2023 recap.
Taking off.
What an extraordinary year 2023 turned out to be for the Thunderbird Drone Festival! Our third annual event saw remarkable growth and success. Beyond the impressive numbers, the festival was a non-stop adventure from beginning to end!
Watch our dynamic recap video to see the best moments from the 2023 festival. Highlights include breathtaking aerial shows, NW Oklahoma’s first-ever drone light show, heart-pounding drone races, and enriching educational sessions. This two-day event offered something for everyone, whether you’re an experienced drone pilot or just starting out.
Don’t miss out on the excitement - join us at the next Thunderbird Drone Festival and experience the thrill for yourself!
Film & Photo Award Winners
Get ready to be blown away by the world's most talented drone filmmakers and photographers as you view the category winners of the 2022 Thunderbird Drone Festival! Our team of expert judges sifted through over 200 submissions from every corner of the globe to handpick the crème de la crème of aerial artistry. From breathtaking landscapes to heart-pumping action shots, the following category winners represent the pinnacle of drone cinematography and photography.
BEST OF SHOW 'FPV Bali & Java' - Andrey Efimov
Landscape, Architecture, and Sports 'Why I Travel The World Alone' - Bashir Abu Shakra
Made in Oklahoma - Films 'Tulsa Tough FPV' - Daren Clodio
First-Time Filmmaker & Under 18 'Taking Drones to the Next Level' - Zorian Passmore
FPV 'FPV Bali & Java' - Andrey Efimov
Narrative, Dronie, & More 'Transmission' - Mikhail Parkhomenko
Still Photo - Nature 'Marbled Sphere' - Mark Bellncula
Made in Oklahoma Still Photo 'Capital Beams' - David Billen
Still Photo - Architecture 'Hidden Nature' - James Simpson
Showreel & Demo 'My Year 2021' - Alen Tkalcec
Drone Light Show
The magic of the sky was truly experienced at this year's Drone Festival with an incredible drone light show by Dynamic Skies! Fifty drones danced in perfect harmony, creating mesmerizing patterns and vibrant colors that illuminated the night. This breathtaking display was a feast for the eyes, showcasing cutting-edge technology and artistic brilliance. It was an unforgettable spectacle that left everyone spellbound!
VIP Afterparty
Following the drone light show, VIP ticketholders ate, drank, and danced the night away at our VIP afterparty! It was a great night of conversation and networking between filmmakers, industry pilots, and drone enthusiasts of all kinds.
Drone Day!
Industry Panel
We assembled a star-studded lineup of top UAS professionals from across Oklahoma for our 2023 drone panel, representing a diverse range of industries and expertise. From chasing tornadoes with drones, to military operations and everything in between, our panelists shared their unique insights and experiences, and answered questions from an engaged and curious audience.
A huge shoutout to our esteemed panelists: Robert Newell, PhDCS, CGCIO, Dr. Alyssa Avery (Research Assistant Professor, USRI, OSU), Jordan Hall (Storm Chaser), Marcus Möller (Aerial DP), Aaron Baker (Skyway36 Airport/Droneport Manager), Major Karrissa A. Goeken (Director of Staff, 3rd Special Operations Squadron, 27st Special Operations Wing, Cannon AFB, New Mexico), and Doug Wood (UAS Program Manager, ODAA).
Victoria is currently the Director of Strategic Innovation at Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE). She oversees and coordinates engineering efforts, personnel, and strategy related to the institute and is passionate about developing the aerospace ecosystem within the state of Oklahoma and beyond. Victoria started taking flying lessons in high school and the time she spent as a student pilot instilled a passion for aerospace and aviation that has only grown. Her high school senior design project was funded through NASA while she was an undergraduate and her team competed and won the regional AIAA student design competition and was selected to present to a national AIAA conference in 2012. Victoria received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M at Kingsville in 2012 and worked as an aircraft structural design engineer for L3 Communications between 2012 and 2017. Once she decided to go back to school, Victoria dedicated herself to research and learned more about emerging technologies in the aerospace sector. This included overseeing and participating in multiple drone-based projects. She started her graduate degree at Oklahoma State University in 2017. Her MS thesis in mechanical and aerospace engineering consisted of studying the uses and applications of combining photogrammetric processes with unmanned aerial systems. She presented her research at over 8 local and national conferences between 2017 and 2019 and led small and large flight campaigns for OSU. After graduation, Victoria continued working with the Unmanned Systems Research Institute at Oklahoma State, starting as a research engineer, and moving to Director of Engineering in 2021. Now that she is at OAIRE, she is excited about the potential of the institute and the impact it will have. She works to meet adversity with tenacity and tries to find innovative solutions to systemic and stagnant processes.
Victoria Natalie
LiftOff Drone Simulators
STEM Projects with NASA
Drone Corral
Sky High Shootout FPV Races
Race Winners
The 2023 Sky High Shootout Tiny Whoop Racers were a BLAST! Racers flew 3” tiny whoops through a slalom of gates and obstacles for a chance to be named the Sky High Shootout Champions. This year’s course even featured a custom projection-mapped sign!
Left to Right: Lorenzo Toby Choo (1st Place), Will Valentine (2nd Place), Truc Quach (3rd Place)
