A remote pilot in Minnesota is conducting real estate shoots in January at 18°F. Their LiPo batteries are rated for 26-minute flight time and are fully charged. A planned shoot requires approximately 22 minutes of flight. How should the pilot manage this operation?

Question

Accepted Answer

Warm the batteries to operating temperature before flight, plan for significantly reduced flight time, and land well before the rated capacity is reached.. LiPo batteries experience significant capacity reduction in cold temperatures, typically 20–40% loss near or below freezing. At 18°F, a 26-minute rated battery may deliver only 15–20 minutes of actual flight time. Cold batteries also show elevated internal resistance, producing rapid voltage sag under load. Best practice: warm batteries to at least 50–60°F before flight and plan conservatively, assuming 60–70% of rated capacity in extreme cold.

Answer

Proceed as planned: fully charged batteries provide their rated capacity regardless of ambient temperature.

Answer

Use the batteries directly from outdoor cold storage: cold provides a voltage boost that offsets capacity loss.