Fantasy Drone Shows, a leading drone show operator based in Norfolk, Nebraska, builds each show from the ground up. Running a drone show business takes precision planning, a specialized design workflow, and — when an opportunity calls for more than one operator can handle alone — a network of partners to lean on.

The Craft: Precision Before Liftoff

Every show starts long before any drone leaves the case.

Airspace first. Operations manager Brian Anderson maps each site using Google Earth alongside a VFR aeronautical chart, checking for restricted airspace, proximity to airports, and where people and vehicle traffic will be during the show — drones can't fly over either. For sites inside controlled airspace, that means securing FAA authorization before the show is ever designed.

Audience experience matters just as much as compliance. Anderson's rule of thumb: roughly two city blocks is the sweet spot for viewing distance — close enough to feel the scale, far enough to take in the whole formation.

Design happens show-by-show. Lead designer Scott Buss builds each formation in Verge's design software, adjusting drone counts, formation radius, and rotation to fit the story a client wants told — sometimes adapting an existing template like a flag, sometimes starting from a blank canvas. The software maintains a safety buffer between every drone in the air, an added layer of protection built into the design process itself. A typical show takes about a week to build and can run up to 15 minutes.

Then it's ground logistics. Grids get laid out to the inch. Ground stations link to GPS via antenna and interface boxes. And batteries — a lot of batteries. The team estimates battery management alone eats up a third of the job.

That precision is also why safety at Fantasy isn't a talking point — it's built into every stage of the process, from airspace clearance to in-software drone spacing.

The Network: When One Fleet Isn't Enough

Some shows outgrow a single operator's fleet. That's where the Verge Network comes in.

"We're working with about four different partners here today," says Anderson. "It's a network partner and we help each other out no matter what the situation is." Fantasy flies Verge X7s, but for shows that call for pyrotechnic drone effects, they combine forces with pyro-certified network partners — pairing different drone models under one show plan to deliver effects no single operator's fleet could produce alone.

That flexibility matters because Verge Aero has been at the front of what's regulated in this space. Verge was among the first companies in the US, alongside Intel, to receive FAA permission to fly drone light shows at all — and later became one of the first to receive certification to fly fireworks on drones. Verge now helps its own operator network pursue that same certification, which is exactly the kind of partnership that let Fantasy add pyrotechnic effects to shows through partners like Flylight Drones without having to build that capability from scratch.

For Don "Wiz" Wisnieski, Fantasy's owner, that network is table stakes for the business he's building. A veteran of Norfolk's fireworks scene for decades before drones entered the picture, Wiz says the appeal of Verge went beyond the hardware: it was a US-based company with the drones and the software built in-house, backed by a network of operators he could call for backup — or call on him.

From Fairgrounds to the Big Stage

That combination of craft and network paid off. Fantasy's breakout moment came at the University of Nebraska, after head volleyball coach John Cook saw a rendering and gave the green light. The show went off without a hitch — and the phone hasn't stopped ringing since.

It's a pattern the Verge Network is built to repeat: give operators the in-house tools to build a precise, safe show, and the partner network to scale it when the moment calls for more.

---

Fantasy Drone Shows operates out of Norfolk, Nebraska, flying drone shows across the country. Interested in what it takes to become a Verge-powered operator? Contact our team to learn more.