Do I have to drain my batteries before going on an airplane flight?

[mschwind200]

Or can I leave them fully charged?

 

[Aerial Gopher]

Probably, there is a small bolt at the bottom of the battery, just unscrew that for 2 minutes then replace it. That should make it stable enough to put on the plane. When you go to charge it again, make sure you have 15 inch lbs torque on the bolt as this is required to keep the electrons from escaping while under pressure.

 

[msinger]

can I leave them fully charged?

Yes. You do not have to discharge them.

 

[msinger]

there is a small bolt at the bottom of the battery, just unscrew that for 2 minutes then replace it

You missed April Fools Day by a few days

 

[richardhurst]

I believe it is good practise to have them at about 25-30% charge to prove they work but are not fully charged in case of a fire

 

[msinger]

I believe it is good practise to have them at about 25-30% charge to prove they work but are not fully charged in case of a fire

If you fear a fire, you could store your batteries in a LiPo bag (like one of these LiPo bags).

 

[mschwind200]

If you fear a fire, you could store your batteries in a LiPo bag (like one of these LiPo bags).

My flights tomorrow and I don't have a Lipo bag, I have a mavic shoulder bag. Will they catch fire or are they pretty safe as they are? 14 hour flight to America.

 

[BorisTheSpider]

Please do discharge them to 30% - 50%, a fully charged lipo is much more volatile than one with less energy in it.

A lipo just sitting there isn't going to do anything bad, however if there's an accident and one is dropped, something spills on one in bad turbulence etc... An inflight fire is about the worst thing that can happen on an aeroplane and it doesn't hurt to minimise the risk of transporting them by air.

You'll need to cover the terminals, just taping then up is fine. Lipo bags are nice to have too.

Incidentally, you know they're not allowed in the hold right? They must go with you in hand luggage.

 

[msinger]

My flights tomorrow and I don't have a Lipo bag

While anything is possible, I've never heard of a DJI battery catching on fire if it's not damaged. And even that is a very rare occurrence. Your batteries are not likely to become damaged if they are stored in your carry-on bag.

 

[RhodyMavic]

My flights tomorrow and I don't have a Lipo bag, I have a mavic shoulder bag. Will they catch fire or are they pretty safe as they are? 14 hour flight to America.

I fly 14-ish hour flights to and from the States. I use the Mavic Fly More bag with 3 batteries in it. No lipo bags. Zero issues. Habitually mine are always discharged below 50% for no other reason than preference.

 

[Ikopta]

Just down to 50 % , this might help. As RhodyMavic said, never used LiPo Bags.

 

[aitorlape]

Just a note. The manual says:
"Travel Notice
1. Before carrying the Intelligent Flight Battery on an airline flight,
it must first be fully discharged. This can be done by using your aircraft until the battery is depleted. Only discharge the battery in a
fireproof location. "
I don't know if this is necessary but it's there in the manual.
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/mavic/Mavic+Pro+Intelligent+Flight+Battery+Safety+Guidelines-EN.pdf

 

[msinger]

I don't know if this is necessary but it's there in the manual.

It's really not necessary. Countless Mavic batteries are being shipped out via plane daily and the batteries are not fully discharged. Focus on getting to the airport on time to make your flight. Your time will be better spent there.

 

[aitorlape]

It's really not necessary. Countless Mavic batteries are being shipped out via plane daily and the batteries are not fully discharged. Focus on getting to the airport on time to make your flight. Your time will be better spent there.

I'm flying next month to Spain. I'll start to deplete my batteries today thank you.

 

[normr]

Msinger, do you have 3D printed battery terminal covers for Mavic batteries or will the P4 ones you sell work?

 

[msinger]

do you have 3D printed battery terminal covers for Mavic batteries or will the P4 ones you sell work?

The P4 covers won't fit. I do have Mavic covers, but haven't released them yet.

 

[normr]

Excellent, let me know when they're available and also, can you make them in a color to match the battery?

 

[msinger]

can you make them in a color to match the battery?

I'll likely only sell white covers. If there is a large demand for other colors, I'll consider it.

 

[Hollajandro]

Just an FYI if any of you are flying Alaska Air they require that any Lithium batteries in checked baggage be attached to the device it is intended for and spares are carry on only: Baggage Restrictions - Batteries and Electronics | Alaska Airlines

 

[msinger]

Just an FYI if any of you are flying Alaska Air they require that any Lithium batteries in checked baggage be attached to the device it is intended for

The FAA has that same requirement. See more details here.