State Sen. Brad Hoylman represents a part of Western Manhattan that includes Battery Park. In an email statement to Gizmodo, he called the FAA and New Jersey’s permission of the drone show “outrageous,” adding that the “profit-seeking drone show threatens the public safety, wildlife, and peaceful enjoyment of New York City’s waterfront.”
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Hoylman has been railing against huge, blinking ads off the Battery for years now. In 2019, New York City finally won a lawsuit against the giant floating LED advertisements that were regularly seen floating down the Hudson and other major NYC waterways. The company, Ballyhoo Media, was forced to pay $100,000 to the city and move their billboard boat to Florida. Hoylman sponsored a state law banning floating ads. He’s also sponsored the so-called “Stop the Chop Act” that would allow the New York Attorney General to file nuisance complaints against drones and helicopters in New York airspace. The state senate passed the bill back in June and it still awaits the Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature or veto.
Drone shows have not become too common in the U.S., especially compared to countries like China which have performed them for major historic events like the 2018 Winter Olympics as well as relatively small affairs such as the release of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic.