GreyAce Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 This is probably a really dumb question but is it ok to fly your heli in cold weather? Up north it's only 3 today but it's sunny and no wind at all so I was considering a flight later on but will it be ok in the freezing weather? I can imagine flying threw the sky everything inside the body of the heli will be really cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Would think it'll just knock edge of battery power, nowt else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 Just now, john stones 1 - Moderator said: Would think it'll just knock edge of battery power, nowt else. Flight time on one battery suppose to be 17 minutes so I am guessing it may knock it down to about just over 15 minutes? I have 3 of them though so it's worth it but I'm really itching to fly it whilst I have the opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john stones 1 - Moderator Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Just now, GreyAce said: Flight time on one battery suppose to be 17 minutes so I am guessing it may knock it down to about just over 15 minutes? I have 3 of them though so it's worth it but I'm really itching to fly it whilst I have the opportunity. Wrap up warm, go enjoy yourself. Try keeping your lipos from getting too chilled before using them as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Battery performance, as well as duration will be affected. Some plastic parts may be more brittle. Coffee intake will increase. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 4 minutes ago, john stones 1 - Moderator said: Wrap up warm, go enjoy yourself. Try keeping your lipos from getting too chilled before using them as well. Yeah cheers mate I was gona stick them in my pocket or wrap them up in something but I did notice on the short hop I did the other night the battery it got warm so I can imagine the cold will at least keep it cool,I bought a toolbag to keep everything safe whilst I get to my local park which is quiet but nice and open. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 3 minutes ago, GrumpyGnome said: Battery performance, as well as duration will be affected. Some plastic parts may be more brittle. Coffee intake will increase. My fingers will probably feel like there gona fall off lol but I will stick to about say 12 minutes I reckon for one flight and then land and change the battery to be on the safe side,I can't wait to get it in the sky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RottenRow Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Warm LiPos following a flight will help to warm your fingers up again if you hold them in your hand… I did exactly this on Sunday between flights. Brian. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 2 minutes ago, RottenRow said: Warm LiPos following a flight will help to warm your fingers up again if you hold them in your hand… I did exactly this on Sunday between flights. Brian. That's a really good idea I didn't think of that mate lol but I appreciate you guys giving me advice I know I've got alot to learn but I'm keen to get to grips with it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 I have been using a picnic box that heats and cools using a 12 v supply. I carry my lipos in this box - up to 12 off 5S 5000 mAh packs. I plug it in while I drive to the field which takes about 30 mins. The lipos live in the box till they are needed and even after a 3 hour session the last packs are, while not warm, at least not cold to the touch. Here's an example of one from Ebay but there will be many others to choose from. This one comes with a mains to 12 v adaptor so you can power the box when at home. Obviously, you don't want to keep the box heating since it states that it will reach 65 C! A bit of experimentation on how long is needed to reach a sensible temp will be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 6 minutes ago, Peter Jenkins said: I have been using a picnic box that heats and cools using a 12 v supply. I carry my lipos in this box - up to 12 off 5S 5000 mAh packs. I plug it in while I drive to the field which takes about 30 mins. The lipos live in the box till they are needed and even after a 3 hour session the last packs are, while not warm, at least not cold to the touch. Here's an example of one from Ebay but there will be many others to choose from. This one comes with a mains to 12 v adaptor so you can power the box when at home. Obviously, you don't want to keep the box heating since it states that it will reach 65 C! A bit of experimentation on how long is needed to reach a sensible temp will be needed. These are the batteries for the heli they are very compact and seem well made,I'm impressed with them to be honest,I fully charged them earlier in the week but haven't touched them since,can just use a USB type C plug for them,they turn off when full so easy peasy to mess with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 This past few flying sessions in subzero temperatures I've been putting my lipo sacks inside a larger cool bag and putting a 1l plastic bottle filled with hot water in there as well, to keep the temperature above freezing. That box that Peter linked to looks a great idea, will have to have a measure up. Another alternative I'd thought of is leaving the liposack on the heated passenger seat, but with the engine off I think that pretty quickly goes off once the timer for the auxilliary power kicks in - I believe that the 12v sockets do keep working. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 I am thinking of goin just after 1 today and I am feeling excited,when I did the short hop the other night I was so excited when I got home,like a kid at Christmas lol but I've never had something like this before,rc heli,so cool it is,I will try to take some pics but so far conditions are ok,winds forecast 10 to 15km/h but I noticed the other night it was powerful in the wind,didn't seem bothered by it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 11 minutes ago, leccyflyer said: - I believe that the 12v sockets do keep working. Until the car battery goes flat! I once used the car battery as my source for charging my flight packs. These are 2 x 5S 5000s charged in parallel (i.e. 10,000 mAh capacity) but used in series to give 10S. The first 2 charges were fine but the 3rd charge didn't finish. When I was leaving, I found out why. The battery wouldn't start the car! Luckily, my fellow flyer hadn't yet left so, as I always carry jump leads, I was able to recover the situation. These days, car batteries are actually quite low capacity! Never did that again! So, while a hot box won't take anything like the amount of capacity needed by my packs just be careful! My current car, which is quite software heavy, will even shut down the radio 10 mins after you turn off the engine! Same goes for the interior lights if you leave the doors open - what a good idea! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leccyflyer Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Indeed - more than once we've had to rescue folks who insisted on charging their flight batteries from their car, rather than use a dedicated leisure battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyGnome Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 @GreyAce if those batteties have exposed contacts, be careful about putting them in your pockets - watch out for short circuits 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, GrumpyGnome said: @GreyAce if those batteties have exposed contacts, be careful about putting them in your pockets - watch out for short circuits OK buddy cheers,was good just but it can't handle wind at all which has now picked up,so I need a completely windless day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Cooper Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Our equipment can handle the cold temperatures, but the weak link is the pilot. Basically, it can be fairly unpleasant to fly in bitter cold conditions. Try to avoid the draft from props or rotor blades... these will increase the chill factor. Stay safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 (edited) Pics from a vid,I know the score with it now and it had two hard landings but it's to be expected I suppose but I really enjoyed it,I need a completely windless day. Edited January 18 by GreyAce 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Skilbeck Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Yep, if there's no wind chill and it's sunny then I'm all for going flying. Off tomorrow morning before the 30mph+ winds arrive at the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john davidson 1 Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 Another caution about using the sockets in the boot,I left a cooler plugged and flattened the battery ,also every time you open the doors it wakes up the computers , power hungry and multiple in modern cars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyB Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 6 hours ago, GreyAce said: Flight time on one battery suppose to be 17 minutes so I am guessing it may knock it down to about just over 15 minutes? I have 3 of them though so it's worth it but I'm really itching to fly it whilst I have the opportunity. No, far more than that. I doubt you would ever get anything like 17 minutes out of a single pack even in warm conditions, so lets say a maximum of 12 to start with. below freezing I would say don't expect any more than half the capacity, so land and check voltage after 5 mins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 32 minutes ago, MattyB said: No, far more than that. I doubt you would ever get anything like 17 minutes out of a single pack even in warm conditions, so lets say a maximum of 12 to start with. below freezing I would say don't expect any more than half the capacity, so land and check voltage after 5 mins. Yeah I have no idea buddy about the time but the heli started beeping when the battery was low so I relied on that,I used two batteries but after that the conditions were too bad so I gave up,wind etc. On a separate note I found a indoor group but I have to join the BMFA first before they will let me fly there so I'm currently looking into everything,it's not as straightforward as I thought it was but I'm completely new to all this so I will see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Jenkins Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, GreyAce said: Yeah I have no idea buddy about the time but the heli started beeping when the battery was low so I relied on that,I used two batteries but after that the conditions were too bad so I gave up,wind etc. On a separate note I found a indoor group but I have to join the BMFA first before they will let me fly there so I'm currently looking into everything,it's not as straightforward as I thought it was but I'm completely new to all this so I will see how it goes. So, do you have your own insurance or are you just flying without any? Also, have you registered with the CAA, done your drone test and have a User ID and Pilot ID. If not, then I'm afraid that you are breaking the law. Just saying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyAce Posted January 18 Author Share Posted January 18 Just now, Peter Jenkins said: So, do you have your own insurance or are you just flying without any? Also, have you registered with the CAA, done your drone test and have a User ID and Pilot ID. If not, then I'm afraid that you are breaking the law. Just saying. My heli isn't a drone and the guy who I spoke to said I didn't need CAA as it's only a small helicopter?,it's lightweight,I am literally just looking into all this at the moment but I am sorting the BMFA out as I know that's important. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.