I live in CT so the temperatures at night are starting to enter the 30's.  My mavic should be coming in by the end of the week but I am now concerned about flying early mornings to get the fog with the foliage.  Ground temperatures may be on the hairy edge of 32 F but as I go up in altitude it will only drop.  I read somewhere that someone may have had erratic behaviors using a battery that had dropped to the outside temp which may have been close to 32F but the first battery that was at room temperature was fine.
I understand that the limitations on the Mavic are 32F to 104F but is it safe to fly around 30-32F if the aircraft and battery start off at room temp (70F)?  Also are there temperature warnings before anything catastrophic will occur?  I can think of some really cool snow shots that I want to get but am feeling reluctant if the outside temp is in the teens to 20's....maybe you could throw it up in the air for 2-3 minutes then land?  What do you think?

Also don't forget to add in windchill factors too.

I would imagine that the heat that the battery produces would be plenty enough to keep the temp above the lower threshold, so long as the battery was up to temp to start with. But I could be wrong... hopefully someone with actual experience using these batteries can shed some more light.

8atU4uGb2cGi Posted at 2016-11-3 01:02
Also don't forget to add in windchill factors too.

Wind chill means nothing to an inanimate object. It's simply air temperature. Only people and animals are effected by wind chill. Colder temperatures will help to keep the battery cool, so long as it is warm when you begin to fly. Heat generated by the battery will warm the body of the drone. I would worry more about the motor performance. And remember, DJI clearly states in their documentation that min temp is 32F, or 0C. If you fly below that, you are doing so at your own risk.

dana5 Posted at 2016-11-3 01:09
Wind chill means nothing to an inanimate object. It's simply air temperature. Only people and anim ...

They mention the minimum temperature that the battery can operate at, yes. No mention of a minimum air temperature. So long as the battery stays at a temp above the recommendation, I don't see the problem. I seem to recall dji-ken saying somewhere that as long as you give it a minute for the battery to warm up after turning it on, that it would be okay. Don't quote me on that, but I know it was along those lines..

If it's above 25F I'm going to be flying mine, I'm sure it will be fine but I got DJI Refresh just in case.

I'll mention that wind chill does indeed matter to any device that is generating heat. The heat will transfer to the air more quickly in wind than calm conditions. Think of a heat sink why a fan makes a difference.

dana5 Posted at 2016-11-2 10:09
Wind chill means nothing to an inanimate object. It's simply air temperature. Only people and anim ...

Not necessarily.

While wind chill is often measured by it's relative temperature to a biological subject, however it impacts anything that generates, radiates or retains heat.

Cool air with velocity will dissipate an inanimate objects heat, more than a static temperature.

Regardless . . .  I would agree a battery starting at room temperature will only generate additional heat under a load.  The LiPo batteries we use in the RC helicopters are uncomfortably warm to the touch after a flight on a cool day.  It's difficult to imagine temps cold enough to negatively impact the drone batteries unless they started well below room temp.

The motors also generate heat, I can't help but wonder if the camera/gimbal mech is the watermark used to establish minimum temp operations.

Obviously ice developing on the props could/would negatively affect the drones ability to fly. Ice buildup requires moisture not already frozen, usually found when you're near or at freezing.

Keep your batteries warm. And when the drone is first started, let it warm up for a couple of minutes, before taking off.
DJI sells battery warmers too, if that's something that might help you, look into acquiring one. ;-)

So what happens opposite? Summer is approaching here. 99F tomorrow (no mavic yet.). How would battery and mavic handle heat.  Keep it "cool" before?

I have been flying my mavic in 32-35 degree weather since I got it when outside. I keep the battery warm in my car or inside my jacket and let the drone warm up for a minute before taking off. It has performed perfectly. I probably will get the chance to test it in slightly colder temps soon but for now I'm sticking to the warm days lol. Just be sure and keep the battery warm when not in use. Cold will kill a battery charge very quickly.

ferrari-458-ut Posted at 2016-11-3 01:18
If it's above 25F I'm going to be flying mine, I'm sure it will be fine but I got DJI Refresh just i ...

I'm curious though, if something did happen and you sent it in, wouldn't they be able to see the temperature in the logs and see you were flying outside of the recommended parameters and thus this could void replacement under the Refresh?

I've been flying mine here for a few weeks and it's dipped down to -5 Celcius (23 F) with no issues. The only thing that has concerned me so far were the wet blades when I brought it back down from the clouds overhead. Complete control with no battery or camera issues.
The only issue I ran into was my iphone shuts off at around -1 Celcius - so I'll need to find something to keep it warmed up while I'm operating the drone. Even at -3 Celcius (26F) it's a little cold on the hands, but I'm really hoping that I can use it to as low as -15 Celcius (5 F) temperatures... time will tell.

I have flown at 18 degrees Fahrenheit and recently at 8 degrees Fahrenheit  (-13 C) with no issues. The key is to start out warm. I hiked for several hours but had a 3m warming gel pack next to the battery on the mavic and the entire thing wrapped in a down jacket in my backpack to insulate it.  This worked well on an eight hour hike on the first fllight and a 2.5 hour hike on the second (8 degrees F).   Once you start flying the battery and Mavic seem to stay nice and warm.

8atU4uGb2cGi Posted at 2016-11-2 11:02
Also don't forget to add in windchill factors too.

HA! Windchill does not effect inanimate objects. Windchill is more for humans and other animals with respiratory systems. If the air temp is 32F and the wind chill is 0F, the coldest the Mavic is going to get is 32F.

Air temp is the only thing that any hardware will be concerned about. Wind (or wind chill) is only going to provide more efficient cooling over the heat sync, and forced air through the fan duct.

dana5 Posted at 2016-12-2 15:51
HA! Windchill does not effect inanimate objects. Windchill is more for humans and other animals wi ...

Dana5,

Not necessarily.

While wind chill is often measured by it's relative temperature to a biological subject, however it impacts anything that generates, radiates or retains heat.

Cool air with velocity will dissipate an inanimate objects heat, more than a static temperature.

Regardless . . .  I would agree a battery starting at room temperature will only generate additional heat under a load.  The LiPo batteries we use in the RC helicopters are uncomfortably warm to the touch after a flight on a cool day.  It's difficult to imagine temps cold enough to negatively impact the drone batteries unless they started well below room temp.

The motors also generate heat, I can't help but wonder if the camera/gimbal mech is the watermark used to establish minimum temp operations.

Obviously ice developing on the props could/would negatively affect the drones ability to fly. Ice buildup requires moisture not already frozen, usually found when you're near or at freezing.

Thulinm Posted at 2016-11-5 12:52
So what happens opposite? Summer is approaching here. 99F tomorrow (no mavic yet.). How would batter ...

I've asked similar questions before and its hard to get a decent answer from anyone.  I check my battery temp after i land occasionally, and the highest I've seen so far is 60c (140F).  There is no maximum temp mentioned, but DJI-mindy? said when there is an issue an alert with pop up I think. Someone else said previous DJI products were fine until they reach 71C (160F).  Obviously just let them cool before popping the on the charger. Summer is only just starting where i live, so I will be keeping a close eye on it. I'm a bit disappointed there is no way i can get the log data to show me a battery temp graph post-flight.  It seems DJI can view this data, but I can't. Which I think is probably a conspiracy to keep us in the dark ;)

Mooney Posted at 2016-12-2 21:15
Dana5,

Not necessarily.

I understand all of that. I realize that an object will cool faster if there is wind to carry the heat away.

What I am saying is that when windchill is referred to, it means that it will feel colder than it really is. It will lower your temperature more quickly.

However, if the air temperature is 0, and the wind chill is -30, the Mavic is not going to get colder than the ambient air temperature of 0. Now, if the air were moving fast enough, it could possibly go a bit lower, but not more than 1 or 2 degrees.

Since the battery is protected by the plastic shielding of the casing, which is about 2mm, the battery is not going to be greatly effected by any wind chill.

So, in summary, wind will reduce the temperature of the aircraft to the ambient temperature faster, but no lower. This is why I said that windchill is irrelevant.

The flip side of that is that if the temperature is 0, and windchill is -30, there's no way you are getting ME out to fly the Mavic, regardless of how IT may perform in low temperatures!

As mentioned multiple times, the key is to ensure you start with a warm battery. So keep it stored inside your clothing close to your body or in an insulated bag with something that retains heat or generates some warmth. I have read were one gentleman would tape 2 hand warmers to his battery and just leave them on while in flight and never received a battery error while flying in temperatures in the mid teens 12-15'F. So not sure if the hand warmers had much to do with it while in flight or if they simply helped pre-warm the battery before installing it.

Today I've tried the Mavic in -18°C (-0.4 F) and the only reason I quit was because my fingers were dying - and my iPhone too. The Mavic had no signs of weakness to this conditions...

We had -10°C two weeks ago and my Mavic flew fine

Keep ALL batts close to Your body and insert them ONLY immediately before firing up Your Mavic. (Do all the settings already at home so that You can T/O immediately).

Search on Youtube for the video of a Canadian Mavic Owner who flew at -20°C. The only thing that died was his iPone ....................  

I have been flying my Mavic around 0F alot recently. I do this knowing that I am operating outside the recommended range and if anything happens it is not under warranty. Now with that being said, I normally take the drone up with me when I ski. Couple tips I have for you:

- Keep the battery warm. So when I ski I take out the battery and keep it next to my body in my innermost layer.
- When you take off, let it hover for a minute or two. If the battery gets too cold you will not get enough current and you get a critical battery warning (happened to me) and the aircraft will descend regardless of what you do to the controller.
- Don't fly too far away

Also, windchill will not affect your battery as much because windchill is a calculated value for living beings. For batteries the wind will have more effect on the aircraft positioning/stability over the battery temp. As you can imagine, ski mountains are not only cold but can get windy sometimes.

WINDCHILL (simple physics):

windchill-factor is the SUBJECTIVE temperature which an animate subject will feel if exposed to moving air.

windchill (= FEELING a LOWER temperature than actually thermometer shows; e.g.  0°C air temperature, but FELT air-temp -10°C) consists of two parts:

1. effective cooling down of a water-containing and liquid-covered body (such as HAIRLESS mammals as we "humans" are) by evaporation of water below ambient air-temperature:

blow against Your finger and feel the temperature, then stick Your finger into the mouth and wet it and blow against it again: it will BE cooler by evaporation of the saliva (effective physical temperature drop)

2. only FELT temperature drop compared to ambient air-temperature depending on wind velocity and ambient air-humidity

MAVIC is a DRY body: whatever wind blows it will always have the ambient air-temperature

Angelo26 Posted at 2017-1-19 08:40
WINDCHILL (simple physics):

windchill-factor is the SUBJECTIVE temperature which an animate subject will feel if exposed to moving air.

Exactly correct!

dana5 Posted at 2016-11-2 09:09
Wind chill means nothing to an inanimate object. It's simply air temperature. Only people and animals are effected by wind chill. Colder temperatures will help to keep the battery cool, so long as it is warm when you begin to fly. Heat generated by the battery will warm the body of the drone. I would worry more about the motor performance. And remember, DJI clearly states in their documentation that min temp is 32F, or 0C. If you fly below that, you are doing so at your own risk.

> DJI clearly states in their documentation that min temp is 32F, or 0C.

Bummer.  I'm planning to travel up to the Ice Hotel next month, and that would have been an AMAZING place to get some footage with my Mavic.  Sounds like that's a real no-go ...

Toomer Posted at 2017-1-19 08:54
> DJI clearly states in their documentation that min temp is 32F, or 0C.

Bummer.  I'm planning to travel up to the Ice Hotel next month, and that would have been an AMAZING place to get some footage with my Mavic.  Sounds like that's a real no-go ...

I believe that if your Mavic, battery and controller are warm, at room temperature (~70F), you should be able to fly below 32F for 10 to 15 minutes, so long as the air conditions are dry (low moisture in the air). As the battery is being used by the drone's motors, it will heat itself. The cold will actually help it to stay cool.

After a flight in the cold, I would put the Mavic in it's case (outside, while still cold), and then bring it in to warm slowly, while in the case. Why in the case??? Because if you bring it in cold, any moisture in the warmer air is going to condense on the drone, wetting all surfaces, which is not good.

The 32F min temperature is stated to keep people from destroying their drones. But if you are smart about it, short flights are possible, but again, at your own risk. In the end, temperature is probably the least of your worries when flying a drone, when you consider wind, interference, obstacles, and any other anomalies that may make your drone decide to crash itself.

I have been flying in ground temp -22 C with no problems at all. Just make sure your batteries are warm when you start. After 12 minutes of flight my battery was at +20 C.

Flew in Ridgefield, CT during the holidays. First time ever i saw a cold battery temp warning. Told me to raise the battery temp to xxxC, sorry i forgot. Also for a bunch of high wind warnings flying in the mountains on Ridgefield.

Wille_W Posted at 2017-1-19 11:39
I have been flying in ground temp -22 C with no problems at all. Just make sure your batteries are warm when you start. After 12 minutes of flight my battery was at +20 C.

Notised same thing in -10C, Mavic temp was nicely on 28C after few min of flying. So keep batteries warm and wait maby 1-3 min after power on before take off to get gimbal & body to adjust to temp and you will be fine.

Angelo26 Posted at 2017-1-19 08:40
WINDCHILL (simple physics):

windchill-factor is the SUBJECTIVE temperature which an animate subject will feel if exposed to moving air.

Sounds like I can get rid of the fans in my PC then as they obviously do nothing.

Sorry for the joke, but yes, wind-speed does affect an inanimate object by carrying away heat faster until it matches the ambient temp so you are partially correct.  Moving liquid even more so.

But with that said, will never have the full effect of what a living thing will feel as a warm blooded living thing is constantly fighting to maintain a specific temp.

dana5 Posted at 2016-12-2 15:51
HA! Windchill does not effect inanimate objects. Windchill is more for humans and other animals with respiratory systems. If the air temp is 32F and the wind chill is 0F, the coldest the Mavic is going to get is 32F.

Air temp is the only thing that any hardware will be concerned about. Wind (or wind chill) is only going to provide more efficient cooling over the heat sync, and forced air through the fan duct.

This was discussed above and incorrect, but I will explain to you why since you seem to think its a joke.  

If you have a hot bowl of soup, why do we blow on it to cool it off? Because of windchill, it will remove heat from the soup faster than if it was isolated.

Lets use an example you can see and feel that has a similar effect, Water (H2O).  Water in a lake during a hot day will begin to get a direct layer of heated water on its upper surface throughout the day, this would be similar to a no wind situation.  However a stream on that same hot day will not be effected by this as the water is moving, it will remain cool.

If you still believe windchill doesn't effect inanimate objects, you can YouTube better explanations, but that is incorrect saying it only effects humans and animals.

If wind chill does not effect inanimate objects, what does a wet bulb thermometer measure? Is a wet bulb thermometer not inanimate?

With all this speculation and misunderstanding, Google is your friend.