Thanks for watching and good point! If the dew point is below freezing, and the propeller blades are colder than the dew point, any moisture in the air will freeze on contact with the blades. This is particularly relevant in situations where the air is humid, and the temperature is cold enough to support the freezing of water droplets. Basically - if it's freezing or close to freezing and misty, you need to be careful.... Frost on the ground is a good warning sign!
Would be interesting to know as it's mainly plastic but at what temp was the drone at before taking them outside.. meaning from inside of a warm house to outside cold?
very interesting information. I quite knew it however that ice buildup in freezing and moisture environment is indeed a real phenomenon. in a scientific context, moisture begins covering the drone including the props, and thanks to the same angular velocity, similar airflow and temperature, it converts to ice from the freezing air the props produce. now that isn't a big problem when you're flying continuously or for short time periods like this but ice can still form into surfaces. the mote bigger problem however is that moisture can get into the internals and thus cause some damage. battery on the other hand depletes faster in the freezing cold. I almost did the same mistake, even though I knew, I quite missed that. it was 4° c outside and having no idea how cold itd be up to the max height (500 m/1,600 ft) i ended up dealing with wind and battery began going down faster than I expected so I quickly got it down. yes don't ask me, I do know that I'm over the legal limit but let's keep it here.
Flying BVLOS is very much down to the individual pilots risk assessment + they need to understand and accept the consequences of doing that - a little like going a few mph higher than the speed limit on the motorway/freeway. Not going to preach, but going above 120m is of greater safety concern for others no matter the odds of an event of concern actually happening. Whilst personally it’s really tempting to do, I could never live with myself if I caused an accident. But you do you mate, just be careful, don’t endanger lives and don’t bring the hobby into disrepute 👍 (sorry - said I didn’t want to preach, but I’m very passionate about the subject)
@@amoktimeflies yeah this is true. I do know by experience that in my area (or any other area I know) there's very minimal aircraft activity and let alone any of them fly at this specific height. I always make some checks on radar maps just to be sure but if I have to go this high it means I'm planning a long flight, otherwise for fun I just fly around the legal limit. other than that, I'm fully aware of this and I never do it in cities, towns or places I've been for the first time. hope I explained it a bit.
I flew mini 3 pro the other day over a lake. Was -3. Didn’t get any warning messages and had massive build up of ice on the edge of the pops. However, there was far more ice under the props than on the edges. Would’ve been interesting to have seen under the props. Was there loads of ice under them on your mini 4 pro?
Yeh - a fair bit - that was where the shard came off from when I had the mini 4 pro in the kitchen. There was a lot of condensation on the mini 3 pro but I didn’t notice any ice - that said it was mid afternoon and the temp was dropping even though I flew them minutes apart. I think the mini 3 pro was also shedding ice cos remembering back I did hear the odd ‘tick’ and then it would wobble slightly. Didn’t occur to me at the time! Flying over a body of water at -3? I think you had a lucky escape my friend! Thanks for watching!
Both sat at the same time inside and outside although there was 20 mins between each. The main message is to be careful when flying within close to freezing conditions whatever you are flying. Although I suspect that there is a difference between the rpm of the Mini 3 pro vs the Mini 4 pro based a lot on the sound (cos they both use the same props) I’m no expert BTW - this is just what happened 😊 Thanks for your comment & for watching!
All sorts of variables mate - as in the comments above. It’s not necessarily about the mini 4 pro being more susceptible than the mini 3 pro, more of a warning that it could happen to any drone… Thanks for watching BTW!
Thanks for watching - interestingly enough many years ago I was in the Cordoba region of Spain in November and we had just a touch of frost during November! Although I suspect that the humidity would be a lot lower so still not as much risk of prop icing 😊
I asume that both drones were of different temperature that's why there is no dew on the mini 3 . mini 4 i can guess was to hot ( straight from room temperature) and that's the condensation is from.
Actually I started them both from room temperature (which was probably unwise, but we’ll skip that point for now! 😂) There was quite a bit of moisture on the Mini 3 Pro too, however in hindsight I remember hearing the odd ‘tick’ from it as it was hovering along with a slight correction of its attitude. I suspect this was ice being flicked off the props. I’m also wondering if the ice dislodged itself because the rpm of the Mini 3 pro is higher, or simply something to do with its props being more ‘used’ as the same props are used for both models. Lots of variables there! Thanks for watching!
I’ve seen that suggestion online - I’m no scientist, but I think polish would still freeze and then exacerbate the situation. As for WD40 - sounds like a good suggestion initially, but I wonder what it might do to the plastic and rubber of the blades? 🤔. Thanks for watching and your comment!
@@amoktimeflies Sounds like the ideal drone for me! I'll grab myself one for Christmas and work out how to pay for food later. I've been checking all the info I've been able to find on drones and the Mini 4 Pro looks like the one to go for. Great for travel and lots of great features. A bit more than I was hoping to pay but I'm sort of hooked on it.
@@mirandahotspring4019 you won’t regret it - there are a couple of fairly recent vids of n my channel about buying a new drone + your first ever flight if you haven’t seen them already. Good luck - you’ve chosen a great hobby! 👍
Yeah I was going to say the cold isn't that much of an issue it's the precipitation.....also my master airscrew props fly better in colder Temps....living in the Adirondacks NY 4 months out of the year are uncomfortably cold.....so I usually just check precipitation and jave no issues...thanks for the video
Thanks for watching and your comment, Chris . Essentially a prop is still a 'wing', although one would think that because it's spinning it would 'shed' the ice more easily, but I guess there is a limit to how much this would happen. Some tips in the 'internut' suggest using household spray polish or wax on the props to stop the ice sticking, but I can't help but think that those materials would just freeze as well, so probably wouldn't be that effective. I think it's just safest to be patient and not fly or at least limit flight in those conditions 👍😊
Thinking about it, it may also be to do with hovering in one place. The act of transiting may help shake the ice off, but I guess one would still need to be careful with hyperlapses of misty substances 😂
To be fair there are so many other variables age of the props, slight difference in airflow around the body, differences in the rotational speed of the props, slight change in air temp between the two tests etc. I don’t propose that this is a strictly scientific test - more of a warning that this could actually happen with any UAV, but my Mini 4 Pro appeared to be more susceptible to it than my Mini 3 Pro. Thanks for watching and for your comment!
They were started just over 20mins apart, but you’re right - the temperature was starting to drop. The main objective was to grab people’s attention and warn them about the risk of flying in these conditions.
Interesting comment - Thank you! Any chance that could damage the props in the long term though? (Genuine question - not a challenge! 🫡) I'd also be worried about spraying directly onto the props and getting some of it in the motors, so if I WAS to do it I'd probably spray onto a lint free cloth and wipe it on...
@amoktimeflies I think silicone spray is often used in electronics. Of course check first but wiping a thin layer on the props is likely harmless. I spray the engine bays of cars, trucks, snowmobiles, boats etc, and have for decades, they look like new and it is recommended as routine maintenance sometimes.
That was fun. Make sure you check your dew point before next time.
Thanks for watching and good point!
If the dew point is below freezing, and the propeller blades are colder than the dew point, any moisture in the air will freeze on contact with the blades. This is particularly relevant in situations where the air is humid, and the temperature is cold enough to support the freezing of water droplets.
Basically - if it's freezing or close to freezing and misty, you need to be careful.... Frost on the ground is a good warning sign!
Ice can form any where from close to 0C down to -40C providing there is enough humidity in the air.
This is a very good video.
It’s educational for all drone flyers.
Thank you.
I like to fly my drone sometimes on cold days.
Thanks for watching Will. Yes - not what I’d set out to do on the day, but useful info for everyone I think (including me!)
Really sad about it but the happy thing is that the drone landed safely😊 I hope you get to do it very well and im waiting....❤ thank you very much ❤❤
Would be interesting to know as it's mainly plastic but at what temp was the drone at before taking them outside.. meaning from inside of a warm house to outside cold?
I keep my heating fairly low so would have been about 17.5c max
very interesting information. I quite knew it however that ice buildup in freezing and moisture environment is indeed a real phenomenon. in a scientific context, moisture begins covering the drone including the props, and thanks to the same angular velocity, similar airflow and temperature, it converts to ice from the freezing air the props produce.
now that isn't a big problem when you're flying continuously or for short time periods like this but ice can still form into surfaces. the mote bigger problem however is that moisture can get into the internals and thus cause some damage. battery on the other hand depletes faster in the freezing cold.
I almost did the same mistake, even though I knew, I quite missed that. it was 4° c outside and having no idea how cold itd be up to the max height (500 m/1,600 ft) i ended up dealing with wind and battery began going down faster than I expected so I quickly got it down. yes don't ask me, I do know that I'm over the legal limit but let's keep it here.
Flying BVLOS is very much down to the individual pilots risk assessment + they need to understand and accept the consequences of doing that - a little like going a few mph higher than the speed limit on the motorway/freeway.
Not going to preach, but going above 120m is of greater safety concern for others no matter the odds of an event of concern actually happening. Whilst personally it’s really tempting to do, I could never live with myself if I caused an accident. But you do you mate, just be careful, don’t endanger lives and don’t bring the hobby into disrepute 👍 (sorry - said I didn’t want to preach, but I’m very passionate about the subject)
@@amoktimeflies yeah this is true. I do know by experience that in my area (or any other area I know) there's very minimal aircraft activity and let alone any of them fly at this specific height. I always make some checks on radar maps just to be sure but if I have to go this high it means I'm planning a long flight, otherwise for fun I just fly around the legal limit. other than that, I'm fully aware of this and I never do it in cities, towns or places I've been for the first time. hope I explained it a bit.
@XBGamerX20 great to hear that you’re at least derisking it as much as possible, buddy! Best of luck!
I flew mini 3 pro the other day over a lake. Was -3.
Didn’t get any warning messages and had massive build up of ice on the edge of the pops.
However, there was far more ice under the props than on the edges.
Would’ve been interesting to have seen under the props.
Was there loads of ice under them on your mini 4 pro?
Yeh - a fair bit - that was where the shard came off from when I had the mini 4 pro in the kitchen.
There was a lot of condensation on the mini 3 pro but I didn’t notice any ice - that said it was mid afternoon and the temp was dropping even though I flew them minutes apart. I think the mini 3 pro was also shedding ice cos remembering back I did hear the odd ‘tick’ and then it would wobble slightly. Didn’t occur to me at the time!
Flying over a body of water at -3? I think you had a lucky escape my friend!
Thanks for watching!
Very interesting. Burr!!
🐈⬛🐾👍
Thanks Chris - yes it was very chilly!
Did you fly both at same time outside? Did one sit longer outside than other? Why did mini 3 pro not have issue?
Both sat at the same time inside and outside although there was 20 mins between each.
The main message is to be careful when flying within close to freezing conditions whatever you are flying. Although I suspect that there is a difference between the rpm of the Mini 3 pro vs the Mini 4 pro based a lot on the sound (cos they both use the same props) I’m no expert BTW - this is just what happened 😊
Thanks for your comment & for watching!
wonder why it happened on the mini4 and not the mini3
All sorts of variables mate - as in the comments above. It’s not necessarily about the mini 4 pro being more susceptible than the mini 3 pro, more of a warning that it could happen to any drone…
Thanks for watching BTW!
Great test video and interesting about the ice on the props - thankfully here in Spain where I live, no ice! might melt in the heat thou
Thanks for watching - interestingly enough many years ago I was in the Cordoba region of Spain in November and we had just a touch of frost during November! Although I suspect that the humidity would be a lot lower so still not as much risk of prop icing 😊
@@amoktimeflies when I first moved here, it snowed! Just one day but thankfully not since
Phew! What a relief to know that here in Brazil, I'll never have this problem, hahaha! 🤣
I am VERY jealous! 😒🤣 Thanks for watching though! ❤️
@@amoktimeflies 😂😂😂
I asume that both drones were of different temperature that's why there is no dew on the mini 3 . mini 4 i can guess was to hot ( straight from room temperature) and that's the condensation is from.
Actually I started them both from room temperature (which was probably unwise, but we’ll skip that point for now! 😂)
There was quite a bit of moisture on the Mini 3 Pro too, however in hindsight I remember hearing the odd ‘tick’ from it as it was hovering along with a slight correction of its attitude. I suspect this was ice being flicked off the props.
I’m also wondering if the ice dislodged itself because the rpm of the Mini 3 pro is higher, or simply something to do with its props being more ‘used’ as the same props are used for both models.
Lots of variables there! Thanks for watching!
Would polish or wd 40 help?
I’ve seen that suggestion online - I’m no scientist, but I think polish would still freeze and then exacerbate the situation. As for WD40 - sounds like a good suggestion initially, but I wonder what it might do to the plastic and rubber of the blades? 🤔.
Thanks for watching and your comment!
Nice to see DJI have a warning when the prop loads increase.
Yeh - they do tend to look after the stupid (like me 😂)
@@amoktimeflies Sounds like the ideal drone for me! I'll grab myself one for Christmas and work out how to pay for food later.
I've been checking all the info I've been able to find on drones and the Mini 4 Pro looks like the one to go for. Great for travel and lots of great features. A bit more than I was hoping to pay but I'm sort of hooked on it.
@@mirandahotspring4019 you won’t regret it - there are a couple of fairly recent vids of n my channel about buying a new drone + your first ever flight if you haven’t seen them already.
Good luck - you’ve chosen a great hobby! 👍
Oh - and of course my day 1 Mini 4 Pro test flight! 😃
@@amoktimeflies Thanks for that. I'll check them out.
Yeah I was going to say the cold isn't that much of an issue it's the precipitation.....also my master airscrew props fly better in colder Temps....living in the Adirondacks NY 4 months out of the year are uncomfortably cold.....so I usually just check precipitation and jave no issues...thanks for the video
More than welcome! Thanks for watching!
I knew this happened on wings of planes. I didn't know it could happen on props as well.
Thanks for watching and your comment, Chris .
Essentially a prop is still a 'wing', although one would think that because it's spinning it would 'shed' the ice more easily, but I guess there is a limit to how much this would happen.
Some tips in the 'internut' suggest using household spray polish or wax on the props to stop the ice sticking, but I can't help but think that those materials would just freeze as well, so probably wouldn't be that effective. I think it's just safest to be patient and not fly or at least limit flight in those conditions 👍😊
i've never had this which is surprising as i live in scotland lol
Thinking about it, it may also be to do with hovering in one place. The act of transiting may help shake the ice off, but I guess one would still need to be careful with hyperlapses of misty substances 😂
I’m confused as the both use the same props.😳
To be fair there are so many other variables age of the props, slight difference in airflow around the body, differences in the rotational speed of the props, slight change in air temp between the two tests etc.
I don’t propose that this is a strictly scientific test - more of a warning that this could actually happen with any UAV, but my Mini 4 Pro appeared to be more susceptible to it than my Mini 3 Pro.
Thanks for watching and for your comment!
Love your logo by the way! 🖖
@@amoktimeflies Thank you.
These flights were done at different times of the day. Different times. Different conditions.
They were started just over 20mins apart, but you’re right - the temperature was starting to drop. The main objective was to grab people’s attention and warn them about the risk of flying in these conditions.
Spray silicone on props, water will not stick.
Interesting comment - Thank you!
Any chance that could damage the props in the long term though? (Genuine question - not a challenge! 🫡)
I'd also be worried about spraying directly onto the props and getting some of it in the motors, so if I WAS to do it I'd probably spray onto a lint free cloth and wipe it on...
Thanks for the warning, I was planning on flying my mini 4 this morning, no wind -5C and very foggy. Perfect recipe for prop ice. Mini is grounded.
@amoktimeflies I think silicone spray is often used in electronics. Of course check first but wiping a thin layer on the props is likely harmless. I spray the engine bays of cars, trucks, snowmobiles, boats etc, and have for decades, they look like new and it is recommended as routine maintenance sometimes.
could be informative for people who might not know whats going on when they get that warning! nice short vid
Thanks! That's what I was hoping for (but not my intention when I set out filming!)