Flying In 4 Degree Weather.

Yea, they didn't do so well in math huh?
0F is -17.7C so even the other way round isn't right :)
 
Northern MN for me, it's been -20 f and negatives for the past 2 weeks. Warmed up to 5 today gonna head out in a bit for a flight. I got an IPhone 5S for mine. And yup, mine killed one time during flight after about 9 mins, frozen. I'm waiting to go up real high and longer flights till it warms up a bit. Hand warmers, great idea!


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
I think our drones are on the same truck then wolf haha. Just updated and it said its arrived at champaign. Hopefully this weekend won't be to cold as I'll probsbly have mines in the air by Thursday
 
Ya, updated mine too. Its showing in Chicago now. At least I now know someone (or something) has seen it since it left Cali :)
 
That's weird??I flew my new p3A yesterday for first time and it was zero degrees in the UK just now.I had no issues at all with my iPad mini 2 .i did 4 flights with a recharge in middle prob 40 minutes in total.
Maybe the mini is tougher lol
Maybe the Mini is better in the cold, but last summer I had to switch from the Mini 2 to the Air 2 because of the heat. When it was over 90 degrees the Mini would start to pixelate and lag. There were a lot of posts on the subject when it was hot. The Air 2 processor could handle the combination of the heat and the drain of the DJI app.
 
I was actually flying it in a southwest suburb of chicago. I didn't have a cover on the I-Pad Air two. You can't fit one on the RC clamp. The wind I think was a big factor to. The I-Pad Air 2 is just like a wind sail,.catching that cold wind on a empty field. I'm Ordering a I-Pad Mini 3 with Wifi & Cellular. I already have a hood for it now. That should help it stay a little warmer along with the case. It was a wee bit nippy out there today. Not what I wanted for my first flight with the new Phantom 3 Pro!!! LoL!

You can fit an Air 2 on the clamp if you get an extender piece. My Air 2 is in a heavy, thick Otterbox Defender case, which needs the extension piece to fit on the tablet mount.
ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots1453162266.014554.jpg

ImageUploadedByPhantomPilots1453162313.350575.jpg
 
Maybe the Mini is better in the cold, but last summer I had to switch from the Mini 2 to the Air 2 because of the heat. When it was over 90 degrees the Mini would start to pixelate and lag. There were a lot of posts on the subject when it was hot. The Air 2 processor could handle the combination of the heat and the drain of the DJI app.
hmm not much chance of mine overheating here in uk lol
 
@Quinten

You get yours? Mine arrived today bout noon. 2 batteries on the 4 port charger and the remote is almost full. Its all inspected. Can't wait to get off work and get home now :0 IMU cal and Compass cal top priority when I get home. Then to see if I can get it off the ground and back gracefully. Baby steps :)

Its nearly 200% warmer than it was yesterday :) -5f yesterday, a balmy +13f right now. Nice night for a liftoff/landing test out back. Yea, it will be night but the area is well lit and I am not going for a high or long sprint, just a few minutes of hovering and some touch and go's to get a feel for how she handles.

I think I may be getting sick <cough> <cough> ;)
 
I was actually flying it in a southwest suburb of chicago. I didn't have a cover on the I-Pad Air two. You can't fit one on the RC clamp. The wind I think was a big factor to. The I-Pad Air 2 is just like a wind sail,.catching that cold wind on a empty field. I'm Ordering a I-Pad Mini 3 with Wifi & Cellular. I already have a hood for it now. That should help it stay a little warmer along with the case. It was a wee bit nippy out there today. Not what I wanted for my first flight with the new Phantom 3 Pro!!! LoL!

If your set on a Mini 3 then try to find a new Mini 2, same internals besides the TouchID fingerprint reader. The Mini 2 will be cheaper. If you want to upgrade and spend a little more then grab a Mini 4, it's an actual upgrade from the Mini 2/3.
 
That's weird??I flew my new p3A yesterday for first time and it was zero degrees in the UK just now.I had no issues at all with my iPad mini 2 .i did 4 flights with a recharge in middle prob 40 minutes in total.
Maybe the mini is tougher lol
Could we be talking 0 degrees C in UK and 0 degrees F in Chicago - quite a difference
 
Well I took my Phantom 3 Professional out for the first time today. It's only 4 degrees in the chicago Illinois area,.with a wind chill of -22 degrees Fahrenheit. The only problem I had is my I-Pad Air 2 shut off in a little over 3 minutes. I managed a small flight,.but did a catch landing,.as soon as the I-Pad Shut down,.do to the extremely cold weather. I've asked if the Phantom could fly in cold weather & heard it can through the many threads here. I can tell you now though,.that I-Pads,.do not handle that kind of low Temps well. My I-Pad Air 2 didn't anyway. It would not power back on till I warmed it up in the car. It looks like it will be a couple days before I attempt to fly again. It's going to be in the single digits in Chicago for awhile. :-(
I am taking my p3 out in neg 5 deg c. But would like to add the fact I use a tab3 and s4 cel both Samsung. They work fine but I'm told they aren't suppose to
 
I have had more Problems with the phantom then the I phone on cold days
The error I'd reported when it is below 32f

I carry mine on
The back of 4wheeler a lot and with out heat
I use a heated glove to keep a of batteries warmed up
Great idea in the toe warmer for the Iphone i buy those already in bulk!
 
Well I took my Phantom 3 Professional out for the first time today. It's only 4 degrees in the chicago Illinois area,.with a wind chill of -22 degrees Fahrenheit. The only problem I had is my I-Pad Air 2 shut off in a little over 3 minutes. I managed a small flight,.but did a catch landing,.as soon as the I-Pad Shut down,.do to the extremely cold weather. I've asked if the Phantom could fly in cold weather & heard it can through the many threads here. I can tell you now though,.that I-Pads,.do not handle that kind of low Temps well. My I-Pad Air 2 didn't anyway. It would not power back on till I warmed it up in the car. It looks like it will be a couple days before I attempt to fly again. It's going to be in the single digits in Chicago for awhile. :-(
I've been steadily testing the operating parameters of the P3 Pro and have had it out in 8 deg. F for extended flight times with no problems, even during actively falling snow. I did notice the iPad mini 2 that I use, was at 60% battery after a 17 minute flight. As it's so cold, I make certain that the remote, the ipad and of course P3P batteries are all topped off before each and every flight. Just a side note that DJI has posted on their site that the low end of the operating temp is 32 deg. F. So they are covered IF you suffer a cold weather related failure. I know that during my recent winter flights, that I am risking the rig completely. I'm currently interested in what extremes I can operate in.
 
Well I took my Phantom 3 Professional out for the first time today. It's only 4 degrees in the chicago Illinois area,.with a wind chill of -22 degrees Fahrenheit. The only problem I had is my I-Pad Air 2 shut off in a little over 3 minutes. I managed a small flight,.but did a catch landing,.as soon as the I-Pad Shut down,.do to the extremely cold weather. I've asked if the Phantom could fly in cold weather & heard it can through the many threads here. I can tell you now though,.that I-Pads,.do not handle that kind of low Temps well. My I-Pad Air 2 didn't anyway. It would not power back on till I warmed it up in the car. It looks like it will be a couple days before I attempt to fly again. It's going to be in the single digits in Chicago for awhile. :-(
THIS is how I land.. with the help of trees :)
 
I've recently flown in 20 deg weather. Two problems: keeping the P3 batteries warm, acclimating the drone to the cold. I keep them in tupperware with microwavable heating pads. I keep the batteries in ziplock bags to keep the moisture out - not sure of the physics but the warm pads seem to attract moisture. Regarding acclimation of the drone, I leave it in the cold before a shot to clear possible condensation off the lenses. (Astronomers and photographers do the same with telescopes and cameras.) Once the drone is up, I hover for a full minute to make sure it is happy before I fly.
 
Watch your battery cutting out due to it being to cold. Would suck if you were in the air . Only happened to me once wasn't up yet just started craft and when I went to take off died out . Brought battery in and warmed up and all was good .
 
Keeping iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch within acceptable operating temperatures

Learn about the operating temperatures and temperature management of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch (4th generation and later).

Use iOS devices where the ambient temperature is between 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F). Low- or high-temperature conditions might cause the device to change its behavior to regulate its temperature. Using an iOS device in very cold conditions outside of its operating range may temporarily shorten battery life and could cause the device to turn off. Battery life will return to normal when the device is brought back to higher ambient temperatures.
 

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