Hi all,

Tomorrow I was planning to fly with a friend of mine.  I’m taking the Phantom 4 Pro, and he’s taking the Phantom 3 Pro.

After reviewing the weather, it indicates that there will be lows of 24 F.  

Is this temperature too low to fly safely in?  I have read that the minimum operating temperature is 34 F, but at the same time heard people flying in sub zero conditions without any issues.

Would love to hear some opinions.  Thanks!

Hello and good day JacobW. Thank you for the inquiry. Please note that the Operating Temperature Range of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro v2 is from 32° to 104°F (0° to 40°C). And I would recommend you warm up the battery to about 20 degrees Celsius. Have a safe and happy flying.

Warm the battery through, be gentle on the sticks, wear some gloves and be prepared for a reduction in flight time.

I've flown in 22 F without a problem.  But I flew with a warmed battery.  Plenty of pilots have flown in temps much much colder than that - even below zero F.  But they fly with warm batteries.  

My opinion is you will be fine provided you HEAT THE BATTERY before your flight.  I would warm it to at least 20 C but 25 C would be even better.  

Wear lots of layers with a ball cap and a hoodie - over-dressing will transfer heat to your hands just like a heatsink and help keep your finger tips warm.   Plus the hoodie will have a pocket at your belly where you will put your heat packets and can rub your hands together.  I hate flying with gloves.

Good luck

A CW Posted at 11-26 15:49
Warm the battery through, be gentle on the sticks, wear some gloves and be prepared for a reduction in flight time.

Sounds good, thank you!

Mark The Droner Posted at 11-26 15:49
I've flown in 22 F without a problem.  But I flew with a warmed battery.  Plenty of pilots have flown in temps much much colder than that - even below zero F.  But they fly with warm batteries.  

My opinion is you will be fine provided you HEAT THE BATTERY before your flight.  I would warm it to at least 20 C but 25 C would be even better.  

I'll keep all that in mind.  Thanks for the advice!

DJI Stephen Posted at 11-26 15:48
Hello and good day JacobW. Thank you for the inquiry. Please note that the Operating Temperature Range of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro v2 is from 32° to 104°F (0° to 40°C). And I would recommend you warm up the battery to about 20 degrees Celsius. Have a safe and happy flying.

Thanks for the info!

JacobW Posted at 11-26 17:14
Sounds good, thank you!

You’re welcome.

Warm batts is the answer as already mentioned.

Plenty ways to do this :

Insulated picnic bag / box warmed up indoors and batterys placed in ... closed up and kept closed in car ... only open when really needed.

Put battery in inside warm pocket ... keep there till last moment before plugging into AC

I have this for warming batterys ... runs of car ciggy socket or a 2S / 3S LiPo / 12v source ... you can get two batterys in there ...

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turn ... v-dc.html?wrh_pdp=3



I have flown in temps well below -10C ... the hardest part is ME !! The AC and gear apart from touch screen were fine. People who do not fly winter - surely miss some great video opportunities ...
Take note : Touch screen gloves ... but also make sure you know Controller buttons to land etc. as touch screens are terrible in the cold.

People talk about flight times shorter .. given that I do not like to go over 17 - 18mins even in summer ... I find I have similar even in the cold. But I try to aim for 15mins max.

Some say you should hover for a minute or so after take-off ... WHY ? IMHO - totally unnecessary .... if the AC takes-off - usually when first powered up - you get a WARMING UP warning ... then changes once warm to P-OPTI etc. - then its ready to fly that shows all is fine. I usually hover just a few seconds every flight summer / winter - just to make sure all is OK ... but never need a minute or so ... no need. That's just wasted flight time.

BUT : Keep close eye on screen for any voltage drop or warnings ... don't push the envelope.

Nigel

  

I use something like this
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-transmitter-muff-red.html

along with touch screen gloves, body warmer, wind proof pants, woollen hat, thermal under-layers, and I have just seen electrically heated vests which sound a good step in the right direction. I always keep my batteries next door to my body when I am out. Like others, not putting them into the aircraft until they are about to fly. Our temperatures are not as cold here as many other places, but as Solentlife has said the problem is often the pilot being affected by the  wether rather than the craft. Perhaps it should be part of our pre flight checks, is the pilot warm enough!

Today temps dropped to -4C .... guys came to fit windows and doors to my workshop. Just after flying - the heavens opened and we were swamped in snow !!



Nigel

JacobW Posted at 11-26 17:15
Thanks for the info!

You are much welcome. If you have any other concerns with DJI. Please feel free to post it here at DJI Forum. We are here to help you.

solentlife Posted at 11-27 03:01
Warm batts is the answer as already mentioned.

Plenty ways to do this :

I didn't know lipo battery warmers existed!  I will definitely be getting one.  Thanks for the info.

JacobW Posted at 11-27 07:34
I didn't know lipo battery warmers existed!  I will definitely be getting one.  Thanks for the info.

There are ones designed specifically for DJI batterys - but I do not like them as they use the battery itself to power the unit. Why use power from your battery when you want maximum for flight ??

The Turnigy warming bag - can work of any 12V supply .... and is user programmable for temperature. Your DJI battery then is not called on to provide power to warm itself !!  Second its a lot cheaper !!

Nigel