The directory
15 operators, alphabetical. See the inclusion criteria for what it takes to be listed.
15 operators
Hover an operator's name for its full fleet-scale claim and notable shows. Full detail for every field lives in operators.json.
| Operator | HQ / regions | Fleet scale | FAA waiver | Shows | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BotLab Dynamics | New Delhi, India; operates across India, APAC, Middle East, Africa | 500-700+ shows, up to 5,500 drones | N/A (non-US) | shows | site |
| Celestial | UK, with a US office; flies from a private airfield in Somerset, England | 1,000+ drones, 500-1,500/show | Not stated | shows | site |
| Dronisos | Bordeaux, France (HQ) + Orlando, FL (US office); operates in 30+ countries | Up to 5,000 drones | Expired 2024 | shows | site |
| Firefly Drone Shows | Detroit, MI; services all of the U.S. plus international | 200-1,000+ drones | Confirmed | shows | site |
| Geoscan | St. Petersburg, Russia; shows also flown in Taiwan, Thailand, India, Moldova, Cyprus, Tunisia | 2,000-2,500 drones/show | N/A (non-US) | shows | site |
| Great Lakes Drone Company (dba Starlight Drone Shows / Starlight Aerial Productions) | Coloma, Michigan; travels globally | Up to 500+ drones | Confirmed | shows | site |
| HighGreat | Shenzhen, China; performances in 300+ cities internationally | 5,000-8,000+ performances claimed | N/A (non-US) | shows | site |
| Lumasky | Dubai, UAE | ~18,000 drones claimed | N/A (non-US) | shows | site |
| Nova Sky Stories | Boulder, CO (HQ); operates globally (Middle East, UK, USA, APAC, Europe) | 9,000+ drones | Confirmed | shows | site |
| Open Sky Pro (Open Sky Productions) | Salt Lake City, UT; markets into many US states including Florida | 100-1,000 drones | Claimed | shows | site |
| Pixis Drones | Alexandria, VA (HQ); satellite offices in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, LA, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, NYC | Up to 1,000 drones | Confirmed | shows | site |
| Sky Elements | Coppell, TX; states it flies "60% of All Known U.S. Drone Shows" | ~3,000 drone fleet | Confirmed (suspended, reinstated) | shows | site |
| SkyMagic | Leeds, UK (primary base) + offices in Singapore, Dover DE (USA), Abu Dhabi; delivered shows in 25+ territories since 2015 | ~1,400 drones | Not stated (UK) | shows | site |
| Skyworx Drone Shows | US-based (founded by Taylor Woodall); operates across US, Mexico, Canada | 150-1,500+ drones | Confirmed | shows | site |
| Verge Aero | Austin, TX; partner network in 50+ countries | Platform + direct shows | Not stated | shows | site |
Reading the waiver column
"Confirmed" means an FAA waiver number or a documented incident/ reinstatement record was independently verified. "Claimed, not independently verified" means the operator's own site asserts FAA compliance without a checkable docket number. "Not publicly stated" means no waiver claim was found either way — not evidence against compliance, just the absence of a public claim. See the methodology page.
A note on dual-role companies
Verge Aero primarily sells/licenses a drone-show hardware+software platform to other operators ("Buy a Drone Show Fleet," a #PoweredByVerge partner network) — but its own site also documents it directly flying client shows with its own named staff (a Rice University presidential inauguration, and historically the Philadelphia Eagles' in-stadium shows). It's included here on the strength of that direct-operation evidence, not excluded as a pure platform vendor — but the dual role is real and worth knowing before booking.
Not listed here on purpose
UVify was researched and excluded: it's primarily a drone manufacturer that rents fleet capacity to other operators through its "FAB" network (Los Angeles, Atlanta, EU, UK, Dubai) — no evidence surfaced of UVify itself flying client shows under its own brand, the reseller/infrastructure pattern this directory is meant to exclude. Companies searched but not found via a verifiable, live public source are also excluded rather than padded in.