Drones are fun and relatively easy to use. They are educational and purposeful. They come in a wide range of prices, making them great gifts. Over the years, drone sales have skyrocketed during the holidays. As the 2015 holiday shopping season approached, in anticipation of the large volume of new drones expected to be bought as gifts, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quipped on Twitter, “Don’t be ‘that’ guy, the one who hit Santa with a drone.” Fast forward to the 2024 holiday shopping season, and drone industry experts became concerned about how drone sales would progress.

Retailers like Amazon and Walmart boasted amazing deals on drones leading up to the Black Friday shopping sprees that would last through the holiday season. Numbers showed that sales of drones by companies like DJI, Autel, Parrot Anafi, and Skydio were soaring and setting market trends. However, shortly before Thanksgiving, mystery drones started appearing in the nighttime skies around New Jersey. As the days progressed, more reports of mysterious drones over New Jersey surfaced. It wasn’t long before people in New York and Pennsylvania also claimed to see these supposedly unauthorized drones flying overhead at night.

It seemed as though the New Jersey region was in a drone frenzy, with civilians and government representatives bombarding social media and the news with demands for explanations. The FAA began to impose drone bans in certain areas while the government tried to assure the public that there was nothing to worry about. They claimed that many of the reports were false, but that they would be implementing all possible means to reach a resolution. The mysterious drone sightings have significantly declined, but we have yet to receive concrete information. For drone manufacturers, there was concern that this drone hysteria might negatively impact their holiday sales.

Though exact market numbers have yet to be released, it seems that the drone hysteria that took over the Northeast had little negative impact on drone holiday sales. Randy Kastl, president of the Hobby Shop in Dayton, Ohio, said that curiosity sparked by the upsurge in drone-related news led to increased drone sales this past holiday season. “Drones are popular. We do have a lot of people that are inquiring, especially with it being in the news now,” Randy said. “It’s one of those things where they may have forgotten about it, and now it’s kind of brought it back to the forefront.” He went on to say that in the week leading up to Christmas, the shop and online store had more people interested in purchasing drones than ever before.

As of December 2, 2024, the FAA has registered more than 1 million drones. Of those, 387,355 were for civilian hobby use, while 403,358 were registered for commercial drone operations. There are also 423,047 Part 107 licensed drone pilots, according to the FAA. The FAA assumes that there were many more hobby drones purchased that have not been registered. Technically, any drone weighing more than 0.55 lbs must be registered, and the pilot needs to take the Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST).

Nearly all reputable drone retailers, like the Hobby Shop, will encourage anyone purchasing a drone to register the device with the FAA, which only costs $5, and take the free TRUST test. Randy also says that he and all his coworkers make it very clear to those interested in drones that safety is of the utmost importance. “We want to make sure that our customers are following the FAA guidelines. We want to make sure our customers are safe. That’s the most important,” Randy said. “And if it’s under the 249g, then we let them know that there are specific areas where they still, even with that, they cannot fly still within certain zones in certain areas.”

As for the unexplained drones over New Jersey, Randy noted that obtaining accurate information about them would be extremely difficult. He emphasized that this makes it more important than ever for people to be educated drone owners. Understanding the rules is essential to ensuring the safety of both the operator and those around them, which in turn helps protect the entire drone industry. Despite the mystery surrounding these sightings, the drone industry continues to thrive. As the technology evolves and drone use becomes more widespread, it remains crucial for both enthusiasts and casual users to adhere to safety guidelines.

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