Flying in the rain?

[Marine68]

How does the mav handle in the rain? Does rain damage the drone?

 

[Aerial-Pixel]

None of the Mavics are waterproof, It is not recommended. If it does start to rain, bring it in as soon as possible.

 

[Marine68]

None of the Mavics are waterproof, It is not recommended. If it does start to rain, bring it in as soon as possible.

Well that about sums it up.
thank you!

 

[Phantomrain.org]

How does the mav handle in the rain? Does rain damage the drone?

If your looking to fly in the Rain we recommend you get a Mavic Wet Suit.

The Wet Suits seal the Props and the Battery with and air tight seal and allow you to fly in some really extreme weather conditions.
We have dozens of videos posted on our website Phantomrain.org

Not only can they handle the downpours but some serious splashing .
when combined with the Sea Lander Jackets you can really push the limits of the drone.



We offer a really nice dedicated package and discount for the Forum members :


Email me at [email protected] if your interested.
The cost is $99.95 comes with all 4 designs and 3 battery seals for all forum members.
Just put Twilight package in subject:



If you get some water on the lens you just flip the camera down and up quickly to clear the lens. Notice in the video the water cant stay on the lens at all.

Start the video at 2: 20 for the splash tests. If you need rain videos you can check out the Phantomrain.org website where we have over 50 videos posted of the Mavics flying in some harsh downpours.

 

[Brockrock]

The problem with flying in the rain or in very moist environments - whether you feel you are protected or not - is that the damage to the sensitive electronics will very likely not happen right away. It will happen as a result of corrosion within the device, and if this occurs, it will be well after the water/moisture exposure.

As I have said before, until DJI releases a system that claims to be water proof or resistant, I would never subject my copters to this sort of environment, and IMO, there is no safe solution for doing so.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Before you decide to fly in the rain consider these risk factors:
1. rain greatly reduces the propagation of radio signals. It's not too bad at 5GHZ, but at 1575.42 Mhz, where GPS runs, it's very high level of attenuation. So odds are you will lose GPS lock, and possibly RC signal. RTH with no GPS?
2. High humidity reduces the effectiveness of an airfoil, so the drone will need to supply more power to th motors for the same amount of thrust.
3. Good chance you will not have 3SM of visibility - maybe you don't care about following regulations.
4. Could be difficult to claim you maintained VLOS.
Then we can talk about how the water might damage your AC.

 

[new2mavic]

If your looking to fly in the Rain we recommend you get a Mavic Wet Suit.

The Wet Suits seal the Props and the Battery with and air tight seal and allow you to fly in some really extreme weather conditions.
We have dozens of videos posted on our website Phantomrain.org

Not only can they handle the downpours but some serious splashing .
when combined with the Sea Lander Jackets you can really push the limits of the drone.



We offer a really nice dedicated package and discount for the Forum members :


Email me at [email protected] if your interested.
The cost is $99.95 comes with all 4 designs and 3 battery seals for all forum members.
Just put Twilight package in subject:

View attachment 90621

If you get some water on the lens you just flip the camera down and up quickly to clear the lens. Notice in the video the water cant stay on the lens at all.

Start the video at 2: 20 for the splash tests. If you need rain videos you can check out the Phantomrain.org website where we have over 50 videos posted of the Mavics flying in some harsh downpours.

I will be interested to know if the drone can still fly , the glimbal can still operate normally and camera can still take clear pictures after some time.

 

[Dave Maine]

Rain water will have the potential to create short circuits, but it in unlikely to cause corrosion, as it is essentially distilled water.

 

[Brockrock]

it is essentially distilled water.

Although this is partly true regarding rainwater, the issue is the introduction of any water moisture into the copter, and for those folks - like me - who tend to fly near or along sea coastal areas, you can bet their copters have a bit of salt residue within them. I know mine does, and often, I have to clean it off the camera's lens cover. Add a bit of unwanted and avoidable water moisture to the mix - no matter how pure - along with oxygen from the atmosphere, and as the copter sits nicely in its case that night, oxidation can occur - and I would go so far as to say it will occur.

I have to say, I don't know why this danger is even debated when the manufacturer specifies against it. Anyone who has ever opened up one of these devices knows that most of the ribbon cables, connectors, and solder joints are almost of a micro size, and it would take very little corrosion to suddenly have some random error generated days after exposure.

 

[Mossiback]

Most of the above plus one drop on the lens can ruin a shot.

Rain water is not pure, it has whatever crap we are belching into the air mixed in with it.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

"Acidity and alkalinity are measured using a pH scale for which 7.0 is neutral. The lower a substance's pH (less than 7), the more acidic it is; the higher a substance's pH (greater than 7), the more alkaline it is. Normal rain has a pH of about 5.6; it is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves into it forming weak carbonic acid. Acid rain usually has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4."
From the EPA.

 

[Brockrock]

As far as commercial accessories that claim to protect a DJI UAV when operating in an overly moist environment, I do think they have a place, but I would say they mitigate damage to the system rather than protect it from damage - meaning, they may buy you time.

And this can be precious time if one is performing a search and rescue mission or some other mission that has to occur in these conditions. Sort of like pharmaceutical medications and the common warning we have all read. "Your Doctor had prescribed this medication because the benefits of this medication regarding your condition outweigh the risks...".

 

[Phantomrain.org]

The problem with flying in the rain or in very moist environments - whether you feel you are protected or not - is that the damage to the sensitive electronics will very likely not happen right away. It will happen as a result of corrosion within the device, and if this occurs, it will be well after the water/moisture exposure.

As I have said before, until DJI releases a system that claims to be water proof or resistant, I would never subject my copters to this sort of environment, and IMO, there is no safe solution for doing so.

Now we only have a few hundred flights in the pouring rain documented and here is what we have found.

No acid in the rain, no corrosion.
No loss of signal even in flights past VLOS
No extra power is needed to fly in the rain
No random generated errors , No warning that water damage has occurred.
No short Circuits.
No loss of GPS lock.

Salt water of course requires extra care !

What we have learned is that the battery is the most susceptible to the rain, snow, hail, splashing and can cause swelling and a disconnect .

Thus we designed and engineered the Wet Suits to protect and seal the batteries air tight.
The Aluminum Brush-less Motors were already designed to negotiate water , these same motors have been used in submersibles.

Water can of course get on the lens , but it takes a heavy pouring rain to even see the rain when flying.
If you do get water on the lens, its easy to program a button to drop the lens down quickly to clear it .

Here is a perfect example how the Wet Suits were made to be used: ENJOY this was sent to us from a client.
Learn more about how drones our being used everyday in the rain at phantomrain.org

Email us at [email protected] for the Forum Discount Package for your Wet Suit.
COAL

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Wow great please notify the EPA that there is no acid in the rain.
Also inform att and dish that rain does not attenuate RF.
Please also tell us your testing method and show us the collected data so we can see for ourselves.

 

[hiflyer201]

When I consider that practically everything is shipped with protective desiccants at what I would guess is a pretty good cost..I don't really want to subject my your srone to a rainstorm? I think the vents are threre to provide cooling to the electronics..not louvres for a the aesthetic value.

 

[Brockrock]

When I consider that practically everything is shipped with protective desiccants at what I would guess is a pretty good cost..I don't really want to subject my your srone to a rainstorm? I think the vents are threre to provide cooling to the electronics..not louvres for a the aesthetic value.

I wish I could like this twice!

 

[Rockycat]

None of the Mavics are waterproof, It is not recommended. If it does start to rain, bring it in as soon as possible.

If it starts to rain when I’m flying, I try to bring the AC in flying backwards. This way water will not enter the air intakes on my M2Z, or get into the camera.

 

[Thomas B]

If it starts to rain when I’m flying, I try to bring the AC in flying backwards. This way water will not enter the air intakes on my M2Z, or get into the camera.

But doesn’t the water enter the sam internal space through the air”exits” on the rear?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

But doesn’t the water enter the sam internal space through the air”exits” on the rear?

You would think that water would enter the vents but the rain is coming Down and the force of the rain is coming downward so the amount of water that could get past the vents is very minimal and if you have a Mavic Wet Suit its close to zero.

Water getting past the vents has never been an issue for the Mavic, just the Phantom 4 .

Phantomrain.org
Coal

 

[Bob001]

Not a good idea since the prop motors cool themselves by pulling in outside air and there's no way to keep rain out and keep cool motors. Water will get to the motor bearings, the electronics and ....................