The secret behind Memorial Stadium's recent drone shows lies in Norfolk

They knew the record-breaking attendance number before the rest of the world.

The iconic attendance number that hovered over the northeast corner of Memorial Stadium on the night of Aug. 30 was the work of Fantasy Drone Shows, a Norfolk-based aerial entertainment company. The assistant athletic director of marketing and fan experience confirmed the final attendance number at approximately 7:50 p.m., leaving the company with less than an hour to program and launch 150 drones to announce the news.

"92,003 hit, and the crowd went nuts," said Don Wisnieski, owner and CEO of Fantasy Drone Shows.

The company provided the $50,000 show at no cost to the university, making history as the first drone show of this scale executed in Lincoln.

"After the show, people came up and asked how many pilots it took to fly them all," Wisnieski said.

The answer is one.

In Nebraska's own backyard

Four miles east of Norfolk, past a limestone "Wisnieski's" sign, there is a garage with a fleet of 160 drones capable of executing synchronized light shows using Verge Aero software systems. A close-knit group of pyrotechnicians with connections to the annual Big Bang Boom firework display started the company in January 2022 after a national interest in drone entertainment became clear.

"About two years ago, a lot of the people from the NFL and NCAA started asking for drones," said Wisnieski, who was working for regional firework supplier J&M at the time. "J&M wanted to stay with fireworks, so we started this."

Wisnieski has since put more than $725,000 into Fantasy Drone Shows. The company's expenses are primarily driven by labor and equipment costs, as well as the annual Verge Aero subscription. This investment was made possible by the sale of his insulation business in April 2018 and the ownership of rental properties around Norfolk.

"I've been lucky in my life and made good decisions," Wisnieski said, "and those good decisions came by surrounding myself with good people."

A few weeks ago, Fantasy Drone Shows ordered 200 more drones, increasing its fleet size to 360. Wisnieski's ultimate goal for the company is to have 1,200 drones and the staff to support six crews to fly shows around the country simultaneously.

"The more drones you get, the more things you can do," Wisnieski said.

'It fell into our laps,' says Husker Athletics

The connection between Wisnieski and Nebraska Athletics started nearly two decades ago. In 2004, he helped build the brass infrastructure on the north side of the stadium to support the launch of J&M fireworks after every Husker football score. He saw fireworks and drones as the perfect combination, so he presented the idea at a meeting with Husker Athletics on July 28.

A practice show at the stadium on Sunday, Aug. 13 at 10 p.m. sold it.

"I think we as a staff just decided, hey, this is awesome," said Alex Harris, assistant athletic director of marketing and fan experience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "I'm surprised no one saw it.

"If you're a season ticket holder and you come to all seven games, we don't want you to see the exact same thing. We want to provide new memories."

Other additions over the years include the introduction of fireworks, the fourth quarter light show in 2021 and more.

drones could be next, but the FAA approval process, undetermined kickoff times and expenses are making it difficult to establish these shows as a permanent part of game days in Lincoln.

Federal Aviation Administration rules state that drones cannot fly over people, walkways or parking lots in most cases, making the northeast corner of the stadium the only viable launch location. Even with this approved flight area, the FAA issues a temporary flight restriction over all football games in the United States that have a seating capacity of 30,000 or more. It's a federal crime carrying a punishment of up to a year in prison to fly anything - drone or airplane - within three miles of Memorial Stadium without authorization during games.

Fantasy Drone Shows had to get a certificate from the university to fly over the new practice fields and then submit a letter to the FAA to get official airspace authorization, a process that can take up to three weeks.

A game day addition with an uncertain future

Despite these hoops, Harris said it's worth it.

"The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from staff and fans," Harris said. "It's rare to have something that's pretty much universally loved."

The positive reaction to the drone show at volleyball Day in Nebraska is what brought Fantasy Drone Shows back to Memorial Stadium on Sept. 16 for the first Husker football home game of the 2023 season.

"When we knew we had a night game for football, we had to add it there, too," Harris said. "It was just awesome for our fans."

Conversations between Fantasy Drone Shows and Nebraska Athletics started happening after the yearly budget was submitted. Wisnieski said he did not charge full price for the football game, but neither would disclose how much was spent for the second show.

The Fantasy Drone Show's standard pricing structure charges $300-350 per drone depending on the fleet size and length of the show.

While an official contract has yet to be signed, Husker fans might see more drones over Memorial Stadium night games in the future.

"I think it was a home run for sure," Harris said. "I'd love to see them back."