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It is fact that TSA regulations are set to have LIPO batteries (and other materials and items) in the cabin only and not checked luggage. I've wondered what they think would happen if they were in the cabin, more an opportunity for someone to put the fire out. Then I started thinking...are there fire extinguishers in the cabin?? I think so...but can't recall actually.
Throw it out the window!! Baaaaahahahaha!
Throw it out the window!! Baaaaahahahaha!
N017RW
Premium Pilot
Well sort of....
Just check the TSA website for the 'facts':
"Except for spare (uninstalled) lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries, all the batteries allowed in carry-on baggage are also allowed in checked baggage. The batteries must be protected from damage and short circuit or installed in a device. Battery-powered devices—particularly those with moving parts or those that could heat up—must be protected from accidental activation.
Spare lithium metal and lithium ion/polymer batteries are prohibited in checked baggage—this includes external battery packs. Electronic cigarettes and vaporizers are also prohibited in checked baggage."
Just check the TSA website for the 'facts':
"Except for spare (uninstalled) lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries, all the batteries allowed in carry-on baggage are also allowed in checked baggage. The batteries must be protected from damage and short circuit or installed in a device. Battery-powered devices—particularly those with moving parts or those that could heat up—must be protected from accidental activation.
Spare lithium metal and lithium ion/polymer batteries are prohibited in checked baggage—this includes external battery packs. Electronic cigarettes and vaporizers are also prohibited in checked baggage."
I smiled at the many announcements while flying around Europe a few months ago: 'You may now use your mobile devices and computers. If you have a Samsung device, please turn it off and leave it turned off for the duration of the flight'
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Another maybe shorter way to discharge the batteries to a lower, safer level from fully charged would be to put them in your drone, switch it on (after remote controller) and enter DJI Go application: then set there the discharge time to one day... and repeat it for every other one battery.
In a few minutes you will have all your batteries ready to discharge themselves for next day.
Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
In a few minutes you will have all your batteries ready to discharge themselves for next day.
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BATTERY DISCHARGE AND MAINTENANCE ADVICE (FROM DJI)
Following advice solely from DJI manuals re batteries, firstly I found this:
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Pha...+Flight+Battery+Safety+Guidelines_V1.0_EN.pdf
which top of page 4 states 'Travel - before carrying battery on flights, it must be fully discharged. Can be done by switching on your aircarft until battery is FULLY depleted."
However, you can see lower down the same page under Battery Maintenance, states "Never OVER-DISCHARGE as this may lead to cell damage"!!!
Have I misunderstood one of the these or are they contradicting each other?
Perhaps the correct guideline is actually is the 3rd DJI manual reference :
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Pha...Phantom_4_Adv_and_Adv_Plus_User_Manual_EN.pdf
Page 34 recommends to discharge below 8% which I think I will follow rather than to zero %:
For everyone (regardless of travelling on planes), there is a piece of maintenance advice in the above battery guide link (para 3) to fully discharge and charge the battery every 3 months to maintain battery health.
Hope this helps!
Following advice solely from DJI manuals re batteries, firstly I found this:
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Pha...+Flight+Battery+Safety+Guidelines_V1.0_EN.pdf
which top of page 4 states 'Travel - before carrying battery on flights, it must be fully discharged. Can be done by switching on your aircarft until battery is FULLY depleted."
However, you can see lower down the same page under Battery Maintenance, states "Never OVER-DISCHARGE as this may lead to cell damage"!!!
Have I misunderstood one of the these or are they contradicting each other?
Perhaps the correct guideline is actually is the 3rd DJI manual reference :
https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/Pha...Phantom_4_Adv_and_Adv_Plus_User_Manual_EN.pdf
Page 34 recommends to discharge below 8% which I think I will follow rather than to zero %:
For everyone (regardless of travelling on planes), there is a piece of maintenance advice in the above battery guide link (para 3) to fully discharge and charge the battery every 3 months to maintain battery health.
Hope this helps!
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There is no FAA requirement to discharge LiPo batteries before flying on airlines. DJI's "must" statement shown below is wrong. You are required to PROTECT each battery INDIVIDUALLY from shorts, such as installing covers over the terminals (there are various aftermarket solutions) if stored loose in the bag with other items, or having individual non-conductive compartments that protect each battery from touching anything else. Lithium battery bags are nice and super safe if you're paranoid about this, but I don't use them due to the inconvenience of the added bulk, they won't fit in my backpack. I don't see that many issues with DJI batteries spontaneously catching fire, but I know it's not impossible. I personally think this happens to people who mistreat their batteries.
Discharging alone doesn't help safety when flying on airlines. When discharged to 20%, there is still PLENTY of power in a DJI battery to catch on fire if it were to fail for various reasons. The results from a battery catching fire when fully discharged in the overhead compartment of an airplane, compared to a discharged battery @ 20% is not much different. This will all result in the same thing with smoke, chaos, and the flight crew taking care of the problem to protect passengers and flight integrity. Keep in mind, there are hundreds of rechargeable lithium batteries on every plane, contained in iPods, iPhones, laptops and tablets. Any of them can potentially catch fire to cause chaos on an airplane.
If you recall, Samsung Galaxy 7 was banned from flying due to threat of spontaneous fire in that design. Laptops had a similar problem, using Sony batteries about 10yrs ago. Exercising common sense is key to safety in many things, and treating your batteries like EGGS helps prevent mishaps. Don't throw your drone stuff to the ground (like Casey N.) with no respect. Inspect the batteries regularly, take care for them by storing them in cool places half charged when not in use a while. Never let your batteries bake in the car on a hot day, never. Slight abuses over and over can add up to cause trouble in the long run. Watch your voltage differentials between cells. Take mental note of the differentials on every flight, try to make that a habit. Most guys don't bother check their cell differentials very often, but it's good practice. It only takes 10 extra seconds during flight prep to look at the battery screen in Go4. Checking differentials AFTER the flight is good practice too.
Discharging alone doesn't help safety when flying on airlines. When discharged to 20%, there is still PLENTY of power in a DJI battery to catch on fire if it were to fail for various reasons. The results from a battery catching fire when fully discharged in the overhead compartment of an airplane, compared to a discharged battery @ 20% is not much different. This will all result in the same thing with smoke, chaos, and the flight crew taking care of the problem to protect passengers and flight integrity. Keep in mind, there are hundreds of rechargeable lithium batteries on every plane, contained in iPods, iPhones, laptops and tablets. Any of them can potentially catch fire to cause chaos on an airplane.
If you recall, Samsung Galaxy 7 was banned from flying due to threat of spontaneous fire in that design. Laptops had a similar problem, using Sony batteries about 10yrs ago. Exercising common sense is key to safety in many things, and treating your batteries like EGGS helps prevent mishaps. Don't throw your drone stuff to the ground (like Casey N.) with no respect. Inspect the batteries regularly, take care for them by storing them in cool places half charged when not in use a while. Never let your batteries bake in the car on a hot day, never. Slight abuses over and over can add up to cause trouble in the long run. Watch your voltage differentials between cells. Take mental note of the differentials on every flight, try to make that a habit. Most guys don't bother check their cell differentials very often, but it's good practice. It only takes 10 extra seconds during flight prep to look at the battery screen in Go4. Checking differentials AFTER the flight is good practice too.
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