Minimum operating temp... I hope you know

[IflyinWY]

Hey folks,
We get some very low temps here, like 20 below (-29 Celsius) and I will probably be trying to fly in such temps so I would like to know what to expect.

So, who flies when their knickers are frozen to their whatevers?

Believe it or not, it's a serious question. I wish I lived in the tropics and didn't have to ask.

 

[phenom3030]

According to the Wiki.DJI page it lists operating temps of -10c to 50c (14f to 122f).

I'm curious as well though. I'd like to fly tomorrow here in Colorado and we've got a high of 30 and low of 16 tomorow.

http://wiki.dji.com/en/index.php/Phantom_2

 

[IflyinWY]

I've flown successfully at 5 degrees.

The cheap Chinese gimbal, the GoPro and the Phantom all operated well. I did have them in a heated vehicle until I stopped to fly though.

Take a shot and let us know. If I am not mistaken, you will have some mild temps though.

 

[PsychopathRC]

I think the only thing you need to watch out for, is the battery. It might discharge faster or even suddenly drop in voltage and cause the Phantom to try to land. Not sure how much of a risk that is though.

Personally I don't fly my Phantoms unless the temperature is around 10c or higher. I will fly at around 7c too. But only if it's not windy at all, as at that temperature, wind can make it feel freezing outside! :shock:

 

[kitari]

From my experience, flying on those really cold days will cut off a few minutes of flight time, but other than that, it flew like normal. Lowest temp I flew in so far was around 12F. Still waiting on a real snow day.

 

[4wd]

There may be a risk of plastics becoming more brittle.
Even if kept in the warm beforehand the body will very soon cool down from the prop blast.

 

[Shuether]

I've had a few flights around -10°C so far. Other than my hands freezing, everything worked fine. Battery life was a few minutes shorter. And of course it frosted up a bit when I brought it back in side.

 

[IflyinWY]

I've had a few flights around -10°C so far. Other than my hands freezing, everything worked fine. Battery life was a few minutes shorter. And of course it frosted up a bit when I brought it back in side.

Hey Steve, thanks for the reply.
How bout now. Have you been flying in the past few days. I'm thinking it's been a little cooler than -10c lately. You know that DJI doesn't think we should be flying these when it gets that cold, right? I'm not parking mine for six months, obviously you're not either.

Things seem to get pretty brittle but the motors and electronics seem to work fine. Yes/No?

 

[sbjr0203]

The other day I flew it was 7F, only issue was decrease battery time. Otherwise all was normal.

 

[PhantomFanatic]

The other day I flew it was 7F, only issue was decrease battery time. Otherwise all was normal.

ALL was normal?! I wouldn't be "normal" if it was 7 degrees outside! In S. GA, THAT is VERY COLD! My old body's joints really complain at that temperature along with a constant running nose!

I used to own (or may still own it) an electric heated vest, that I wore, in cold weather, when riding my GoldWing....in my younger days. I plugged it into a 12VDCmconnector. It worked very well as if the body's core is warm, that will be circulated throughout the body.

One tip from having taught SCUBA diving: Wear a cap. No, my diving students didn't have to wear caps when diving, but I suggested that they wear a Lycra or wetsuit hood. But, they learned the hard way and after the first two dives, they showed up with hoods for the rest of the dives.

The point being that we lose 75% of our body heat through our head, so a cap can make a big difference.

(Forgive me, but when you reach my age, you are forced to talk about the past or your ailments and surgeries!) I always win with the number of surgeries! Thank God that I had good health for awhile. Not long, but I'm thankful for every year I had.

 

[sbjr0203]

Well all was normal for drone, didn't say I wasn't cold. But opted for cold fingers to fly

 

[Shuether]

I've had a few flights around -10°C so far. Other than my hands freezing, everything worked fine. Battery life was a few minutes shorter. And of course it frosted up a bit when I brought it back in side.

Hey Steve, thanks for the reply.
How bout now. Have you been flying in the past few days. I'm thinking it's been a little cooler than -10c lately. You know that DJI doesn't think we should be flying these when it gets that cold, right? I'm not parking mine for six months, obviously you're not either.

Things seem to get pretty brittle but the motors and electronics seem to work fine. Yes/No?

Yea if I stopped flying below -5°C I couldn't fly for half the year. I've had a few flights in the last week. -18°C for a few, -20°C for one. My phone got too cold and shut off around 8 mins in so had to finish the flight with iPad.

Plastic will be a bit more brittle so wouldn't want to crash when it's this cold.

 

[Sverre L Petersen]

Hey folks,
We get some very low temps here, like 20 below (-29 Celsius) and I will probably be trying to fly in such temps so I would like to know what to expect.

So, who flies when their knickers are frozen to their whatevers?

Believe it or not, it's a serious question. I wish I lived in the tropics and didn't have to ask.

I been flying in temp like -21C and no problems, the battery will drop a bit faster than normal and dont fly for longer than 50% i belive your safe

 

[robsquad]

if you can find a big ziplock bag, put it in there before you take it in the house to warm it. stops condensation forming on the quad. tested this last year and it works a treat

 

[Air Ontario]

I pay little attention to the ambient temperature and only then to my Ipad mini 4 limitation.

I do warm up inside and then go into the cold for GPS lock. I then start motors and do a run up for 15 seconds while I watch the battery voltage/temperature screen.

When and if all looks well, I fly.

 

[JonAtkins]

Just tried to fly my phantom 3 advanced in Colorado Springs near manitou incline and got 100 feet straight up then just dropped out of the sky. 37 degrees Fahrenheit, gimbal broke and all props snapped, battery ejected an body cracked and internals are disconnected. Be careful

 

[yawnalot29]

Just tried to fly my phantom 3 advanced in Colorado Springs near manitou incline and got 100 feet straight up then just dropped out of the sky. 37 degrees Fahrenheit, gimbal broke and all props snapped, battery ejected an body cracked and internals are disconnected. Be careful

What version of FW were you running then? It could be a FW version issue. In which case, you might be able to get DJI to do something about it.

If you have the DAT file from the drone and you were on FW 1.5/1.05, DJI may replace your drone for you at no cost.

 

[JonAtkins]

Latest firmware, video file cuts off midflight before fall. Log file shows no horizontal travel, just altitude climb to 200' and done. Had to have turned off and dropped. Will pull dat file and contact dji,thank you for suggestion.

What version of FW were you running then? It could be a FW version issue. In which case, you might be able to get DJI to do something about it.

If you have the DAT file from the drone and you were on FW 1.5/1.05, DJI may replace your drone for you at no cost.

 

[JonAtkins]

Latest firmware, video file cuts off midflight before fall. Log file shows no horizontal travel, just altitude climb to 200' and done. Had to have turned off and dropped. Will pull dat file and contact dji,thank you for suggestion.

Awesomeness continues, TSA confiscated the dented smart battery due to flight risk.

 

[blackbird77]

What temperature in is safe to fly for long range test