COLD Temperature Flying

[Phantomrain.org]

The only drone we have seen Physically effected by the Cold was the Mini 2 : the camera chatter .

There is 1 Error Message that you can get in the Cold and that is " The controller can no longer connect to the battery , than your likely to fall out of the sky. The same goes with flying in the Rain ,

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain and Snow

 

[slup]

...At some (for now unknown) outside air temperature, the heat generated will be insufficient...

I'll find out what that temperature threshold is...

You will not find a specific threshold that you in later flights can relate to ... all depends on that specific battery's condition in exactly that moment & how you push it. You will not be able to say ... it's warmer than this & that which means I will not risk a disastrous voltage drop & a cell going below 3V.

It's a slippery slope ... the risk increases by a lowered temperature & a battery will get more & more sensitive & prone to internal resistance by usage.

That's why you can fly when it's -17C degrees ... but suddenly you can't. It's all about risk mitigation & how far you're willing to go...

*Some additions ...*

The consequence of using a battery in such cold conditions might not show up directly during that particular flight ... it can surface much later as the battery might have been prematurely worn ... or if you like, abused. So the cell failure might pop up in the middle of the summer just when you give it all in Sport mode.

 

[airbuspilot]

You will not find a specific threshold that you in later flights can relate to ... all depends on that specific battery's condition in exactly that moment & how you push it. You will not be able to say ... it's warmer than this & that which means I will not risk a disastrous voltage drop & a cell going below 3V.

It's a slippery slope ... the risk increases by a lowered temperature & a battery will get more & more sensitive & prone to internal resistance by usage.

That's why you can fly when it's -17C degrees ... but suddenly you can't. It's all about risk mitigation & how far you're willing to go..

By carefully monitoring the battery temperature in-flight, I will find the outside air temperature threshold where maintaining a safe battery temperature of 68°F (20°C) is impossible during hover.

I will mitigate the risk of total failure by taking a gradual approach over several test flights:

1. Flight at 14°F (-10°C)
2. Flight at 5°F (-15°C)
3. Flight at -4°F (-20°C)
4. Flight at -13°F (-25°C)

I hypothesize that:

1. At least one of those test flights will have the battery temperature increase from 68°F (20°C) to an even warmer temperature.

2. One test flight I will see the battery temperature remain at 68°F (20°C).

3. One test flight I will see the battery temperature decrease from 68°F (20°C), to be immediately returned for landing.

I will see what outside air temperature equates to test flight #2, where the battery maintains a safe temperature of 68°F (20°C) and note that for future reference as the unofficial low operating temperature of the MA2.

 

[theDRONEranger]

Several video scenes and still photos (on the DJI Mavic Air 2 www) indicate no problems in cold climate. What do their specs state?

 

[StantonZ]

What is the weakest link of the Mavic Air 2 taking off and flying in -17°F (-27°C) weather?

Assume the battery at takeoff is 68°F (20°C).

What would fail first? The camera gimbal?

My concern would be condensation that may develop in extremely cold temps; there could be "unintended consequences" from moisture both to the electronics and (possible) freezing props; think about how cameras fog up when going through temperature transitions. Batteries self-heat, which isn't a problem in the cold (but is in the upper temp range--that's another discussion). Even things like the gimbal connection cable can become stiff at low temps...and the gimbal motor doesn't handle stress very well.

 

[airbuspilot]

My concern would be condensation that may develop in extremely cold temps; there could be "unintended consequences" from moisture both to the electronics and (possible) freezing props; think about how cameras fog up when going through temperature transitions. Batteries self-heat, which isn't a problem in the cold (but is in the upper temp range--that's another discussion). Even things like the gimbal connection cable can become stiff at low temps...and the gimbal motor doesn't handle stress very well.

To minimize condensation damage I'm planning on:

1. Once back inside, removing the battery from the drone

2. Leaving the gimbal protector off to speed up the condensation evaporation process off the camera lens

Anything else to minimize condensation damage postflight?

 

[rxlawdude]

Remember, wind chill applies only to people and animals. The only effect wind chill has on inanimate objects, is to more quickly cool the object to the current air temperature. The object will NOT cool below the actual air temperature.

Actually, only to warm blooded animals.

 

[StantonZ]

To minimize condensation damage I'm planning on:

1. Once back inside, removing the battery from the drone

2. Leaving the gimbal protector off to speed up the condensation evaporation process off the camera lens

Anything else to minimize condensation damage postflight?

With all respect, I think you're missing the point.
Once you're back inside, the damage (if any) has been done; bad things happen when the drone is powered on...or crashes. As for leaving the gimbal protector off, that's the last/first thing I do before/after flying: an unprotected camera is an accident waiting to happen.
Just sayin'

 

[airbuspilot]

With all respect, I think you're missing the point.
Once you're back inside, the damage (if any) has been done; bad things happen when the drone is powered on...or crashes. As for leaving the gimbal protector off, that's the last/first thing I do before/after flying: an unprotected camera is an accident waiting to happen.
Just sayin'

Correct me if I'm wrong regarding condensation:

1. Take warm drone outside to subzero temperatures.
2. As the drone flies around cooling off, moisture is evaporated.
3. Once the cold drone is brought in to a warm house, that is where condensation occurs.

Therefore, the condensation "damage" occurs when the cold drone is brought indoors.

Luckily I have a screen porch that is currently 40°F. I plan postflight to let the MA2 gradually "warm up" in there for an hour. Then I can bring the drone in my warm house to avoid this condensation issue.

 

[Chrislaf]

I don't have a MA2 but if I did I would not hesitate to fly it in temperatures beyond the ones in the spec sheet especially after it is out of the warranty period. I live in a climate where the temperature can dip below zero ºC for 6 months of the year and stay below for 3 months so if I were to follow the specs of my drones, that would give me at max 4 months of the year to fly in if I flew daily.

Both of my drones have been flown in weather colder than -10ºC and I have flown my P3S in weather colder than -20ºC without any problems. I do have some problems with the gimbal on my Spark in cold weather - its pitching will often stick or not pitch its entire range and automated functions like panoramas sometimes will fail. I can often get it to work by pitching it up and down its full range a few times to get it unstuck. Both of my drones have well over 500 flights and each have 4 active batteries. My Spark is over 3 years old and my P3S is over 4 years old.

Yes, flying in cold weather is hard on my drones and my batteries, but so would storing them for 6 months of the year be too. I do the best I can to maintain the drones and batteries and keep everything in good condition. In cold weather, I make sure my batteries are warmed before flight and I monitor the batteries during flight more frequently and return and land if there are any error messages.

Chris

 

[airbuspilot]

I don't have a MA2 but if I did I would not hesitate to fly it in temperatures beyond the ones in the spec sheet especially after it is out of the warranty period. I live in a climate where the temperature can dip below zero ºC for 6 months of the year and stay below for 3 months so if I were to follow the specs of my drones, that would give me at max 4 months of the year to fly in if I flew daily.

Both of my drones have been flown in weather colder than -10ºC and I have flown my P3S in weather colder than -20ºC without any problems. I do have some problems with the gimbal on my Spark in cold weather - its pitching will often stick or not pitch its entire range and automated functions like panoramas sometimes will fail. I can often get it to work by pitching it up and down its full range a few times to get it unstuck. Both of my drones have well over 500 flights and each have 4 active batteries. My Spark is over 3 years old and my P3S is over 4 years old.

Yes, flying in cold weather is hard on my drones and my batteries, but so would storing them for 6 months of the year be too. I do the best I can to maintain the drones and batteries and keep everything in good condition. In cold weather, I make sure my batteries are warmed before flight and I monitor the batteries during flight more frequently and return and land if there are any error messages.

Chris

THIS is the answer I was waiting for! First hand experience and not speculation. I will tread carefully on my future test flights and will report my findings on MA2 flights in temperatures as low as -17°F (-27°C).

What steps do you recommend one take in order to avoid condensation issues bringing a cold-soaked drone inside a warm house?

 

[Chrislaf]

THIS is the answer I was waiting for! First hand experience and not speculation. I will tread carefully on my future test flights and will report my findings on MA2 flights in temperatures as low as -17°F (-27°C).

What steps do you recommend one take in order to avoid condensation issues bringing a cold-soaked drone inside a warm house?

When I first started flying my drones in cold weather, I read about putting camera equipment in sealed bags and letting it sit until it gets warmed to room temps so I would take my P3S out of its case, put it in a garbage bag outside my house then bring it in to the house and let it sit for an hour or so before I brought it out and looked at the pictures and recharged batteries etc. I found this didn't seem to do anything and I wasn't really making the garbage bag airtight anyway so what I do now is just leave the drone in its case and when I bring it in the house I just leave it sit for awhile so that any moisture/condensation can disipitate before I start charging batteries or looking at the media on the SD card. I do the same for my DSLRs and have for years and have not had any negative effects.

One of the other things that I should mention about cold weather flying that can be a concern that is often not thought about is the effect of the cold on your flying device. While the batteries in your drone will heat up during flight, this is not the case for your flying device whether that is a phone or tablet. If you have a Smart Controller it is apparently rated for -10ºC so it should fare better. Regardless, I have had my phone go dead on me while flying in cold weather without warning, so it is really important to always be within VLOS otherwise you will be flying blind.

Good luck. Give yourself lots of time and land early with lots of battery time left.

Chris

 

[airbuspilot]

When I first started flying my drones in cold weather, I read about putting camera equipment in sealed bags and letting it sit until it gets warmed to room temps so I would take my P3S out of its case, put it in a garbage bag outside my house then bring it in to the house and let it sit for an hour or so before I brought it out and looked at the pictures and recharged batteries etc. I found this didn't seem to do anything and I wasn't really making the garbage bag airtight anyway so what I do now is just leave the drone in its case and when I bring it in the house I just leave it sit for awhile so that any moisture/condensation can disipitate before I start charging batteries or looking at the media on the SD card. I do the same for my DSLRs and have for years and have not had any negative effects.

One of the other things that I should mention about cold weather flying that can be a concern that is often not thought about is the effect of the cold on your flying device. While the batteries in your drone will heat up during flight, this is not the case for your flying device whether that is a phone or tablet. If you have a Smart Controller it is apparently rated for -10ºC so it should fare better. Regardless, I have had my phone go dead on me while flying in cold weather without warning, so it is really important to always be within VLOS otherwise you will be flying blind.

Good luck. Give yourself lots of time and land early with lots of battery time left.

Chris

Chris,

I'll be flying from a warm vehicle so we've got the cellphone/controller issue solved.

From what I understand, the one thing you do is to ensure the cold-soaked drone stays powered off when back inside a warm house. Then when the condensation has evaporated, power on the MA2 and proceed as normal.

 

[Chrislaf]

Chris,

I'll be flying from a warm vehicle so we've got the cellphone/controller issue solved.

From what I understand, the one thing you do is to ensure the cold-soaked drone stays powered off when back inside a warm house. Then when the condensation has evaporated, power on the MA2 and proceed as normal.

After I am done my flying, I return my drone to my backpack usually out in the field as I usually hike to my flying spots. When I get home, I just bring the backpack in and let it sit and gradually warm up to room temps. The time I let it sit depends on how long I have been out in the cold for and how cold it was but I usually give it lots of time to make sure I am not taking it out into the warm house air too soon. And yes, everything including batteries stays powered off until they have warmed up to room temps.

Chris

 

[airbuspilot]

Found in another forum:

Outside temperature (not incl wind chill): -20.2 F
Battery temp before flight: 79.7
Battery temp after 5 minutes of flight: 74.2 F
Battery temp after flight: 76.1

Any sub-zero (F) flights?

If anybody has flown in these sub-zero days, please do post some pix/vids! Some of the Lake Michigan shots I've seen in the media look to have been done by drones. I suppose if you taped a hand-warmer pack to the battery, started the drone inside a warm car and let the battery warm up before...

mavicpilots.com

 

[airbuspilot]

Successful MA2 flight with an outside air temperature of 0°F (-17°C).

The drone battery started at 77°F
Low Battery Temperature: 73°F
High Battery Temperature: 86°F

The camera gimbal wasn't buttery smooth, but that was somewhat expected.

22 minute flight went great!

 

[Chrislaf]

Successful MA2 flight with an outside air temperature of 0°F (-17°C).

The drone battery started at 77°F
Low Battery Temperature: 73°F
High Battery Temperature: 86°F

The camera gimbal wasn't buttery smooth, but that was somewhat expected.

22 minute flight went great!

Glad you had a good flight. Wanted to get out this weekend but with wind gusts between 50 and 60 km/h it wasn’t happening even though it was nice a and sunny.

Chris

 

[airbuspilot]

Glad you had a good flight. Wanted to get out this weekend but with wind gusts between 50 and 60 km/h it wasn’t happening even though it was nice a and sunny.

Chris

I flew once in 70 km/h (40 MPH) winds and... never again. ?

Going backwards in Sport mode with full forward commands is a good way to require a change in pants.

 

[Chrislaf]

I flew once in 70 km/h (40 MPH) winds and... never again. ?

Going backwards in Sport mode with full forward commands is a good way to require a change in pants.

You are brave! I have flown in winds up to 40 km/h a few times and landing is definitely tricky especially with my P3S (no sensors) so it can drift a lot.

Chris

 

[Geekinions]

I've kept it at -10°C or above this winter at ground level. I'm sure it's colder than that in the sky. No issues. I keep my batteries warm before I fly. On the few days it was colder than that, I kept it grounded.