Cold temperatures

[Nakita Mosquita]

We’re entering winter here in parts of Canada. What temperatures below 0 celsius have you flown in? Know about keeping the batteries warm and to let the drone hover a bit to warm up. Thanks for sharing. Flew a bit last year in January but spent the rest of the winter in Kaui.

Postscript: Snow arrived about 2 weeks ago. Won’t let the cold keep me indoors tho. To-day, put up the Air in -15 C. Soon..... Roatan. View attachment 85258View attachment 85259View attachment 85260

 

[msinger]

Know about keeping the batteries warm and to let the drone hover a bit to warm up.

Then you're just missing one last piece of advice... keep your fingers warm

 

[dylanthecat]

Flew last year several times between 0 and 10 degrees F. No real issues.

 

[Cmntnzxvi]

My first winter here in wisconsin, looking foward to do so, thanks for the " let it hover to warm up" tip, ive only read about keeping the battery warm so it hold up the charge better

 

[Mrmund]

My first winter here in wisconsin, looking foward to do so, thanks for the " let it hover to warm up" tip, ive only read about keeping the battery warm so it hold up the charge better

That's actually true, I've flown all my drones below freezing (sometimes in the snow, don't tell DJI).
When it's cold, after you take off, set your home point, make sure you're steady not swirling around like a toilet bowl ( always check this so you know you IMU and compass aren't F#$&Ed)
Hover and heat up those batteries.

 

[zocalo]

I've flown in temps as low as -15C with a Mavic Pro Platinum and Mavic 2 Pro, and also well inside the Arctic circle. Standard advice for batteries in low temperatures applies:

• Keep them fully charged and out of the cold as much as possible until ready to use
• Only fit them when actually ready to fly
• Be careful they don't get condensation on when you take them from warm storage to a cold operating environment. Dry them off with a towel or tissue before installing into the drone if so.

You can also count on vastly reduced flight times compared to warmer climes. I was sometimes seeing sub-10 minutes with the M2P, but ~15-20min was more a typical max flight time for a full battery (the M2P is supposedly capable of 31min). It's also sensible to have a pretty good idea of what you are going to do before even getting the drone out of the bag to make the most of what flight time you have, so the matra should be "Plan the flight, then fly the plan!"

I'd also second the recommendation on hovering for a little longer than normal to make sure everything is OK; it can take a little longer to get GPS lock at extreme latitudes so you may need to do this anyway, but since you are outside DJI's official operating temps a little extra time on the health checks is worth doing. Make sure you have your RTH location dialled in properly as well.

Also, be aware that you might get condesation and ice form on the drone while in flight. It's *definitely* worth being aware of the humidity levels and dew point where you are flying to have an idea of how likely this is, or even doing a quick test flight to check the state of the drone when you bring it back.

 

[Radio]

All great information, I have only flown my P3 in 30 degree temps, this year it will be my Mavic Air. The P3 did not have any issues as long as the batteries were warm. Always flew from about the same take off point and she always came home. Hope the MA does as well. Cold fingers were the only problem.

 

[dougputt]

I had big issues between - 12c and - 20c..without the heated battery.. Took off, got up about 40'and started to fly forward.. Only got about 600 yards away and lost connection with zero warning, lost video and everything.. I knew I had flown a straight line out so I just backed up until I saw it again.. Even when it was hovering 20'away from me it would not reconnect.. Had to land and reboot it..
Me, being a troubleshooter (ok.. Stupid) changed out the battery and tried another flight.. It did the same thing, but I wasn't that far away, can only contribute it to the dire cold..

 

[Galopin]

Last winter up here in the Saguenay Region of northern Quebec, I realized on back country ski outings several flights between minus 10° and minus 15°C with my Mavic Air. I had no bad issues. In order to keep my material at the highest temperature possible:
1) Full charged batteries for MA, RC and the iPad
2) Keep the drone in its case, the rc and the iPad Mini wrapped into some flexible styrofoam put into your backpack with a one litre metal bottle filled with very hot water. Hot shots baggies are no good.
3) Keep the 2 or 3 batteries into the inside pockets of your parka or in your pants pockets.
4) Stick with plastic tape a piece of thin flexible styrofoam on the back of your iPad to keep the batterie warm during the flights. The iPad battery suffers from cold more easily than the drone and rc batteries.
5) Plan your flight
6) Wear some thin polar gloves to manipulate the material and the rc sticks
7) Enjoy your flights...and skiing.
8) Bring the MA back after 10 minutes and put it back with the iPad and rc in your warm backpack.

Here is a flight at -15°C