Keeping Dry

[lowellton]

Good day. Quick question. Do we need to put our drone mine is MM in a dry place? Winter now in cagary. Thanks

 

[SmilingOgre]

Good day. Quick question. Do we need to put our drone mine is MM in a dry place? Winter now in cagary. Thanks

Maybe I don't fully understand. They won't keep well in a rain barrel (sat). There's a lot of electronics and plenty of contacts in them. Relatively dry (how you keep your living space) works very well. Basements, sheds, garages, not so well.

 

[lowellton]

Maybe I don't fully understand. They won't keep well in a rain barrel (sat). There's a lot of electronics and plenty of contacts in them. Relatively dry (how you keep your living space) works very well. Basements, sheds, garages, not so well.

So i’m good to fly during winter. Id tried once ???. But loving it

 

[old man mavic]

dry means keeping the drone from getting water inside ,so apart from the obvious ,dont fly in rain ,other ways to get the drone wet include foggy or misty conditions ,landing in snow or puddles, water in any form + electrics are not great bedfellows

 

[SmilingOgre]

So i’m good to fly during winter. Id tried once ???. But loving it

There ya go!!! I'm flying this winter for sure. I'm going to watch my battery temp during transfer to try to minimize battery sag due to cold but beyond that, I'm flyin!!!

 

[old man mavic]

there are lots of dry cold sunny days during winter ,when some really great videos can be had
there are some considerations with winter flying that need to be taken into account
(1) you will need to remember that the cold will impact on flight time ,and battery performance
(2) also consider how the cold will impact on you ,it will have an adverse affect on your ability to control your drone if you and your hands get really cold
(3)be careful of sun glare off snow as it can affect your vision
(4) always let family know where you are and arrange to text or call at regular intervals so they know you are safe
(5) be extra vigilant when it comes to the weather conditions ,as things can suddenly change and catch you out even more so in the winter

 

[SmilingOgre]

there are lots of dry cold sunny days during winter ,when some really great videos can be had
there are some considerations with winter flying that need to be taken into account
(1) you will need to remember that the cold will impact on flight time ,and battery performance
(2) also consider how the cold will impact on you ,it will have an adverse affect on your ability to control your drone if you and your hands get really cold
(3)be careful of sun glare off snow as it can affect your vision
(4) always let family know where you are and arrange to text or call at regular intervals so they know you are safe
(5) be extra vigilant when it comes to the weather conditions ,as things can suddenly change and catch you out even more so in the winter

All very good points. I am interested in seeing how drastically the drone is effected and in what ways as the weather cools. I have a safety feature built in. I'm old and if it gets much below freezing, I'm not going out to play. The older I get the narrower becomes the spectrum of temperature I can deal with, lol. I'm at about 30 to 90 °F right now and now too long of exposure at the edges.

 

[Platinum 4 ever]

All very good points. I am interested in seeing how drastically the drone is effected and in what ways as the weather cools. I have a safety feature built in. I'm old and if it gets much below freezing, I'm not going out to play. The older I get the narrower becomes the spectrum of temperature I can deal with, lol. I'm at about 30 to 90 °F right now and now too long of exposure at the edges.

I hear ya. I have been doing this for about 5 years. And the first winter [emoji300]️ I said that I would not fly in anything below 40 and that went up 10 degrees for every year after. Now I just say the hell with it. I will wait for a early spring. [emoji41]

 

[lowellton]

First time @ -15c alberta

 

[Fun Flyer]

Live in central Alberta (Canada). Was out fly my mini yesterday, temp was about -4C at ground level. Took the mini up to 119 meters to get some pictures. After a few minutes this message came up on my phone screen. First time seeing that. Mini flew fine till I was done and landed.

 

[old man mavic]

there is one other thing to consider with low temps and air moisture content, in the correct conditions then ice can form on the leading edge of the props and compromise the amount of lift they give

 

[Brockrock]

Good day. Quick question. Do we need to put our drone mine is MM in a dry place? Winter now in cagary. Thanks

We've moved into winter flying - which is an important topic as well with some good advice - but I'm not sure that was your question. I fly mainly around the seacoast. As such, I am sure that I have a salt residue within my copters. I have to frequently clean it off my camera lenses, so it only makes sense. I keep my equipment in my garage where I run a full-time dehumidifier. This minimizes moisture exposure while it sits and at least buys me some time when it comes to corrosion. It probably would not take much in the wrong place to cause an issues, so I do the best I can. In any case, a dry environment will cause no harm, but a moist one may.

Also, if storing for months on end, begin with 50% or so on your batteries, and check them every two or so months. It only takes a second, and if one or more are much lower than 50%, bring them back up.

 

[Brockrock]

I will add one thing to the cold weather flying part of this discussion, and that is a reminder to also consider your flight monitoring device in the cold. Here is the operational temperature range of the Mini 5 according to Apple: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) Let me just say - from experience - since that spec applies to most Apple tablets - it will just shut down after a very brief and very rude message telling you so. Those chemical glove warmer pads work well though taped to the bottom...again, experience.

 

[lowellton]

Live in central Alberta (Canada). Was out fly my mini yesterday, temp was about -4C at ground level. Took the mini up to 119 meters to get some pictures. After a few minutes this message came up on my phone screen. First time seeing that. Mini flew fine till I was done and landed.

Same message appear when i fly MM -15 ?