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cold weather flying

Welcome from Oswego, IL. As stated above in the other posts you can fly in cold weather just have to keep a eye on things a little more. Most of the time my fingers give out before the drone. Here is an example, flying along the Fox River.
Having spent time in Oswego (NY), I'm convinced that "oswego" is an Indian word for "too much snow"
 
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?

You'll probably be as surprised to see I'm from the same town as I was to see your post. I got my drone (M2P) a little over a year ago and did very little cold weather flying last winter. That was more due to me not wanting to be out there to fly than the drone being capable of it. I do want to get some snow footage this year however. I'm thinking if it freezes up at the dam that could make some nice looking shots.
 
Welcome!
I do not have the MM, however, I have flown the Mavic Pro in -20f on commercial jobs. As mentioned above, keep your battery warm until ready for flight. Do not fly if the humidity is high, when there is any mist or wet snow in the air. When you start your flight, lift off to about 2' from the ground and hover for a minute or two to let your bird warm up. As mentioned above, watch your battery for any sudden drops in voltage. Do not wait until your battery level is down before landing.

When you land, do not put your bird directly into a warm vehicle. I use a small plastic garbage bag and I wrap it up tight, then put it in the vehicle. This will keep it from condensing after going into the warm vehicle. The bag will protect it from the moisture in the air. After a few minutes when it has warmed up then you can take it out of the bag.

Try small flights at first and learn your birds characteristics when flying in the cold, then expand as you learn. There are also lots of youtube videos about flying in cold weather. Watch them and learn from others mistakes. Also watch videos about drone crashes, again to learn from others before you make the same mistakes.

Stay Well, Stay Warm, and Fly Safe!
 
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 Mavic Pilots from Dayton Ohio USA! DJI recommends not flying below 32F or 0C. Enjoy your new Mavic Mini, Fly safe and have fun!
 
I have to fly regularly for work during the winter. So from November to the end of march we use a cooler/warmer unit. Bought a cheap temp. unit off ebay and wired it up to a 12v deep cycle battery. I keep the batteries around 35c and up to 40c if it's really cold. Almost lose no time, but remember that you internal resistance skyrockets when your batteries are cold. That means the remaining capacity is way off. Also, if you start cold your batteries will turn into self heating elements literally cooking them. Warming them this way is bad lol. You know you have the perfect prewarm with your batteries come out of the drone the same temp they went in : ) Now if I could just find a way to keep myself and spotter warm...
 
Now if I could just find a way to keep myself and spotter warm...


Warm clothing and a Thermos full of hot cocoa. ?
 
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!
That is absolutely an extraordinary place to live. Sounds like it's your retirement kingdom. Congratulations!
 
That is absolutely an extraordinary place to live. Sounds like it's your retirement kingdom. Congratulations!
Thanks! Yes, its a great place to call "home" and also an amazing place to fly. It's a little tough to get any flying in this time of year due to the winds but I try to whenever I can. Yes, it is our retirement paradise! Paradise doesn't have to be tropical for some people.
 
Welcome to the forum!

I've had some issues flying in cold weather (-15 to -20 C) using the Mavic 2 Zoom. Most prominent are ice buildups on props and lens when flying in haze / fog. I've also had issues on battery life, both on the controller and the aircraft itself. If you have a chilled controller, it can display 100 % charged at start of flight only dropping to 0 % 1 minute into the flight, unable to be turned on again. A cold controller won't charge as well. So keep the controller warm.

As for the aircraft, it can suddenly report too low voltage and land where it sees fit, so keep VLOS.

And last, the pilot. Exposed fingers get very cold in a very short time, and if you don't wear special gloves compatible with a smart phones touch screen, you have to use your bear fingers to manage some aspects of the flight. But with care and knowledge of the controller, it is possible to fly with gloves.

Best of luck with your flights!

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