [Video still: Sky Elements]

The sky is the limit

Drone light shows and aerial performances have transformed the entertainment industry across the world. The Sky Elements team travels around the country to produce event spectaculars for communities, sports teams, businesses artists, brands, and more. From citywide experiences to product launches or brand awareness platforms, the company aims to “super size your visibility.”

Sky Elements is a storytelling company at its core, Rick Boss says in a company video. Boss leads Sky Elements and spearheads the team’s product management and sales.

Sky Elements has worked with clients from locals such as FC Dallas to Amazon’s Prime Video to Paramount+. 

“The team uses tech to tell stories in a way it’s never been done,” said Sky Elements tech lead Tyler Johnson said.  As a drone technology engineer and automation expert, Johnson handles the tech and logistical elements required to perform shows around the country.

Drone shows are only limited by your imagination: Johnson sees design, logos, QR codes, and more. Scale is difficult to convey, and the sky is an opportunity to supersize your visibility, says Johnson, who is a FAA107 licensed UAV pilot.

The most common thing the team hears after a show, according to Johnson, is, “Wow. I didn’t expect it to be so large.”

Rick Boss, Tyler Johnson, Preston Ward, and Brian Geck. [Photo: Sky Elements]

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R E A D   N E X T

  • Wing—the drone delivery unit of Google parent company Alphabet—is partnering with Blue Bell Creameries, easyvet, and Texas Health Resources on the launch. Wing calls the service "the first in a major U.S. metro area," and aims to offer "6 miles, 6 minutes, free delivery." Wing's test deliveries from Walgreens stores in Frisco and Little Elm graduate to their official launch Thursday as well.

  • Yariv Bash, co-founder of Israel's SpaceIL, was part of the team behind the 2019 Beresheet moon mission. Now, as co-founder and CEO of Flytrex, he's partnering with Dallas-based Brinker International on drone deliveries of chicken wings to Dallas-Fort Worth back yards and businesses. The launch begins today in Granbury, 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth, with potential plans to expand to "a suburb east of Dallas" as Flytrex' footprint grows.

  • Helios Visions—a national provider of 3D drone mapping, building and infrastructure inspections, aerial photography and more—has expanded into Texas with new offices in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston. The Chicago-based company says the expansion will help meet "extraordinary demand" for drones to visually inspect critical infrastructure and construction projects.

  • You may hear a buzz in the air soon within a mile of 11 Dallas-area Walmart stores, but it's not the sound of an early electric Santa sleigh. It's another sign that commercial drones are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. The big-box giant has expanded its drone delivery partnership with DroneUp into Texas. For a $3.99 delivery fee, customers within a mile of each store can order packages and see them drop gently to their yard or driveway on the same day.

  • The first Juneteenth Fashion Show—here and in the U.S.—was held Sunday at the Legacy Hall Box Garden at Legacy West in Plano. Produced by Think Three Media, the show featured fashion creations by 11 history-making Black designers. "Putting a spotlight on our incredible Black creatives, designers, and artists here in DFW was undoubtedly the icing on the cake," said Think Three CEO Leah Frazier.