fly in snow

alexjo55 · Nov 19, 2023

Can i fly mini 3 when its snowing?

Can i?
I did it like 1 month ago but it was for only 3 min maybe an it worked fine.

old man mavic · Nov 19, 2023

snow,as we all know is water in a christaline state ,so it can still do damage to the drones electronics if allowed to enter the inner working
can you fly your drone in snow ,of course you can ,is it a good idea definately not ,apart from the damage it may cause to the drone ,there is the added loss of visability, between the pilot and the drone ,and also the fact that the sensors are unable to work correctly, of course you could contact Coal at @Phantomrain.org and purchase one of his wet suits ,which apparently allow such things to happen ( i have no affiliation to Coals website honest )(PS just put the backhander in the post as we aggreed please Coal)
Disclaimer
sorry if my sense of humour such as it is, has been included in this post

Phantomrain.org · Nov 19, 2023

alexjo55 said:
Can i fly mini 3 when its snowing?

Can i?
I did it like 1 month ago but it was for only 3 min maybe an it worked fine.

The first thing to go in the Mini 3 when flying less than 30 Seconds in the Rain, were the Sensors burning out , requiring a new main board. This is why we suggest you get the Mini 3 Pro Wet Suit to Negotiate the Rain and the Snow as there both able to comprimise the drone quickly.

Here is the Mini 3 pro in action , should do well in the snow but we have not had any yet to fly in this year.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain/Snow

Yorkshire_Pud · Nov 19, 2023

M3P in the snow, I had to try it...

forum.dji.com

That said what OMM says is spot on ......... but it's very tempting.
What colour street lighting do you have there?
I tried a flight, at night, over a snow covered street ( not actually snowing) under orange street lighting and the video was crap but that was with an older drone.
I have to say that the mini 3 pro flight above is appealing

mavic3usa · Nov 19, 2023

Phantomrain.org · Nov 19, 2023

You can tell at the end of the Serious Snow video above the Mini 2 Sensors were wet and were comprimised, this is why that Wet Suit is so needed with the Rain / Snow , if the mini 2 gets cold enough the camera starts to shake very quickly and wont come down as the sensors get very confused and will burn out and not land.

Flying stress free is much nicer

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

Chrislaf · Nov 19, 2023

Flying in snow is possible but VLOS is greatly reduced especially for a tiny drone like the Mini 3. I generally do not make it a habit to launch in heavy snowfall as the risk of loosing my drone greatly increases and finding it should I crash it, even more. That being said, I have been caught out in heavy snowfall with my Mini 3 Pro and did not experience any negative effects BUT this was dry snow. If it would have been wet, heavy snow it may have been another story.

I often include a small hand towel in my flight kit in the winter to brush off any snow that may have accumulated especially after I have landed and before I pack up my drone.

Here's an old video from my Phantom 3 Standard shot a few years ago.

Chris

Yorkshire_Pud · Nov 19, 2023

Chrislaf said:
I often include a small hand towel in my flight kit

Toilet paper is good for water droplets. I have also been know to such motors and joystick gimbals.

alexjo55 · Nov 19, 2023

Phantomrain.org said:
You can tell at the end of the Serious Snow video above the Mini 2 Sensors were wet and were comprimised, this is why that Wet Suit is so needed with the Rain / Snow , if the mini 2 gets cold enough the camera starts to shake very quickly and wont come down as the sensors get very confused and will burn out and not land.

Flying stress free is much nicer

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Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

So the camera will be destroyed?
You said id will burn out.

Phantomrain.org · Nov 19, 2023

alexjo55 said:
So the camera will be destroyed?
You said id will burn out.

Our snow is coming it will be a mix of Rain and Snow based on last years events in Ohio
I shot this with the Mini 4 Pro with the Wet Suit , in about 15 mph winds.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain / Snow

ryguy80 · Nov 29, 2023

I did my first client Part 107 work last weekend in snow flurries with my Mini 4 Pro to do some land surveying. No damage to the drone. I was more concerned about snowflakes getting on the lens and ruining the footage but escaped without any harm.