Tips for piloting a drone in winter

Tips for piloting a drone in winter

How to fly your drone in winter conditions?

Winter is already here and has covered everything around with snow. You may feel a frantic desire to capture this beauty, but you are not sure exactly how to pilot your drone in such conditions and how the cold temperatures will affect the flight. In general, winter with its freezing temperatures isn't the best time to fly a drone, but if you're up for the challenge, we've got a few tips for you.

Flying a drone in winter

One of the biggest tests for your drone in winter is the cold temperatures. Since these drones run on lipo batteries, the freezing temperatures help the batteries lose their charge faster. Sometimes this can happen twice as fast as usual. Keep in mind that it is even possible to lose connection with the machine in extreme conditions.

How do you pilot your drone in winter conditions?

Here is the sequence of actions we advise you to perform in winter:

Start the drone and wait for it to warm up for a few minutes before flying it.

Before you leave home, make sure you've charged the drone's batteries to full capacity. During flight, always monitor how the charge is being used up so you can judge when it's time to change the batteries(always carry extra charged batteries with you).

Always store batteries in appropriate conditions - room temperature is best. You can keep spare batteries in your vehicle if you are out and about.

Make sure the controller batteries are also at maximum charge and not in the cold. Do not keep the controller in the cold for long periods of time.

If you decide to take photos and footage with your drone, be aware that snow and cloudy skies can affect the final result. Therefore, it is advisable to use appropriate settings for these conditions. You can reduce the shooting speed and adjust the white balance manually.

Tips for winter drone photography

A large number of drones have white balance settings for different conditions. If you find it difficult to handle the automatic settings, you can adjust the balance manually.

Here's what else you can do to improve the quality of your footage:

To prevent noise in your shots, adjust the ISO settings - make sure the values don't exceed the recommended range, which varies from model to model( for DJI's Phantom 4 RTK it's 100-400).

If you notice blurring in the picture, you can reduce the speed by a few kilometers.

Don't fly in winds stronger than 15-20km/hour, not only because it's not safe for the drone, but also because wind gusts will cause vibrations and poor quality pictures.

Tips for flying a drone in windy conditions

Whatever forecasts meteorologists give, keep an eye on the flight and how the drone behaves in the air. It's best to fly perpendicular to the wind, but prevent the flight if you notice the controls making it difficult.

Take care when taking off and landing. Then the power of the drone is not great enough and a gust of wind can blow the machine off course.

If the condensation level is too high, it can damage your drone. It can also disrupt GPS system signals. So avoid excessively wet conditions.

Which conditions are potentially dangerous for the drone?

These are wet conditions such as fog, rain or snow. Strong winds should also be avoided. In the presence of fog, it is even possible to fool the drone into thinking there is an object in front of it and to be diverted from its course.

It is advisable to avoid drone contact with snow in winter, and you can use a landing pad for this purpose.

Prepare for winter conditions

As well as your drone, you need to be prepared for winter conditions. Dress warmly and wear appropriate gloves to be comfortable operating the device. If your fingers freeze, you won't be able to feel the controller or touch screen.

Always check the weather forecast and be alert for surprising changes. Especially in mountainous areas, the weather is likely to deteriorate quickly.

Keep an eye on our blog for more useful articles. If you are in search of your new drone or need additional accessories, check out our online offers at COPTER.BG.