Hello my dear pilots out there! Are you having battery problems? It’s so nice to see you again, here in our newbies corner. Every 8 months or so, the main drone manufacturer DJI enlightens our lives with another new drone or drones, and each one of them just got more and more juice to fly longer and further.
But have you ever noticed how in the website, the product page and the videos of each new drone it says a number of fightable minutes and in The Real Life (c) it is almost impossible to fly the same length of time?
Well in this article I will give you six of my favorite tips to optimize your drone and your flight style to squeeze that battery of yours! Fasten your seatbelts and charge that batteries at 100% so we can start!
Remember that publicity it’s one thing and real life flying another one
Every time that DJI says that “X” drones can fly, let’s say, 51 minutes they are not technically lying. Why? Because they’ve flown that drone 51 minutes at least. Probably they flew it more. But to get the same results you have to test your drone on the same conditions.
Clinical conditions.
Almost perfect conditions.
Something like “fly at sea level, sensors off, at locked altitude, no photos, no video, and with tail wind of 3 mph”
So, my first tip is, don’t believe the hype of the ads. And the higher or colder the location where you fly, your battery will give you less and less flight time.
You like to fly fast? Less flying time for you!
Once you start knowing your drone better and better, you’ll know that a constant normal flight speed will get you farther. It’s plain and simple, the faster you fly, the faster you’ll arrive at a spot, but less battery you will have. Even small bursts of speed will eat your battery, even if it’s an “intelligent” one. I have conducted several tests where you can fly further with one battery just for going slower (the ideal speed is between 5 and 10 meters/second or 11 and 22 mph), so if your plan is to get the most out of your battery, just limit your max speed on your controller to 10 m/s and that’s all!
Yes, the sensors consume valuable battery juice
Just as you read this, deactivating the sensors will give you a small battery advantage. And in these kinds of conditions, every little thing counts!
Cut Extra weight
And we are not talking about that couple of extra pounds you and I have.
We are talking about that extra couple of grams that, If you get rid of propellers and gimbal protectors or the landing legs that some people use you can ideally have more flying time.
Weather can be your friend or your foe
When we speak of battery drain, the weather plays a crucial role. If you fly on gusts of wind, this forces the motors to work harder to keep the drone estable. Also, a very cold or very hot weather can devour your battery. If you are about to fly in very cold environments, before putting your battery on the drone, warm it a little on your hands or inside your armpit so it doesn’t have to use energy to warm itself. Always check the forecast when planning a flight
And finally, always check the inner state of your batteries
Proper battery care is crucial when you want to use them to get the 100%. Remember that if you charge a battery that is still hot coming from the drone you can damage it. Also store them at around 60% charge if you don’t plan to use them for weeks or months. Never store a fully discharged battery because there exists the possibility that it never gets charged again.
A very important thing that you should do regarding your battery is to check the cell status inside the battery menu of your drone. A battery can charge to 100% even if it has some damaged cells. Checking in the battery menu will show you the cell status of your batteries. If you see that one of the cells of your battery is not charging like all of them, you should avoid using that battery because it will give you false readings!
Have you ever tried any of these tips? Do you have any other that you would like to share? Let me know in the comments section!
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