Cold flying

[Neon Euc]

Its 10c outside in London right now, cloudy and 11mph wind. I plan to do a 7.2KM mission at 130 metres which will take 11 mins. Do you think that's safe enough as I am worried about the cold affecting the battery life on my P3A bearing in mind 2-3 mins will be wasted powering it up as it sets itself up.

I don't have my TK 102 GPS tracking system on it at the moment as the holder is to tight for it.

Any advice would be great

 

[Neon Euc]

This is the mission I plan to do by the way

 

[GrammatonxXXxCleric]

I would venture to say it would be ok. I'd warm up the Phantom with its battery locked in (powered off) in your house/car before the flight. Also, adjust the flight path to climb up along the way, not wasting battery time climbing straight up.

 

[mdf-mavicpro]

This is the mission I plan to do by the way View attachment 90933

Please download the NATS Drone Assist App - flying your drone at 130m high (not legal in the UK as its above 400ft) for 7.2KM (not legal if you can’t see it) in London (close to many flight paths) is a sure way to give the powers at be an excuse to tighten up the UK drone laws - which at the moment are quite fair in the UK.

I don’t suppose you were also flying near Gatwick Airport on the 9th July were you?

Actions like this will ruin a great hobby for us all.

 

[Neon Euc]

Please download the NATS Drone Assist App - flying your drone at 130m high (not legal in the UK as its above 400ft) for 7.2KM (not legal if you can’t see it) in London (close to many flight paths) is a sure way to give the powers at be an excuse to tighten up the UK drone laws - which at the moment are quite fair in the UK.

I don’t suppose you were also flying near Gatwick Airport on the 9th July were you?

Actions like this will ruin a great hobby for us all.

Thanks for the heads up. I didn't fly in the end as I wasn't comfy with it. I didn't fly near Heathrow as I know that is dangerous. I thought the legal limit was 400 metres and not 400 feet

 

[Neon Euc]

I would venture to say it would be ok. I'd warm up the Phantom with its battery locked in (powered off) in your house/car before the flight. Also, adjust the flight path to climb up along the way, not wasting battery time climbing straight up.

Cheers mate. Didn't go in the end. Wasn't comfy with it plus it started to rain heavily so I took that as a sign not to fly lol

 

[With The Birds]

You may be surprised how many AC fly below 400m around where you have flown litchi missions- have a play with the Flightradar app. Not all AC fly with transponders but the ones that do should give you a sense of the risks.

 

[Laar]

Cant speak directly for a p3, but i have flown my p4 numerous times at temps down to -25c. As already suggested when cold weather flying it is important to have your bird and battery warm before you fly. Also important is that your tablet is 100% charged, cold temps wreak havok on their battery life.

 

[TonkaMayhem]

Like others have said, just keep your batteries warm, or your bird might complain. This flight was performed in around 15°F weather:

 

[Soulcoffr]

Interestingly enough, I've heard that cold weather extends the life of the battery because the battery warms as it's used, but the cold air keeps operating temperatures low. Whereas in the summer, performance of the battery is limited due to heat. Anyone experience this?

 

[Erised]

At 10 c your craft will fly very well as long as you start with your battery over 20c. Your battery temp will go up in the high 40's. I fly down to -20c ( less and I get too cold) and my fly time is the same, don't putter around too long and get moving and the battery warms up nicely.

 

[Erised]

Interestingly enough, I've heard that cold weather extends the life of the battery because the battery warms as it's used, but the cold air keeps operating temperatures low. Whereas in the summer, performance of the battery is limited due to heat. Anyone experience this?

I can't comment on heat because here the highs are in the low 30c but cold weather flying has good range. I get from 18 to 20 minutes and land around 20% cruising at 30 mph (50kph) with over 40,000 feet total distance all the time. Dense air and cooler running batteries (still in the 40's) let these birds fly very well, better than the pilot at -20c.

 

[Soulcoffr]

I can't comment on heat because here the highs are in the low 30c but cold weather flying has good range. I get from 18 to 20 minutes and land around 20% cruising at 30 mph (50kph) with over 40,000 feet total distance all the time. Dense air and cooler running batteries (still in the 40's) let these birds fly very well, better than the pilot at -20c.

Here in Iowa, we can get pretty cold, -20c is not out of the range of possibility. Summers get steamy down here at times with highs in the upper 30s C. So it's good to know that cold weather flight is quite possible.