Drone Tips For Flying In Summer
Whilst flying in summer is one of the most rewarding experiences (especially the sunsets), drone flyers need to be aware of the risks when flying in the warmer months. The Australian sun is very harsh so it is important to understand how the sun and heat can affect your drone.
Quick Tips
Check the weather.
Don't fly in temperatures that exceed the maximum operating temperature (40 degrees Celsius).
Don't charge your battery straight after flying.
Use a monitor hood or a ultra bright screen.
Ensure your device does not overheat when using your drone.
Rest your drone between flights.
Temperature Alert
The highest working temperature for your aircraft will be 40 degrees Celsius. When flying, the body, battery and motors of the aircraft will warm up to different levels. If the ambient temperature is already close to the maximum operational temperature, then using the drone will surpass these temperatures, which will be detrimental to the life of your battery. Therefore, it is best for the drone to avoid flying often over 30 degrees Celsius and definitely not recommended to fly when the surrounding environment surpasses 40.
You may notice that you batteries can bulge after flying in warm temperatures or when storing in warm areas. It is important to always store your batteries in a cool dry space and out of direct sunlight. If your battery does bulge, please leave it unused and over-time the bulging may disappear, if it does not, the battery may need to be replaced.
On warm days, we recommend to avoid using sport mode as this mode will discharge the battery the quickest and will increase the temperature the quickest.
Battery Won't Charge
When flying, your batteries will experience dramatic temperature changes and if you decide to charge it immediately after flight, the inbuilt battery management system will disallow you to charge. The reason being is there is a high chance of damaging the batteries right after use or when they are too hot. If you decide the charge an overheated battery, the four LED lights will flash continuously. The best thing to do is to wait for the battery to cool down before charging again.
Foggy Lens
During the hot summer, lens fog can likely occur when you enter a hotter environment from an air-conditioned room or car. We suggest that you rest the aircraft in the new environment for a few minutes, then insert your battery to start your journey.
Screen Brightness Not Enough
When flying a drone, the sunlight can sometimes be too bright to see the image transmission on your smartphone. Sometimes you will be unable to increase the brightness of the screen anymore so you will need to source a monitor hood to provide shade to the screen. Another choice is to use either DJI's crystal sky screen or their smart controller, which have built in screens that go up to 1000 nits in brightness or even 2000 nits, which is nearly 4 times brighter than a conventional smartphone screen.
Mobile Device Overheated
When turning your screen brightness up and using the phone/tablet to run the app. More than likely, the device will start to overheat and will reduce the running speed of the device (as the CPU runs at a lower speed) and can cause lag in the transmission or even cause a shutdown.
We suggest letting your device rest and cool down. Furthermore, close all your background apps, take off your device case and use a monitor hood.
Rest Between Flights
Your drone will experience a slight rise in temperature when flying, therefore after changing the battery, it is recommended to cool your drone down before flying again.
Keep Track of Weather Conditions
Being aware of the temperature is important when planning your aerial shoot. Depending on your location, you might experience gusts of wind, potentially unexpected rain/thunder or even temperatures higher than expected. It is important to prepare for this type of weather before setting off and find a safe spot to land in case the drone overheats or the unexpected rain arrives.
Shoot at "Golden Hour"
Typically, 30 minute before and after sunrise is perfect for photography due to the warm colours and soft shadows. This produces the most aesthetically pleasing photos and is the best time to fly your drone!
