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Typhoon H Cold Weather Flying - Temperature Change

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I took the Typhoon H out on the weekend for a quick "temperature test".

It was 1 degree Celsius (34 Fahrenheit) outside. With the Typhoon H in its shipping case (in a backpack), I took it from the heated house to the car. Drove 10 minutes to a field. Took it out of the car and placed the backpack in an open field for 30 minutes to acclimatize to the cold temperature.

Here are the results:

 
I emailed support a week or so ago and they said 14degrees f or warmer of course keep the batteries warm till you install them
 
Cool! Oops, a pun done I.

Hey that's great, Cap. But I wonder: why were your nose and ears red? Had you been running? :eek:
BTW, your videos get better each time. Kudos to your production mgr! :)
 
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I was surprised I was able to get 12 mins out of the battery as I was actually flying the Typhoon H around continuously and not just hovering and putting a load on the battery (flying up fast, jagged turns, etc).

In January/February we get a few days of crazy cold temps (below -20 Celsius/-4 Fahrenheit). I'll have to try the Typhoon H again to see how it does. As soon as temps fall below 0 Celsius/32 Fahrenheit I then keep the batteries warm under my jacket.
 
I haven't tried the H in cold weather, but I've flown the Q many times less that 20 deg F. I've always kept the bird warm until launch. After a flight I let it warm with the case closed to keep moisture away from the bird so condensation doesn't form on the electronics or inside the camera. I generally limit flights to 15 minutes because that's all my hands can stand.

Your video is informative and very practical. Thanks for posting.
 
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Good to know. I took it out in Edmonton here -1 c by the time I was done 15 min flight it dropped to -5 c. I noticed the frame makes a creaking noise as it got cooler when I picked it up - plastic gets more brittle it seems. My guess - a crash would cause more damage in colder weather if happened. Not sure if I'd fly it in -20 c. Good idea on catching in air and great video!
 
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I took the Typhoon H out on the weekend for a quick "temperature test".

It was 1 degree Celsius (34 Fahrenheit) outside. With the Typhoon H in its shipping case (in a backpack), I took it from the heated house to the car. Drove 10 minutes to a field. Took it out of the car and placed the backpack in an open field for 30 minutes to acclimatize to the cold temperature.

Here are the results:


I really like what you do with the Typhoon H! It helps calm my nervousness when I'm about to fly mine. I enjoy watching all your videos and admire how well you put them together for all of the guys here on the forum! Keep up the great work!
 
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Good to know. I took it out in Edmonton here -1 c by the time I was done 15 min flight it dropped to -5 c. I noticed the frame makes a creaking noise as it got cooler when I picked it up - plastic gets more brittle it seems. My guess - a crash would cause more damage in colder weather if happened. Not sure if I'd fly it in -20 c. Good idea on catching in air and great video!

Interesting about the frame (plastics). One item on the Typhoon H that I suspect will become really brittle in the cold are the props (they seem to easily shatter even in warm weather).

I'm glad to see the Typhoon H actually warms up in cold flight. I'll try it again sometime in the dead of winter when we have one of those colder than -20 (-4 Fahrenheit) days.
 
I really like what you do with the Typhoon H! It helps calm my nervousness when I'm about to fly mine. I enjoy watching all your videos and admire how well you put them together for all of the guys here on the forum! Keep up the great work!

Thank you, I appreciate that.

The Typhoon H is a pretty stable drone for the most part. Sure, it does, every now and then, drift (and wander), which may make people nervous, but that is the nature of the Typhoon H (stable for a few flights, and than a bit drifting on the next for a few seconds). I trust the Typhoon H enough to turn my back on it when I'm filming in an open area (while I'm getting other things in order) . I have no worries, I can hear the drone of the motors which tells me all is well.
 
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@CAPTAINDRONE so now.. we have an idea on semi-cold weather.. in general though, will cloud cover affect GPS lock? Or is it just better to fly when sky is mostly clear? Have you flown with cloud cover? ... I guess what I'm wondering is can clouds cause interference/cause loss of gps.
 

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Cloud cover generally does not impact GPS, but lightning can disrupt many different types of signals. Hopefully people have enough sense not to fly during thunderstorms.

In the chart above, besides temperature I cannot determine what is being used to establish the not good to fly warning. Looks fine, but a little cold for the operator.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Cloud cover generally does not impact GPS, but lightning can disrupt many different types of signals. Hopefully people have enough sense not to fly during thunderstorms.

In the chart above, besides temperature I cannot determine what is being used to establish the not good to fly warning. Looks fine, but a little cold for the operator.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks .. this is all good information, as I'm thinking I wasn't the only one in cold Canada thinking we'd have to put our birds in for hibernation over winter.
 
@CAPTAINDRONE so now.. we have an idea on semi-cold weather.. in general though, will cloud cover affect GPS lock? Or is it just better to fly when sky is mostly clear? Have you flown with cloud cover? ... I guess what I'm wondering is can clouds cause interference/cause loss of gps.

No issues with flying on cloudy days with regards to GPS & drones. When people say you need a clear line of sight outdoors for GPS to function properly, they are referring to avoiding solid objects such as buildings, trees, mountains, heavy tree cover, etc which can all block the GPS signal. Sometimes even flying under a bridge can cause the GPS signal to become lost for a short time. Cloud cover (even heavy cloud cover) will have little effect on GPS. If you have insufficient satellites, the Typhoon H just won't let you take off.
 
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No issues with flying on cloudy days with regards to GPS & drones. When people say you need a clear line of sight outdoors for GPS to function properly, they are referring to avoiding solid objects such as buildings, trees, mountains, heavy tree cover, etc which can all block the GPS signal. Sometimes even flying under a bridge can cause the GPS signal to become lost for a short time. Cloud cover (even heavy cloud cover) will have little effect on GPS. If you have insufficient satellites, the Typhoon H just won't let you take off.

Thanks!! Now the reason I asked.. because I watched this drone doc on Netflix.. it was a bit war related, and there was mention of the drones not flying (now these are military attack drones) on cloudy days.. and even though we fly consumer drones much smaller, I wondered about it.. and haven't flown mine on a cloudy day yet... but now I can, knowing this :) Also when it comes to these things, I usually rather ask before than just flying it up there and hope for the best.
 
Thanks for another great video! Now I know my temperature limits. Looks like I'll be safe flying in the 30's f.
 
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I took the Typhoon H out on the weekend for a quick "temperature test".

It was 1 degree Celsius (34 Fahrenheit) outside. With the Typhoon H in its shipping case (in a backpack), I took it from the heated house to the car. Drove 10 minutes to a field. Took it out of the car and placed the backpack in an open field for 30 minutes to acclimatize to the cold temperature.

Here are the results:

Good video Capt. Thanks for sharing.
 
Liqrome,

A few military drones fly above the typical tops of a cloud layer, requiring that certain types of IR be used instead of an electro optical camera. Many of the smaller drones use IR cameras that aren't as effective as many would like so they leave them on the ground when cloudy. There's also the possibility of rain to deal with on cloudy days and most of the smaller drones are not all weather aircraft. Their electronics can't deal with water and they are not "water tight".


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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