Cold weather

[moosedrooln]

Winter is approaching and the temps are falling. How cold is the coldest temp you've flown? This will be my first winter with my MP. I know keeping the batteries warm is a must. Just curious if anyone has flown in very cold temps?

 

[Robert Mitchell]

5 degrees f.

Yes, batteries must be kept warm until flight, but the most troublesome thing is keeping your device warm... and your fingers.

 

[SpinItUp]

Same boat here.
1 below but only vertically as it was too windy to get any distance but close by low level was ok, the only problem is circulation to the paws and not sure about the durability of my choice of mittens as yet!

Jeebus /\ to the comment above mine

 

[moosedrooln]

I think some snowy winter pics will be awesome.

 

[Blind T]

On the Celsius scale, I've flow -10 many times,..... always while sitting in my running pick up truck.

 

[tcope]

It is more important as to what temp the battery is... as you will have limited flight if the batter is around 20F and it won't work at all at 15F (I _think_) I remember those temps correctly. You can always search to confirm).

 

[Robert Mitchell]

I think some snowy winter pics will be awesome.

Done with my Mavic about a year ago. I have lots more of the ski resort I live near.

 

[dylanthecat]

It is more important as to what temp the battery is... as you will have limited flight if the batter is around 20F and it won't work at all at 15F (I _think_) I remember those temps correctly. You can always search to confirm).

What would stop the battery from working at all at 15? Curious.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

What would stop the battery from working at all at 15? Curious.

It has an internal temperature sensor, and the software shuts it down. I think that is celsius, and that sounds about right. There is no actual air temp limit, as long as the battery isn't allowed to drop below the threshold, before you take off.

 

[dylanthecat]

Did not know that, thanks.I will have to test that.

 

[Robert Mitchell]

Did not know that, thanks.I will have to test that.

I needed to edit that slightly. Re-read that for the details. That's why, if you keep your battery warm until just before takeoff, you are good to go at just about any temp. Once operating, the battery generates its own heat due to operation.

That said, DJI has a stated operating temperature limit of 32F (0C), though I'm not sure why. Anything below that and according to DJI, you're on your own.

 

[Tbredhed]

I've regularly flow here in the great white north at -35C and never had a problem.
As an extra precaution when I'm done and bringing back inside I fold it up and put it in a Ziploc bag and suck the air out to prevent condensation forming on it.
Hope this helps, cheers.

 

[hornetcounselor]

Good information. This will be my first winter to fly. Thanks.

 

[moosedrooln]

I've regularly flow here in the great white north at -35C and never had a problem.
As an extra precaution when I'm done and bringing back inside I fold it up and put it in a Ziploc bag and suck the air out to prevent condensation forming on it.
Hope this helps, cheers.

That helps a lot! That is much colder than I would've expected!! I'm going to try and brave a blizzard and get some footage.

 

[Canuk]

When the battery is below 15 c it will show a warning . I will have mine hold a hover to get up to about 18c before I start going anywhere .

 

[Canuk]

Sadly I know all too well about flying in cool temps .

This picture I just took but I guess since I am so far north I should expect this .

 

[moosedrooln]

Sadly I know all too well about flying in cool temps .

This picture I just took but I guess since I am so far north I should expect this .

I'm looking forward to this here in Iowa!

 

[JakeS]

I’ve flown regularly with the Mavic Pro and the Mavic Air in temps as cold as -40f/-40c here in Alaska and I’m not the only one. Keep the batteries warm before putting them on the drone and then let the drone hover for a minute or so to get the temp up above 18 is a must. When flying I constantly check the battery temp and voltage. I keep my flights close by for the most part and fly a bit more gentle than i do in the summer.

Here’s a video using the Mavic Air at -17f

My fingers and other devices usually give out before the drone does.

 

[Bwass]

I flew successfully in a -15 °C temperature, with over 85% humidity. It didn't last long, not because of any technical problem, but because I wanted to stay cautious and not tempt the devil. Also, because of my fingers' well-being.

My first attempt gave me an error on the control interface, but I can't remember exactly what it was. It was a red reading and a strong beeping. The error showed up while on the ground, just as I started the rotors. I presumed it was because of the cold, so I didn't take any chance and I cancelled everything and got back home. That was after driving my car about 10 minutes to reach my destination. So my best guess is that because the Mavic spent 10 minutes in the cold, it didn't like it when it was turned on. Could be a humidity build-up.

After that first attempt, I figured that I could try to start the Mavic as soon as possible after taking it outside, so that it doesn't have time to cool down. It worked, but I stayed very cautious and I didn't fly too far from the home point. My main observation is that the battery drained quite fast. The video has some wobbling in it, especially in the top-left corner. I thought it could be caused by a temperature difference between the device and the surrounding air. A bit similar to when you look over a fire. Maybe that combined with the movements of the blades. I'm not sure. The sun was also relatively low in the sky (almost winter solstice), despite the time of day being about 12h30.

Here's a few pictures and videos from that day. Also, some weather statistics (source) :

December 17th, 2017, 12h. Taken from St-Hubert weather station, approx. coordinates : 45°31'03" N, 73°25'01" W.

Temperature : -14.6 °C
Relative humidity : 86%
Wind speed : 5 km/h (NE)
Visibility : 4 km
Pressure : 102.49 kPa

Photos :



Exposure time was 1/2000.

Videos :

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3

The videos were not edited, other than trimmed for length and scaled to 1080p. The hard part was to get a reasonable exposure time given the position of the sun, both for videos and photos.

 

[Rowder]

I've regularly flow here in the great white north at -35C and never had a problem.
As an extra precaution when I'm done and bringing back inside I fold it up and put it in a Ziploc bag and suck the air out to prevent condensation forming on it.
Hope this helps, cheers.

T, how long does the battery last at that temp.? I like the Ziploc bag idea.
I'm in Ottawa; cold and usually moderate humidity - would love to get some good winter shots, but nervous about losing my drone ( over a month old for me...)