What is the coldest temperature you can safely fly?

[superfunkmojo]

I’ve flown my MM at -10C (14F) no problem. I’m not too worried about shorter battery life in the cold, as I have 2 extra batteries (which I keep warm) ready to go. So if flight time is reduced from 25 minutes to 15 minutes, this is not an issue for me - I won’t fly super far away. But is there a low enough temperature at which issues will arise - issues other than reduced flight time? Cheers!

 

[old man mavic]

lipos have a temp range where they prefer to operate correctly these temps are in the manual if you go outside these temps then you will greatly reduce the batteries usable life span and it can cause permanent damage to the cells,and dont forget safely fly ,means you as well

 

[slup]

One more thing to consider is flying around the freezing point in foggy/moist weather ... if you are unlucky the moist form ice on the propellers, changing the aerodynamics completely to the point where they can't create any lift anymore.

 

[FlyoverDRN]

I would also be considering taking the back up batteries to the outside temperature before inserting them inside your MM. Condensation might form around the batteries inside MM. I have seen this happening many times on hand held cameras going from inside a warm dry building to a freezing humid exterior too quickly.

 

[slup]

I would also be considering taking the back up batteries to the outside temperature before inserting them inside your MM. Condensation might form around the batteries inside MM. I have seen this happening many times on hand held cameras going from inside a warm dry building to a freezing humid exterior too quickly.

Well ... that can be an obstacle, these batteries needs to be over a certain temp to be cleared for take off by the app. My MA1 batteries for instance ... the app tells to warm them up above 15C degrees before using them.

Keep the batteries inside your jacket/coat close to your body, when it's time, bring them out for a swap & take off ... that's the way to do it. Then respect the lowest air temp stated in the manual if you want a flight without surprises.

 

[jjohnson23112]

lipos have a temp range where they prefer to operate correctly these temps are in the manual if you go outside these temps then you will greatly reduce the batteries usable life span and it can cause permanent damage to the cells,and dont forget safely fly ,means you as well

I think the mini has LiOns not LiPos...

 

[Repaid1]

While there are many concerns as outlined. There are also many misconceptions. First follow factory recommendations on temperature operations. As far as batteries this is where a bit of common sense dictates operation. When DJI gives temp and specifically to batteries it means battery temp at operation start up IMHO.

Once you fire up as we all know and begin flight, all temp related issues are out the window as far as battery is concerned. I don't know how Li-ion heat as relationship to drone use, but a LiPo creates way to much heat if held warm at storage then inserted and flown for pretty much any cold temperature within drone temp parameters to be of any concern. This also is actually good for a LiPo as less heat is built up during flight, thus increasing battery efficiency and life. As my scientific and physic views differ from others I will differ the issue to those that know what heat build up a Li-ion produces in a MM. IF battery is warm to touch after a flight, then I will stand with my view above on LiPo. YMMV.

Note: of course this depends on flying and filming situation if your a pop up and film and land then you will need to monitor battery temp much more closely.

I have well over 100hrs of flying in below freezing temps (Ohio Native) and I have yet to have a battery issue in these temps. From all videos I have seen it is only when battery start temps are not within parameters do issues happen, and more so, when fully charged batteries are not used right from the start.

And remember Drones DO NOT have "Wind Chill" but they do have prop wash and forward flight cooling. So keep your eye on that battery temp in App! If it does start to get down a bit while you are in a hover..a couple of Hard blips on the throttle will warm them up pretty quick.

 

[WithTheBirds]

I think the mini has LiOns not LiPos...

A LiPO is a variant of a LiION cell chemistry. The impact of lower temps on performance is probably negligible to to point that any differences might prove irrelevant for the purposes of the discussion here.

 

[zeusfl]

Sorry I am in Florida !! ?

 

[AtortPhotography]

Just got um and see! ????

 

[Repaid1]

Sorry I am in Florida !! ?

So DJI batteries are wrapped in foil, then enclosed in a plastic shell (Baking pan) then slid in another enclosed plastic shell/body (Easy bake oven) then in your instance then flown in another oven (Florida) so in your instance battery degradation of heat is your worst enemy.

Remember DJI's first market is selling Drones..it's second biggest market is selling batteries for those (Probably a higher profit), thus why they give a 6 month warranty...they aren't stupid

 

[slup]

... When DJI gives temp and specifically to batteries it means battery temp at operation start up IMHO.

Once you fire up as we all know and begin flight, all temp related issues are out the window as far as battery is concerned ...

Well, that will be your opinion ... & I'm not disputing your experience with flying in colder environments, stretching DJI's recommendations.
But ... that isn't what you read in the AC manual & the Battery Safety Guidelines.

Different models have for sure different minimum temps, but I'm grabbing my own MA1 manual as I have it on hand & find this ...

... from the battery safety guidelines


... and from the user manual


So they clearly speak of the environment where you fly by saying "-should be used..." and "-cannot be used in extremely environments..."

On top of this GO4 will also notify me through the app if the battery temp is below 15C degrees & prohibit a AC take off.

 

[GB1Yorkshire1]

lipos have a temp range where they prefer to operate correctly these temps are in the manual if you go outside these temps then you will greatly reduce the batteries usable life span and it can cause permanent damage to the cells,and dont forget safely fly ,means you as well

All batteries produce heat on discharging so though the operating temp may be in the > - range the battery should be stable during flight, however it is very vulnerable prior and after use I have used a inner warm jacket to hold batteries using my body warmth to maintain heat.
In extreme areas you can purchase a battery warmer but typically this is for a camera. One of the areas often missed is the gimbal that can seize or the internal camera lens fogging over so you must maintain equipment at the working temperature separately from the batteries!

 

[slup]

Also want to add one more parameter into this with using these LiPo or LiOn batteries when it's down to the lowest specified environment temp ...

Think that most flyers count on that the flight times will be shorter ... but that's not all. These batteries are also more prone in colder weather to give larger cell deviations (cells become unbalanced) & easier suffer from larger voltage drops when pushed.

Doing a flight above the minimum specified environment temp with a good & well performing battery shouldn't create any concerns ... but with a aging bad performer (cell deviation & voltage drop wise) the case can be very different.

So ... how many pilots here follow the performance trends of their batteries cell deviation & voltage drop wise ..? These values is much more critical when it comes to cold weather flying then the available flight time.

Have two equal old batteries, treated equal, with equal charging cycles on both ... they give pretty much the same flight time always. But looking into how they behave over time in different temps show a drastic difference.

One behave pretty much equal in cold (around 0C (32F) degrees) as in warm (around 20C (68F) degrees) weather ... when looking at cell deviations & voltage drops.
The bad of the two behave on par with the first in warm weather ... but down around the freezing point it starts to act up severely with major cell deviations & large voltage drops.

Both give me the same flight time hot or cold ... but one isn't at all for cold weather flying.

So if you try to stretch the DJI temp recommendations ... & unknowingly pick one of your bad performing batteries that might very well trigger a force landing from height due to a cell voltage drop down to 3V.

 

[karlblessing]

If we're basing "safely" on the use of the mavic mini and not strictly just the battery, then they state in the manual that the operating range is 32F (0C) to 104F (40C). So if you want to play it safe, go by the manufacture operating specs of the drone itself, and not strictly by the operating specs of the battery (which has a bit more range).

If you go outside of the range specified by DJI, then you really can't claim that it's being done 'safely'. Possible, quite, but not really 'safely'.

Also as others said above, using it in extreme temperatures, despite working, will cause cell damage to the battery. It's not just a matter of the battery dying (or exploding or whatever), but the swell that can occur can also damage the drone itself.

I know it sucks considering how popular the MM is in Canada.

 

[lowellton]

I flew -15 celsius with my MM for only 5 minutes. battery drop a little than normal weather. Got msg error a/c low temp.

Thanks

 

[bvsolutions]

I would also be considering taking the back up batteries to the outside temperature before inserting them inside your MM. Condensation might form around the batteries inside MM. I have seen this happening many times on hand held cameras going from inside a warm dry building to a freezing humid exterior too quickly.

Do not do this.
a cold battery can fail easily
keep all batteries at room temperature
even flying at -30 the battery keeps itself warm if it starts warn,
the condensation problem is when you bring it in from the cold
If it is an issue for you, put it in a plastic bag and still outside. That stops the moist indoor air from contacting the drone until it is warm

 

[karlblessing]

Do not do this.
a cold battery can fail easily
keep all batteries at room temperature
even flying at -30 the battery keeps itself warm if it starts warn,
the condensation problem is when you bring it in from the cold
If it is an issue for you, put it in a plastic bag and still outside. That stops the moist indoor air from contacting the drone until it is warm

Yep what he said.

Even when I was doing long exposure photography with my still cameras, I kept the batteries warm, the rest of the camera was kept to temperature which made it easier to blow snow off with an air bulb (no hot breath to melt it right away). But the batteries were kept warm, and just like bvsolutions said, it's when you bring something cold in to warmer temperatures that condensation occurs, and I usually will just pull the card and battery for sooner charginer/working , put them in my jacket while leaving the rest of the equipment in the bag for a few hours after coming back in from the cold. So I imagine the same principle would apply to the drone.

 

[bobk]

I flew -15 celsius with my MM for only 5 minutes. battery drop a little than normal weather. Got msg error a/c low temp.

Thanks

Have not used my MM in winter yet,
But the first year I bought my P3P it was middle of winter in NE Ohio and had 2 months of solid 20F and below temps.
So it was no fly or go for it and found if i stated with fully charged warm battery fly as low as -5 F (even light snow at times) was not an issue. but I used 15 minutes for a cut off point to return home.

still flying the P3P today so no harm was done...

 

[JMMath]

Got all the way down to 39° here in Fla last week and it flew great ????