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Below freezing Flying

Has anyone flown there Mavic 2 in cold weather yet? If so, did everything go ok?

Hi, flew the M2P up in the Swedish mountains last week. Took the warm craft from inside and flew immediately in the morning at 0 degrees centigrade. Aircraft was fine, even with the wind chill at 200 meters altitude. Quite possibly due to the battery being prewarmed in the house.

Due to the cold, my iPhone 6S shutdown during the flight. I switched the landing light on from my C button on the radio control and flew it back because I saw the light in the sky.

It was ok but risky. I'll not trust crappy iPhones in the cold again. I also have an Android Galaxy S8. Will try that soon.

Conclusion is that the AC works fine down to minus 5 degrees C in my test.
 
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Colder weather provides greater lift due to the increase in air density.. I flew all last winter here in Tennessee and the MPP did fine.

As far a battery life; I drive a Chevy Volt which is all electric as long as I have charge left in the battery. During temperature extremes, I seem to get a 10 to 12 mile decrease per charge. just A guess, but i'm thinking the Mavic's battery shares similar characteristic with respect to amp hour loss.

I have a love hate relationship with DJI products. Some of their stuff is just crap, but at the same time, I've had MPP's sit three days in a tree in the rain, fall 90 feet to the ground. after a few minutes with a hair dryer and two new front legs, the **** thing flew like out of the box, so go figure.

I would say as long as its not wet, then fly
 
I think the mavic 2 is rated to fly down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, my other Phantoms are only rated to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Wonder what gives to mavic 2 the edge?
What gives the Mavic 2 the edge is because the M2 batteries have self-heating capability, which the older ones did not...so they are still able to dispense the proper amperage for safe flight in those colder temps.
 
I have the original Phantom 4. I've flown it as cold as -35C (-31F). I plan to fly the Mavic 2 at those temperatures, but it hasn't got that cold here yet.

Batteries generate their own heat during operation and get warmer in flight.(You can see this if you call up the battery monitor in the DJI Go app). When it's -20C (-4F) I can take off with the battery at +20C and it will be at +25C when I land. The cold temps didn't really reduce flight times either...

I have one concern when it comes to flying in the cold with the Mavic... My Phantom's battery fits inside a slot and is completely covered top sides and bottom by the drone's body. It's completely sheltered. With the Mavic, the top of the battery is exposed. It might not fare as well in cold temps.

In the winter I often fly from inside my Jeep Wrangler with the heat on. Unlike a 'normal' vehicle, the Wrangler has a plastic top that the controller signals pass through effortlessly. I can fly over a mile out while seated in the Jeep and still have strong signals with glitch free video.
 
The specs say -10C if I recall correctly, the mavic pro said 0C but was perfectly fine to at least -10 provided your batteries were warm to start with.
The risky area is at or near freezing point when icing can quickly become an issue as you pass through different air layers.

You can sit in a vehicle with surprisingly little effect on range. (or even indoors depending on building materials!)
However visibility can be compromised so take care.
 
People fly DJI drones in Antarctica...so anywhere else should be fine
 
The Mavic 2 is only rated from -10C to +40C. You are taking a calculated risk if you fly outside that range, and surely voiding your warranty should something go wrong. The most important thing is keeping the batteries warm. Moisture build up / freezing is also a concern as conditions change, which is frequent up in the air.

The Inspire drones are rated down to -20C, and the Air is only rated down to 0C, so there is no universal minimum safe temperature. Just because someone successfully flew X drone in X country, it does not make it safe for every drone or every climate. You accept the risks if you fly outside of DJI's published temperature ranges.

Also keep in mind the extreme cold will have a negative effect on everything including your phone's display, your phone's battery, the remote battery, maximum flight time, and even your own response time if your hands get cold.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you do not let equipment temperatures equalize SLOWLY between extreme temperature differences (i.e. your warm car and the winter outside), you may end up with condensation in places you do not want it - such as inside the lens.
 
Here in Ontario, Canada, I've flown at -21 degrees below zero but not -21 Below freezing.

The batteries don't last quite as long, but it helps a lot if you can keep them close to your abdomen skin until you need them. I tuck two at a time under my belt, next to my skin.

At -15 below zero my P4 Pro batteries lasted about 22 minutes, instead of the usual 28 minutes and maybe a little longer sometimes. Just depends on how cold the wind is as well. I never timed them at -21. I hope that helps a little.

Bud

Has anyone flown there Mavic 2 in cold weather yet? If so, did everything go ok?
 
Hi, flew the M2P up in the Swedish mountains last week. Took the warm craft from inside and flew immediately in the morning at 0 degrees centigrade. Aircraft was fine, even with the wind chill at 200 meters altitude. Quite possibly due to the battery being prewarmed in the house.

Due to the cold, my iPhone 6S shutdown during the flight. I switched the landing light on from my C button on the radio control and flew it back because I saw the light in the sky.

It was ok but risky. I'll not trust crappy iPhones in the cold again. I also have an Android Galaxy S8. Will try that soon.

Conclusion is that the AC works fine down to minus 5 degrees C in my test.
Wind chill applies to your exposed skin only for goodness sake!
 
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I have flown at -20F. The battery does not last long, but longer than my fingers. I get a battery temp warning but everything works.
 
Has anyone flown there Mavic 2 in cold weather yet? If so, did everything go ok?
I took my MP out this morning at 1 degree Fahrenheit above zero and she flew just like normal. Battery life is slightly shorter but when I landed, the drone itself was nice and warm. Anything Apple will shut down if it’s too cold but if your going from inside temps to flying 1 battery I’ve never had an issue. As always make sure everything has a full charge.
 
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