Air 2 Flying inside the clouds

[mattitech07]

Today I was in a hilly location in Italy. There was a bit of fog and low clouds. I took off and I noticed I was inevitably going into fog banks, I was a bit scared cause I couldn't see very well on the screen but still took some cool shots of the foggy landscape. I'm just a little worried about the effects that the humidity of the fog could have on the drone.

But for now, here's just some cool shots. What do you think about it?
Video:

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I was a bit scared cause I couldn't see very well on the screen

Let me ask a question, would you advise a blind person to try flying a drone?

 

[mattitech07]

Let me ask a question, would you advise a blind person to try flying a drone?

Should have specified that I still had control over the drone's position with the bottom LED.

 

[SmilingOgre]

I don't like flying in fog. Can't see enough around the drone. Depending on dew point and temperature the drone could get wet or experience icing. The last point is that usually if there's fog there's haze which can look neat but usually just blurs the video. Here in the states the FAA is no fan of the activity.

 

[dart106]

Today I was in a hilly location in Italy. There was a bit of fog and low clouds. I took off and I noticed I was inevitably going into fog banks, I was a bit scared cause I couldn't see very well on the screen but still took some cool shots of the foggy landscape. I'm just a little worried about the effects that the humidity of the fog could have on the drone.

But for now, here's just some cool shots. What do you think about it?
Video:

Fog is visible moisture. Depends on how water proof the drone might be.

 

[mattitech07]

Fog is visible moisture. Depends on how water proof the drone might be.

After the drone's been in the cloud, I've brought it down to check while it was still flying and it was dry. How can I better check if it came in contact with moisture?

 

[dart106]

After the drone's been in the cloud, I've brought it down to check while it was still flying and it was dry. How can I better check if it came in contact with moisture?

If the drone’s been in a cloud or fog, it’s been in contact with moisture.

 

[mattitech07]

If the drone’s been in a cloud or fog, it’s been in contact with moisture.

Does this mean my drone is inevitably going to have problems ?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Does this mean my drone is inevitably going to have problems ?

As a consequence of being in fog, not necessarily, but I wouldn't make a habit of it. Though I would be wary of the icing that some folks have mentioned.
I manually dried them as best I could and sucked on openings if I thought water got inside, notably the motors.
Several of my drones have been caught in showers and are still flying, of course it's always possible to get unlucky and for water to get to somewhere nasty.

 

[mattitech07]

As a consequence of being in fog, not necessarily, but I wouldn't make a habit of it. Though I would be wary of the icing that some folks have mentioned.
I manually dried them as best I could and sucked on openings if I thought water got inside, notably the motors.
Several of my drones have been caught in showers and are still flying, of course it's always possible to get unlucky and for water to get to somewhere nasty.

Only happened this time. I don't fly my drone in rain unless I get caught by it while flying but it just happened once and I landed as soon as it was possible. Btw I'm curious about snow, is it the same as flying in the rain? Is it "safe"?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Only happened this time. I don't fly my drone in rain unless I get caught by it while flying but it just happened once and I landed as soon as it was possible. Btw I'm curious about snow, is it the same as flying in the rain? Is it "safe"?

Snow is water, if it stayed frozen then it would be dry but if the drone's heat melts it may be worse that rain etc. since it may get blown deeper inside due to its 'volume' and 'lightness'. Or and perhaps worse clog ventilation.
That said if it snowed here, to more than a smattering, I will be making a flight or two. The road looks very nice in snow, under street lighting at night and I want to see what a drone's camera would make of it

 

[mattitech07]

Snow is water, if it stayed frozen then it would be dry but if the drone's heat melts it may be worse that rain etc. since it may get blown deeper inside due to its 'volume' and 'lightness'. Or and perhaps worse clog ventilation.
That said if it snowed here, to more than a smattering, I will be making a flight or two. The road looks very nice in snow, under street lighting at night and I want to see what a drone's camera would make of it

I always wanted to fly my drone in snowy areas, and why not, maybe even if it snowing, it would be great on camera, not so great for the drone maybe. I think I'll stick to flying after the snow has come down.

 

[SmilingOgre]

You seem to want a definitive answer as to if your drone will be effected by flying in moisture. Sorry, no such answer. Clouds, fog, snow are all visible forms of moisture suspended in the air. Regarding how much will condense on your drone or how deep inside the drone that condensation will go there's no way to predict. How much condensation is on the bathroom mirror after a shower? What is the temperature of the drone while flying through clouds? Five times you may be fine. The sixth time your drone starts having problems. No way to predict. The concept here is to understand what you are doing not the ability to predict an outcome.

 

[dart106]

There’s not a reliable way for a drone operator to determine the moisture density of fog or clouds for operating a drone. Basically, pay your money and take your chances.

 

[russpury]

Should you have occasion to fly against a cloud with the sun behind the drone, an amazing view is to fly into your shadow and get the circular rainbow around you. This is not legal in the US and I don't know about other countries. I only know this from flying on instruments in an airplane.

 

[Pilot Adam]

Nice!

 

[Fadly]

Saw a video some Youtuber in my country took when his drone emerge from a cloud. It was breathtaking.

 

[SkyeHigh]

Should have specified that I still had control over the drone's position with the bottom LED.

Position maybe but what about orientation, which is just as important?

 

[mattitech07]

Position maybe but what about orientation, which is just as important?

I had the map/compass on the lower left part of the screen where I could see where the drone was heading and I knew I was higher than any structure in the area which is also sparsely populated and with not much air traffic.

 

[SkyeHigh]

I had the map/compass on the lower left part of the screen where I could see where the drone was heading and I knew I was higher than any structure in the area which is also sparsely populated and with not much air traffic.

The map/compass does not give you any situational awareness around your drone and should never be relied upon. In most countries you are required to keep visual line-of-sight at all times.

‘and with not much air traffic’ is a worrying comment - you cannot see any aircraft in fog or clouds. It’s not just what you can see from the ground, it’s what is in the fog/cloud where your drone is flying that is critical.