Disney testing flying dragon for Avatarland?
Jun 23, 2012

UPDATE: We were sent a link to the official patent application filed by Disney Enterprises. Click here to view the document.

A lot of attention among the Disney internet community has been focusing on Shafter-Minter Field, an airport in California. The reason? Pictures have been taken by a local business owner of an ultralight aircraft (using a large fan and kite) designed to look like a flying dragon which is possibly being tested by Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI). An article in the Bakersfield Californian includes some pictures of the "creature" above the skies in an area roughly 120 miles north of WDI headquarters.


Photo by Tammy Zaninovich (posted in an article in the Bakersfield Californian)

Allegedly, the flight tests were intended to be secret, since Disney "swore airport officials to secrecy by having them sign a nondisclosure agreement as part of its rental of a hangar, a golf cart and rights to test the modified ultralight." While WDI testing anything new is considered news in the Disney community, this news is particularly interesting in light of last year's announcement that Avatar was coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. In 2010, a patent was filed by WDI for a flying device wherein someone pilots a flying creature that looks very similar to the one seen over Shafter-Minter Field.

As to what this flying dragon may be used for, all guesses are pure speculation. It seems highly unlikely, if not impossible, that these ultralight aircraft would be used as part of a ride where guests would be able to experience flight on the backs of these creatures. It is more likely that they could be utilized in an outdoor Avatar show where the devices could act as an animal in the Avatar universe called the "Ikran." The confidentiality agreement in place prevents airport officials from offering any details about the testing, but a Disney spokesperson did confirm that "what people around the airport saw (she never used the word "dragon") was a project of Glendale-based Walt Disney Imagineering." Until more details are released, visit the Bakersfield Californian article for the pictures that began all of the buzz.