Fog... not a good idea.....yikes

[laura schlenker]

I decided to get a quick pic of the the trees around our house with the white ice on them, I Isent mavic up took a very quick vid and started to land and noticed I got a battery discharge over current message. I had a complete charged battery but it suddenly was showing 3.5 in the cells. On the decline to land it started spiralling but was easy controlled when I slowed down the decline. Once touching down it bobbed up and down not wanting to land once landed and shut down it smelt very warm and I had a thin layer of ice built up on the property edges... anyway this was entirely my fault deciding to fly in the fog at 21 degrees. So I just wanted to pass along my screw up so the next person don't experience it, even though it's been reported to fly well in the cold, don't try it in the cold/fog even if it's for a very short time.

 

[laura schlenker]

I decided to get a quick pic of the the trees around our house with the white ice on them, I Isent mavic up took a very quick vid and started to land and noticed I got a battery discharge over current message. I had a complete charged battery but it suddenly was showing 3.5 in the cells. On the decline to land it started spiralling but was easy controlled when I slowed down the decline. Once touching down it bobbed up and down not wanting to land once landed and shut down it smelt very warm and I had a thin layer of ice built up on the property edges... anyway this was entirely my fault deciding to fly in the fog at 21 degrees. So I just wanted to pass along my screw up so the next person don't experience it, even though it's been reported to fly well in the cold, don't try it in the cold/fog even if it's for a very short time.

Ps just looked at my flight log, all this happened in 5 minutes.

 

[Kilrah]

Fog is fine, freezing fog isn't. If the trees are white you should precisely be careful - even if it's also incredibly beautiful

I did fly a couple of times in borderline conditions (about 0°C, so not really freezing anymore) and was careful to not stay too long in the fog, and to closely watch the RPM indication on the remote. Had it gone from the normal ~5500 in hover to above 6000 I'd have come back ASAP.

 

[laura schlenker]

I didn't even think to watch through rpm, it seemed like just as soon as I went up I was getting the red battery discharge over current warning, and that took me by surprise. What worries me is how hot it was when it landed, I pray I didn't hurt it.

 

[4wd]

What worries me is how hot it was when it landed, I pray I didn't hurt it.

I wonder if the cooling fan was also affected.

 

[laura schlenker]

I don't know, it was such a crazy flight with everything going crazy on a mavic that has always been flawless for me

 

[CyberdyneSystems]

I could see freezing fog quickly collecting and adding weight to the craft as well as effecting the prop aerodynamics. But more importantly did you get the shot!

 

[laura schlenker]

I could see freezing fog quickly collecting and adding weight to the craft as well as effecting the prop aerodynamics. But more importantly did you get the shot!

Hehe I better have got the shot ... just getting ready to down load it and look.

 

[laura schlenker]

kinda pretty

 

[F6Rider]

Icing, not good at all, in Germany we used to have to do a precautionary landing a lot in winter due to icing. You had ice build up (can happen VERY fast in freezing fog due to wind chill) on the leading edges of the props, as well as other surfaces. The build up on the props decreases lift capability while ice on other surfaces adds weight, a double whammo! The Mavic was having to work harder and harder to stay in the air, especially with the prop deformation, you came very close to crashing it.

 

[CyberdyneSystems]

Looks good, but also a good lesson learned, I would have been tempted to fly in conditions like that to get some good shots!

 

[laura schlenker]

Oh I totally agree with you guys, it was not a good idea. I'm not prone to making bone headed decisions, it's seemed Harmless at the time but looking back not a good idea at all. I'm very very fortunate I was very close to home point when this happened because I really believe it was about to fall out of the sky when the battery waring showed 3.5 cell. The weird part is now that it's in the house the battery shows 3/4 full. The conditions must have just put to much of a strain on it. It was very odd when landing as well, usually it just doesn't a nice soft landing... it kept fighting to go back in the air.