Fly in rain?

[Gmgfarrand]

Ok, I saw some vids were people did it with no issues.
Anyone try it?

 

[Aerial-Pixel]

I have not purposely done it, I got caught in a sprinkle before, immediately brought it back, didn't have any issues. I'd be reluctant to ever do it in a downpour, especially on purpose.

 

[Former Member]

Here's an interesting thread for you:

Rain proofing project on throwaway mavic pro platinum

 

[CanadaDrone]

I would never do it. The consumer drones are not waterproof. If there is even a drop of rain I head home, but everyone will have different thresholds there.

I have read the Phantom has a waterproof nano-coated control board but I haven't been able to confirm that anywhere.

I've seen people blasting them with hoses on YouTube and surviving but what you don't see is if they still work a week or a month later. Not worth the risk in my opinion.

 

[Former Member]

I have read the Phantom has a waterproof nano-coated control board but I haven't been able to confirm that anywhere.

The Mavic has a conformal coating on the boards, but I agree, it's not worth the risk to fly in the rain unless you have money to burn.

 

[OldBlueHeron]

I have a sacrificial Spark that I fly in light to moderate rain all the time. No ill effects yet. I find the bottom mount battery is helpful and the prop wash takes care of a lot of the rain. I don’t know if I recommend it though.

 

[CanadaDrone]

The Mavic has a conformal coating on the boards, but I agree, it's not worth the risk to fly in the rain unless you have money to burn.

Both the Air and the Pro?

 

[Former Member]

Both the Air and the Pro?

Yes, all DJI drones have had it since the P2

 

[thebigbaddan]

Related but not your question: I've flown in some pretty good snowstorms. The prop wash does keep it pretty dry.

 

[Merced69]

I have a sacrificial Spark that I fly in light to moderate rain all the time. No ill effects yet. I find the bottom mount battery is helpful and the prop wash takes care of a lot of the rain. I don’t know if I recommend it though.

Very brave to try, but glad to hear the response. I would be curious to see how the video capture turns out during rain or does lenses get too wet?

 

[jazar]

I dont intentionally fly in the rain because I am afraid rain drops may get inside of a motor and disable it. However, on a few occasions, I have been flying and it started raining. Been able to fly 5-10 minutes back to landing and no problems. Once the rain was quite heavy by the time I got it back. So far no problems, but I have no plans to make a habit of flying in the rain.

 

[JoelP]

Conformal coating electronics with paralyne will protect from water damage, but shock and vibration can compromise this coating over time so you had best think of this as water resistant rather than waterproof.