Drone News Roundup: Intense Ocean Rescue Captured by Drone, Serena Williams’ Drone Light Show for Her Baby, and More!

This week we’re covering a coordinated ocean rescue in Florida captured by a local drone pilot who happened to be flying his drone over the beach.

We’re also covering a drone light show Serena Williams put on to reveal her new baby’s sex, a fun FPV freestyle video shot in an abandoned mall, DJI’s warning that any DJI-labeled apps found on Google Play are fraudulent, and a BVLOS drone swarm flown by Asylon Robotics.

Now let’s get to those links!

Intense Ocean Rescue Captured by Drone

Tattoo artist Joe Osborne recently put his drone up while on a break to get some aerial shots of Flagler Beach, FL. While flying over the beach, he was surprised to see an intense, coordinated rescue taking place. Using buoys and lines, lifeguards were in the process of saving a boogie boarder who had run into trouble some distance from the shore. Forming a chain in the water, the rescuers worked hard as a team until he was safely ashore. Watch the video to see how they did it.

LEARN MORE

Serena Williams Puts on Epic Drone Light Show for New Baby

Tennis legend Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, recently threw a party to reveal the sex of their baby—and a centerpiece of the party was a huge drone light show. The big outdoor party featured a DJ, a catered dinner, and a dunk booth. Once it got dark, the light show drones were used to spell out Girl!, revealing the sex of the baby. The party was organized by Jennifer Zabinski Events, who hired Sky Element Drone to put on the drone light show. We covered Sky Element Drone last month, when the company won a Guinness Record for one of its light shows over the July 4th weekend.

LEARN MORE

FPV Freestyle in Abandoned Mall

This FPV freestyle video shot by drone pilot Michael Cooley features some fun trick flying done throughout an abandoned mall in Baytown, Texas. The footage has an eerie feel to it, showcasing a place made to be packed with people completely emptied out. In addition to flying FPV for fun, Cooley is a Drone Pilot Ground School alum and certified Part 107 pilot. He currently owns a drone services company called Nexus Aerial, which is located in the Houston area.

LEARN MORE

Google Play Apps Claiming to Be from DJI Are Fraudulent, DJI Warns

DJI wants you to know that it doesn’t have any apps on the Google Play store. Any app you find there claiming to be from DJI is a phony. Apps on Google Play that look like they’re made by DJI—but are not—include a “DJI Earning” app and a “DJI Fly – Go for Drone ” app. DJI Support shared this warning recently in a forum post. In the same post, DJI recommends that customers download apps from official DJI channels, sharing this link to its official download center.

LEARN MORE

Asylon Robotics Flies Drone Swarm BVLOS

Credit: Asylon Robotics

Security drone and robotics company Asylon Robotics recently completed a series of multi-drone flight tests, with multiple drones being flown at once BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight). The tests were conducted as part of an FAA program focused on developing standards for BVLOS operations. In the tests, a single operator from Asylon simultaneously flew six drones while located remotely in a 24/7 remote operations center. The tests took place with the drones located at Griffiss International Airport and the pilot located at Asylon’s headquarters in Norristown, PA.

LEARN MORE

Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.