DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

cold weather flying

welcome to the forum, at the top of the screen you will see a magnifying glass symbol click on that and then type in cold weather flying and threads pertaining to that subject will be available
 
Hello from Wilmington Il. I hope i am posting correctly. I am new to drones and forums. My wife bought me a mavic mini and have some basic questions, The one i like to deal with today is it ok to fly in cold weather?
Welcome to the forum! I live in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado at 8200ft and fly in the cold weather all the time. I just flew yesterday because it was one of the few days where we didn't have any wind. The temps were 21F and I've flown at lower temps, in the teens. I've even flown in light snow, but don't do it on a regular basis, and never go very far. I haven't had any issues other than you get less flight time due to the cold. I can get about a 12-14 minute flight from a fully charged battery. Happy and safe flying!
 

Attachments

  • DJI_0089.JPG
    DJI_0089.JPG
    6.4 MB · Views: 48
Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will find our site helpful and look forward to any input , photo's/video's you might post .
Don't be shy and ask anything if you can't find it by searching. Thumbswayup
 
Welcome to Mavic Pilots! :) Enjoy the forum!Thumbswayup
 
Welcome! Officially, the manual says not to use the batteries below freezing (0C or 32F). I've flown in colder weather. If you can keep batteries warm until flight starts, do so. Be aware that battery life may be shorter than expected.

Don't fly in fog at near-freezing temperatures. That risks ice buildup on the props, which can quickly reduce their performance and cause a crash.
 
Live in Michigan... there are specific limitations to cold weather flying. I’ve flown at 12 deg F (not common). However I start each flight with a battery that is acclimated at room temperature. It then drops during the flight. Then for safety, I land at 40 to 50%. I have not noticed any effects on the performance of the IMU or other attitude related components. Between each flight I bring the AC inside. But be careful of lens fogging, which depends on the humidity in your house.
I’ve conducted similar flights from my car as long as VLOS can be maintained.
That’s been my experience.
 
I regularily fly in cold weather. Just make sure the battery is warmed up before flight - your pocket is a great warmer. The battery will warm up during flight. Your flying device battery however will not so make sure you keep your drone in VLOS in case your device turns off because of the cold.

Chris
 
Welcome to the forum! :)

My wife bought me a mavic mini and have some basic questions,
Here are some things to help you get started with your Mavic Mini:
  • The current Mavic Mini manual can be downloaded here (it doesn't come in the box). Other important documents can be found on the Mavic Mini downloads page.

  • Check out this getting started guide for some tips not found in the Mavic Mini manual.

  • Your drone batteries will last longer if you use and maintain them like this.

  • Practice flying outdoors in a wide open location that's free of all obstacles. Don't attempt to fly inside your house or in other confined locations.

  • The drone records flight data each time you fly. You can decrypt and view those flight logs with these tools.

  • Check out MavicHelp.com for commonly used accessories you might need.

is it ok to fly in cold weather?
Certainly! Make sure you keep your hands warm.
 
Welcome! Officially, the manual says not to use the batteries below freezing (0C or 32F). I've flown in colder weather. If you can keep batteries warm until flight starts, do so. Be aware that battery life may be shorter than expected.

Don't fly in fog at near-freezing temperatures. That risks ice buildup on the props, which can quickly reduce their performance and cause a crash.
Yep, flew my MA2 in -10 degrees C here last July ( Winter here in NZ ) in fog during a Hore frost. Shortly after capturing this image the controller screen reported drone motor issues and the drone then crashed into the long grass ( Luckily with no damage although I did replace the props afterwards ) and the props actually had little slivers of ice on the leading edges which would have unbalanced the props helping cause the crash. Sometimes one needs the experience to learn from :cool: 20200718_163547 - 0754.jpg
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,592
Messages
1,554,169
Members
159,596
Latest member
da4o98