With the recent opening of Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World, drones have once again
made their way into Disney’s entertainment and the minds of guests who are thinking about
the future of what the parks can offer.
Understandably, a flying giant X-Wing looks pretty awesome and people want to see more.
With that, however, some common misconceptions about Disney and the flying devices have resurfaced.
So let’s talk about Walt Disney World and drones.
With the drones built and proven to work, some are wondering why they don’t fly them
every night going forward.
One of the more common reasons cited is practical and true, which is that there isn’t really
a place for them.
The X-Wings were housed in a temporary tent in the cast member parking lot for the event.
Every time they were flown the lot had to be clear of cars, which ended up being an
inconvenience for cast members.
It’s a problem, but one that could easily be overcome.
One reason I’ve seen floating around on the internet, however, is that the process
is complicated due to the no-fly zone status of Walt Disney World.
This isn’t actually true for a number of reasons.
While Walt Disney World as a whole is typically referred to as a no-fly zone, the reality
is that only a portion of the property is protected by the status, which is otherwise
known as a Temporary Flight Restriction, or TFR.
In this specific case it has no end date, making it more of a permanent temporary flight restriction.
The protected area is a circle with a three-mile radius that is centered just south of Disney’s
Contemporary Resort and just north of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
That means that the entirety of the Magic Kingdom and some of Epcot falls within the zone.
However all of World Showcase at Epcot, as well as the entirety of the Animal Kingdom,
Disney Springs, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are outside of the no-fly zone.
So it’s not actually an issue for the X-Wings.
However even if Hollywood Studios was within the TFR, it still wouldn’t be an issue.
Back in November of 2016 Disney applied for a waiver from the FAA that allowed them to
operate drones over their properties at night.
That waiver lasts until November of 2020 before they’d have to reapply.
They applied back when they initially wanted to test the use of drones and did so with
a holiday nighttime show at Disney Springs called Starbright Holidays.
Back when that application was in the works, many outlets tried to frame it as a case of
Disney’s no-fly zone coming back to bite them.
This was an unfair angle to take, because while the TFR exemption was an element of
the waiver, the other aspects of the waiver would have required FAA permissions regardless
of whether or not there was a no-fly zone.
Part 107, the FAA rules on drone flight in the United States, restricts the use the drones
to devices under 55 pounds, limits the flying hours to daylight hours, and limits the operation
to a pilot per drone.
In other words, it doesn’t allow for those fleets of automated drones.
Citing earlier rumors that the X-Wing drones were being made in partnership with Boeing,
the online outlet, The Drive, reached out to Boeing who confirmed that they were the
ones working with Disney on the ships.
The Drive speculated that they were modified versions of Boeing’s Cargo Air Vehicle,
or CAV, which can carry up to 500 pounds and itself weighs over 500 pounds.
So in the case of the X-Wing event, the drones were most definitely over 55 pounds.
The Disney Springs drone show back in 2016 utilized 300 drones and definitely didn’t
utilize 300 pilots, and in both instances the displays were put on at night.
So regardless of the no-fly zone, Disney needed to get an FAA waiver to use the machines in
these displays.
And of course they did, and that’s how we’ve gotten the two shows we did.
So then why don’t we see more use of drones at Disney World if permissions aren’t an issue?
Technically speaking Disney doesn’t have to worry about permissions to keep the X-Wings
around, and with some behind-the-scenes development they can create a new space for the ships
that wouldn’t take up the parking lot.
Well this is obviously more speculative, but it seems like it’s just a matter of the
technology not being fully ready yet to justify the costs.
When you look at current examples of drone light shows, such as the ones from Intel using
their shooting star drones, you get shows that are under five minutes due to the limited
battery life combined with the time it takes to take off, get in position, and then return
and land at the end.
Larger ones like the X-Wings are still experimental, and as we saw during their premiere, they
mostly just float up, hover for a few seconds, and then land again.
Compared to other Disney night show elements like fireworks and projection mapping, they’re
more expensive and yet also more limited… for now at least.
The technology is still exciting and improving each and every year.
Everything from the Intel shows to the older Disney Springs show to the recent X-Wings
that just took to the skies has absolutely proven that this crossing of art and technology
can create something amazing.
I have no doubt that one day in the future we’ll see more use of drones at Walt Disney World.
It’ll just take a little more time.