M2P - Weather conditions

[mikestrasser]

Hey Guys! I'm totally new in the drone business, I got my M2P two weeks ago, but winter is already here, so I'm wondering what are the minimum temperatures where I should/could fly the M2P? ? Are there any recommendations or so? Thanks in advance for your answers!!

 

[Deleted member 3792]

Under freezingpoint beware of ice on props! Could be prevented with glycol on props before flight. Cold batteries are never good so keep them in a warm place before flight. Flying under - 10˚ celsius is not advise in my opinion, but there will always be those who don’t care.

 

[mikestrasser]

Under freezingpoint beware of ice on props! Could be prevented with glycol on props before flight. Cold batteries are never good so keep them in a warm place before flight. Flying under - 10˚ celsius is not advise in my opinion, but there will always be those who don’t care.

Thanks so much!
Due to the fact that from now on we will have constantly temperatures below freezing point for the next months and I only used the drone 3 times now, I definitely want to fly it during winter as well, especially when it comes to footage with snow, sunshine, lowlight,.... My area is perfect for that

 

[Deleted member 3792]

I p

Thanks so much!
Due to the fact that from now on we will have constantly temperatures below freezing point for the next months and I only used the drone 3 times now, I definitely want to fly it during winter as well, especially when it comes to footage with snow, sunshine, lowlight,.... My area is perfect for that

I personally never fly when it’s snowing. A sunny day when the snow is shimmering and no wind is a stunning view.

 

[paulatkin73]

Hey Guys! I'm totally new in the drone business, I got my M2P two weeks ago, but winter is already here, so I'm wondering what are the minimum temperatures where I should/could fly the M2P? ? Are there any recommendations or so? Thanks in advance for your answers!!

make sure batteries are kept warm prior to flight - in the air it does not matter as lipo discharge heats all up. but if lipo is too cold prior to flight it may get damaged.
snow is irrelevant to the drone and props - but it may fool obstacle avoidance same way as fog, so, if it snows - better turn off all obstacle avoidance cameras.

 

[Thanev]

I have found that keeping the batteries in an insulated bag with a hand warmer works well.
I also open a separate bag and leave it exposed to the cold when I fly.After flying I put the drone without the battery into a COLD bag and seal it before placing it in the car or in my house .This allows the electronics/camera to warm very slowly avoiding unnecessary condensation.This is a throwback to my Photography days.

 

[johnbirt]

Warm suitable gloves are a pre-requisite IMO!

There was a question on the UK drone registration multiple choice test which came into force 05/11/2019 which quite a few people got wrong apparently about flying in cold/snow. Essentially control of your controller is seen to be an issue in very cold weather. Obvious when you think about it. As an "oldie" with quite poor circulation, cold hands are a major hazard.

I have a selection of gloves. Currently trialling PGYTECH specialist drone/RC flying gloves which have finger end tips which can fold up to expose flesh for touch screen operation when required. They actually fold up and can be kept open with a press stud which in very cold weather doesn't seem attractive to me. However I will see how they work in practice.

Some cycling gloves are quite warm and have "pretend flesh" on tips for operating mobile phones/tablets etc. which are also worth a look and try.

Keep warm!

 

[Deleted member 3792]

Warm suitable gloves are a pre-requisite IMO!

There was a question on the UK drone registration multiple choice test which came into force 05/11/2019 which quite a few people got wrong apparently about flying in cold/snow. Essentially control of your controller is seen to be an issue in very cold weather. Obvious when you think about it. As an "oldie" with quite poor circulation, cold hands are a major hazard.

I have a selection of gloves. Currently trialling PGYTECH specialist drone/RC flying gloves which have finger end tips which can fold up to expose flesh for touch screen operation when required. They actually fold up and can be kept open with a press stud which in very cold weather doesn't seem attractive to me. However I will see how they work in practice.

Some cycling gloves are quite warm and have "pretend flesh" on tips for operating mobile phones/tablets etc. which are also worth a look and try.

Keep warm!

I have the same gloves from PgyTech and they work flawlessly and let me fly safe with warm hands.

 

[nafisgal]

In addition to all the good advice you have been given ...
Let me offer you a humble professional pilot advice ...
Instruction manual M2P ... pages 63 and 64 ...
VERY IMPORTANT to know your aircraft ...

 

[Cymruflyer]

Under freezingpoint beware of ice on props! Could be prevented with glycol on props before flight. Cold batteries are never good so keep them in a warm place before flight. Flying under - 10˚ celsius is not advise in my opinion, but there will always be those who don’t care.

You absolutely do NOT need to put Glycol on the props. As for icing of the props, that could happen in a variety of conditions. Most of the time a very cold temp. does not cause icing at all and in fact the colder it gets, usually the dryer it gets, but of course it depends where you live and the atmospherics going on, on the day. The thing to watch for is when the ambient temp and the due point are the same or extremely close, because that is the time when icing conditions are the most prevalent. With that said, the altitudes drone fly legally are hardly ever at an altitude to suffer from icing conditions.

 

[nafisgal]

In low temperatures (without ambient humidity, dry weather) you would only have to monitor the operating temperatures of all the components of your aircraft (and your RC). The probability of the appearance of ice would be minimal.
In low temperatures and humid weather, monitor the climate dew point, in addition to the temperature of all components including RC.
If the dew point is equal to or higher than the ambient temperature, you have the security of flying over invisible moisture (similar to fog) and as much as we protect batteries, camera lenses, etc ... you would not prevent such humidity (water) was introduced into the aircraft by the cooling nozzles, nor was it introduced into the micro motors of the gimbal, etc.
Hence it is not recommended (here in Europe it is forbidden) to fly with fog, or risk damaging your drone by flying in weather conditions that are not recommended or included in the operating temperature range set in the manual.