Winter flying?

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With winter fast approaching here in the Chicago area I was wondering if there are any special precautions with getting some Solo flights up in the air in the middle of winter. Not like you'd find me willing to fly in -10 degree weather but I might have the urge to go up and film how non-existant the snow plows are in certain neighborhoods :) Is it safe to fly when its cold and dry? I'm sure there are published operating temperatures but I'm too lazy to look and would just rather talk about it here :) I suppose you would need a nice clean RTL location and it would have to be a dry day but other than that I wonder what else we might need to consider. I'm curious how many of you are also plagued with living in a location where there is snow on the ground 5 months out of the year. UGH! Of all the states an immigrant couple could choose to live in, why did my parents decide on the midwest? :) I have a Vespa that will be very lonely in the garage too :-(
 
Well I can tell you from a colder perspective; from here in Alaska is keep your batteries warm!
That said, a good practice to get in the habit of carrying them in your jacket until you get to were your going to fly they will retain the heat for a short period and help increase your flight time. My experience across the board for all manufacturers and flying in winter, the cold can really zap the batteries.


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I've flown other 3DR drones in winter, including at -10 degrees. Some pointers:

Battery life is reduced. Keep them warm before using them. Putting them in your jacket works if it's not too cold, but keeping them in an insulated bag with hand warmers is much better. If your not hiking/snowshoeing away from roads, consider keeping your spare batteries in a warm running car.

Leave your drone out in the cold for awhile before attempting to take off. The barometers are very sensitive to moisture, which you can get if you move your drone from a warm car into the cold (condensation frost). If it's very cold (say below 10 degrees) you might want to wait as long as 15 or 20 minutes before powering up. If it's a "dry" cold, this is less of an issue.

Pick a good take off spot where your not likely to kick up snow that will get in your motors. Take off from ice, or at least stomp down an area of tightly packed snow.

Snow landings are soft and rarely lead to damage, but if you get snow in the motors, do this: immediately blow as much snow out as you can BEFORE you go into a warm area where the snow will melt. Compressed air is best, but blowing really hard yourself is better than nothing. If it's very cold (i.e. the snow isn't wet and clumpy) this is pretty easy. When you go inside use a blow dryer to dry out the motors and anywhere else snow got in. I often place my drone over or near a warm air vent (rotating every few hours) to make sure everything is dry.

Do NOT fly through fog or clouds. You can get icing on your props which will often lead to a crash, or at the very least, extremely difficult flying.

Don't fly when it's snowing. Actually, flying when it's snowing is not that bad, as long as it's not a wet snow. Nonetheless, I can't recommend you do it. I have many times - but only when it's below zero. Maybe I've just been lucky.

Use an ND filter to help cut down on the bright reflections off the snow. I use anything between an ND8 and ND32 - although I've gotten good images with no filter at all.

There are RC Controller mittens that you put the entire controller inside. I don't use them anymore. I just wear warm mittens with glove liners that are electrostatic so I can whip off my mittens if I need to and use the touch screen with the liners.

As soon as it starts snowing, drop everything and prep your drone. Footage after a fresh snowfall is amazing (in my opinion), especially while snow is still clumped in trees.

That's all I can think of for now. Hope it helps.
 
Just a couple thoughts...
When lipos became all the rage they were even more sensitive to cold than now. I began carrying mine in a small sleeping bag stuffsack, each battery slipped into a spare sock and in turn with a disposable hand warmer (also in a sock) at the bottom.
Also, although it seems just wrong, I always leave my aircraft either outside or in a mostly unheated area (foyer) before dragging them inside. Cold plastic and metal = some seriously instantaneous condensation, usually at areas impossible to reach!
 
Here is some flying at 5c...
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jubalr,

Man, I keep waiting for the guy to stumble and start tumbling down the mountain!

Jerry
I had the same thought! Watching him run on that little path that goes off to the left. I can only assume he is either crazy or it is deceiving from the angle of view.
 
I wonder if the Solo would have followed him down the mountain? Would have made a great promo piece!

Jerry
It totally would have followed him... but it would have kept the same altitude so we would have seen him tumble away into a tiny dot... or maybe a rolling snow ball.

I've been wondering what the max altitude above sea level the Solo can handle. Battery life reduced at high altitude of course. I'm able to fly a modified 3DR Iris+ at 10,000 feet without much trouble.
 
Hmm footage is stable as @#@#!

I've notice that my video is getting progressively more jello-e and shaky with the colder temperatures.

Might need to look under the hood to see if cables started shifting around.
 
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32° SW Ohio
Short flight.
 

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