Hello. New member here. I am a photographer planning a trip to Tibet/China with my Inspire 1. The location I am shooting will be at 12,000 feet above sea level. How will this affect the performace/flight characteristics in such thin air? I'd like to be safe, and will leave it behind if there is risk of losing it.

Thnaks!

It is likely that your battery life will be cut very short as the motors rev to maximum RPM to try to fly in the diminished air density. The altitude you intend exceeds the rated specs per DJI, and while it doesn't necessarily mean it won't fly at all, it is possible the extreme stress on the motors may harm your craft. I suppose you could practice flying short, low-altitude (above ground that is) runs until you can determine how the bird will perform. Check your battery temperature upon landing too. If you do get any good shots up there, I hope you will post them!

Here's a Phantom 1 flying at 17,500'

Actually that altitude is within the rated specs. You will see about 5mins or more loss of flight time. The craft wont be as responsive but will work better than most at that altitude. Try to keep your packs warm, this will help with the flight time.

I flew at 10000 feet. Maybe got 11 min real flight time. Just keep that in mind when the craft decides to trigger low battery warning. Also so high I would assume you are on a mountain.  So be wary of winds! Even if you only have a breeze where you are think that maybe 300 feet above the winds might be quite a bit stronger. But the I1 performed flawlessly for me.

Thnaks for all the helpful responses guys! Especially the video, can't believe it flew @ 17,000! haha. Looks like its a go. I'll have to plan my shots well! Oh and hopefully not get arrested by the Chinese Police :/