The batteries do not get damaged if you have them at 20c or more before you fly. As soon as the craft starts the batteries will begin to increase in temperature, the more the amperage draw increases so will the temperature of the battery. My biggest concern in cold weather is the gimbal and camera and at what temperature will the amp draw not be sufficient to be able to increase the battery temperature. Now I wish I had a old prop to test at what temperature they get to brittle to fly safely.
Can I fly Phantom 4 in Cold winter weather?
- Thread starter amarp
- Start date
I purchased my P4 in July, the dead of winter here in N.Z. And I was getting poor video quality in the centre of the image. DJI informed me the cold temps could adversely affect the camera units metal components. Once things warmed up in the spring the image quality was better, but not perfect. A new camera unit has fixed my issue, and DJI happily did the replacement under warranty, so I did have a dud unit that was definitely worse in 0c to 5c range.
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots
I've made a few flights so far at temperatures below -20C (-4F). I just flew today (before posting this) with an outside temp of -22C (-8F).
I've had no battery issues and haven't experienced shorter flight times. The battery is enclosed within the drone's shell which provides shelter from the wind. It's not insulated but does provide a layer of still air that hleps keeps the heat in.
The battery temperature naturally increases during the flight. When flying at -20C, after 10 minutes, the battery core temperature rises to +33C (About 90 degrees F).
Regardless of the season, I always try to land at or near when the battery charge is at 30%. In the summer this usually nets me about 15 minutes. At -20C I still get around 15 minutes. ( I went down to 25% charge today and got just under 17 minutes in the air).
Out of interest, I've made a point of checking my battery temperatures right after landing.
When it's 30C (86F) outside, the battery gets up to 55C (130F)
When it's 0C (32C) outside, the battery gets up to 40C (104F)
When it's -20C, (-4F) outside the battery gets up to 30C (86-F)
Today's -21C flight had a peak battery temperature of 35C (95F)
I've had no battery issues and haven't experienced shorter flight times. The battery is enclosed within the drone's shell which provides shelter from the wind. It's not insulated but does provide a layer of still air that hleps keeps the heat in.
The battery temperature naturally increases during the flight. When flying at -20C, after 10 minutes, the battery core temperature rises to +33C (About 90 degrees F).
Regardless of the season, I always try to land at or near when the battery charge is at 30%. In the summer this usually nets me about 15 minutes. At -20C I still get around 15 minutes. ( I went down to 25% charge today and got just under 17 minutes in the air).
Out of interest, I've made a point of checking my battery temperatures right after landing.
When it's 30C (86F) outside, the battery gets up to 55C (130F)
When it's 0C (32C) outside, the battery gets up to 40C (104F)
When it's -20C, (-4F) outside the battery gets up to 30C (86-F)
Today's -21C flight had a peak battery temperature of 35C (95F)
Thanks! I agree with you on Follow Me mode being better than Active Track. I tried Active Track couple of time and it seems to lose me easily! I plan to take the ATV ride in Iceland....can I use 'Follow Me' and have the drone track me? And when I press 'Return To Home', will it come back to me (I will have the RC) since I won't be in the same place that the P4 took off from?I found that the P4 captures the northern light quite beautifully on standard camera settings (just go as high as you darebut there are probably some experts here that can give you some pointers that I can´t. Regarding active track vs follow me mode, i have for the most part been using the Litchi app witch litchi leash, and found it to be working quite well. I´m not sure how familiar you are with the 3rd app Litchi, but here is a video on the litchi leash anyway :
In DJI app, my experience is that the active track still needs some work as it tends to lose its way quite easy. Follow me mode works better, but then you will need the controller with you. With Litchi, you only need your phone in the pocket. There is a lot of information and youtube videos online, witch can give you better information then i can, so have a look
Amar
Nice to see -22 works good jwt, that's the temp called for the next few days here. I'm getting similar battery temps, It will depend on how hard you fly also. Yesterday -10c took off battery at 21c, moved up and away slowly till I got 25c battery then started pushing a bit in high 20mph and the battery temp climbed in the 30's then cruised in 30+mph for a total flight time of 18 minutes, battery was 44c and landed at 18%. This time is pretty much what I get in warmer weather, It's hard to have better data because I don't fly the same way every time. I don't know if it's just me but it seems to accelerate faster.
-10c today and windy, here is a photo of the river flowing thru our city, the colour photo almost looks black & white, welcome to the north. P4 flys normal and my hands got cold in the wind. (no wind @ -10c = OK)
I've read that some people have flown their bird in light, light snow, but as far as rain, even light rain I would say absolutely NO.
coming from mars
coming from mars
Be careful in Iceland, I was just there in October and the weather can change dramatically in no time at all. It's going to be hard getting around Iceland in the winter. Consider getting a guide unless you have a lot of experience in extreme weather.
Bookmark this site: Wind, temperature, precipitation forecasts | Icelandic Meteorological office
It is by far the most accurate weather forecast site for Iceland. It even has an Aurora forecast. I found it to be pretty good at predicting Iceland's very unpredictable weather.
Bookmark this site: Wind, temperature, precipitation forecasts | Icelandic Meteorological office
It is by far the most accurate weather forecast site for Iceland. It even has an Aurora forecast. I found it to be pretty good at predicting Iceland's very unpredictable weather.
I woke up this thread to comment on some more sub-zero testing I've done.
It was -30C (22 below zero F) this morning so I took a flight and watched the battery temperature.
I left the ground with the battery at 25C (77F).. In weather this cold the battery starts to feel the affects. It only warmed up to 29C (84F). I did some low speed flying and hovering and it started cooling back to 25C. This is the first time I've seen the battery cool while in the air. Normally it warms continually from takeoff until the end of the flight.
I put the craft in sport mode and did some high speed flying. The extra current draw took the battery back up to 29C.
Anyway. The Phantom 4 still flies just fine at -30C (22 below zero F). The camera and gimbal perform normally. But, when it gets as low as this, you have to start watching the battery. If you do mostly low speed flying and/or hovering in temps this cold, the internal temperature will drop.
Out of interest, flying at -30C (-22F) caused absolutely NO noticeable reduction in flight time. DJI Go showed this as my 233rd flight. I spent an easy 19 minutes in the air, traveling a total of 5 km (3.1 miles) and landing with the battery charge at 26%.
Holy smoke MB sure gets cold. I was flying last night here in NL, Canada at -19C. Phantom 4 worked flawlessly.
Question for all you winter flyers:
Have any of you experienced prop icing? I fear that ice could build up in the right conditions. Am I missing something or is it a concern?
Have any of you experienced prop icing? I fear that ice could build up in the right conditions. Am I missing something or is it a concern?
Icing only occurs when there is a lot of fog or humidity in the air when the temperature is below zero. Aircraft generally experience icing when flying through clouds. I've never seen any sort of ice build up on the P4's shell or the props.
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