Drone News Roundup: Multi-Location U.K. Coronation Drone Light Show, Tour of the Canary Islands by Mavic 3 Pro, and More!

This week we’re covering an epic drone light show put on during the celebration of King Charles III’s coronation.

We’re also covering a beautiful tour of the Canary Island of Tenerife with the Mavic 3 Pro, a new program from Skyfire Consulting to help law enforcement leverage drones when responding to 911 calls, Zipline’s inclusion in CNBC’s prestigious Disruptor 50 list, and a law in Florida aimed at making it easy to scale drone delivery in the state.

Now on to the links!

Multi-Location Drone Light Show Steals the Show at U.K. coronation

Singapore-based drone light show company Skymagic seems to be everywhere these days. It recently put on an incredible light show at Coachella to accompany performances by BLACKPINK and Icelandic musician Björk. And this month the company was hired to put on an epic, multi-location light show during the celebration that followed the coronation of King Charles III. 1,000 drones were used in the show, which took place over Windsor Castle, Cardiff Bay, and the Eden Project in Cornwall, England. U.K.’s Department for Culture, Media, and Sport said it was the “largest ever multi-location U.K. drone show” that had ever taken place.

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Tour of Canary Island Tenerife with the Mavic 3 Pro

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, a chain of islands located off the west coast of Africa, which are part of Spain. This tour of the island was shot for DJI entirely on the new Mavic 3 Pro by YouTuber Lucaputzer. Here’s what they had to say about using the Mavic 3 Pro to get the shots in this video: “An ultra-wide 24mm equivalent 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera is perfect for showing off the grandeur of a scene, while the all-new 70mm equivalent and an upgraded 166mm equivalent allow you to get significantly closer to the details—highlighting your subject in the scene and letting you tell your story, your way.”

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Skyfire Consulting Launches Skyfire Response to Help Law Enforcement Expand Use of Drones

Skyfire Consulting is one of the first organizations ever to help police departments get permission to create Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs in the U.S. In a DFR program, a drone is deployed to the scene of a 911 call as law enforcement makes its way there, providing tactical awareness for the arriving officers so they can avoid getting ambushed, track fleeing suspects, and generally be informed about what to expect when they arrive. Now SkyFire has launched a program aimed at helping police departments start DFR programs. Called Skyfire Response, the new program “allows agencies of all sizes to completely outsource Drone First Responder (DFR) program setup and operations to experts so they can focus on the job at hand.”

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Zipline Makes CNBC’s Disruptor 50 List, Announces Three New Delivery Partners

Credit: Zipline

Zipline just keeps winning. Recently, it was selected for CNBC’s Disruptor 50 for 2023, a list of the top 50 companies advancing the use of technology to disrupt and improve our lives. (Zipline has received this honor four other times in the past.) Zipline also recently announced three new delivery partners in the U.S., two of which are notably not medical in nature, signaling the company’s expanding focus on consumer drone delivery. The three companies are Pagliacci Pizza, GNC Vitamins, and Associated Couriers, a company that helps deliver prescription medications.

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New Florida Law Promotes Construction of Ports for Drone Delivery

Credit: DroneUp

The state of Florida’s new ban on foreign drones for state and local agencies has angered those in law enforcement and fire fighting. But another law it just passed will provide welcome support for those working in drone delivery. The law streamlines the construction of drone ports, making it easier to build out the infrastructure needed to help drone delivery go mainstream. The bill also stops local governments from prohibiting a company from setting up a drone port, opening the way for drone delivery companies to begin rolling out their services throughout the state. DroneUp, which provides drone deliveries through its partnerships with Walmart and other businesses, has issued a statement commending the bill.

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