Waiting for this heat to let up for my first flight in TX!

[Volar Solo]

Good evening!

New remote pilot here with mostly book and classroom instruction.

After studying relentlessly for the past 2 months and successfully applying for my Part 107 license, I finally pulled the trigger and purchased my first real drone. I am now the proud owner of a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and it is a HUGE upgrade from my previous experience with a little Tello drone from Ryze Tech.

As luck would have it my drone arrived in the middle of a brutal heat wave here in TX that has me grounded until further notice. Despite my excitement to get going as soon as possible, I've taken the time to prepare for my first flight by reading over the manual, testing hardware & equipment, making sure I have flight logs, registration paperwork, etc.

Not gonna lie, I feel like I have run out of stuff to prepare for... the itch to fly is getting hard to ignore, haha!!

I'm thinking of just getting up extra early before sunrise and heading down to the local park to get my first test flight out of the way before the heat can kick in. Who knows, after a little practice flying around the park, I might just be able to get a good shot of the southern sun rising over TX.

Wish me luck, y'all!

 

[Chicagolanddroneflyer]

DJI makes awesome drones. Unbelievable how my mini se handles wind. took both of my drones I have to the local empty soccer field by my house where it is wide open and free of obstructions for some wind performance testing. I have a holy stone hs-720 and the dji mini se I just got.

it was right around 90 degrees in chicago yesterday with a dew point of 68, sustained winds of 17 mph and gusts to around 35-36 mph according to a weather app on my iPhone, I also chase severe storms so have a lot of weather apps on my phone and computer. The wind gusts seemed stronger than 35-36 mph, but have to go with what the apps showed.


First flight was with my new mini se. Didn't take it up very high for obvious reasons, only 82-85 feet, it flew perfectly, hovered perfectly and video was totally stable. very impressed for a drone that costs $300.00 and is 249 grams.

Then did the same test with my holy stone hs-720. took it to the same height, and it flew ok, more difficult to control, but flew ok, and difficult to get to hover in one place, it was being bounced around by the wind which was very obvious in the video.... however it did handle it, just not as good as expected since it weighs around 460 grams.

DJI is clearly the superior drone in my opinion.

 

[dirkclod]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[GFields]

Greetings from Birmingham Alabama, welcome to the forum!

 

[R.Perry]

Welcome from California. Congratulations on your 107 sounds like you're starting off the right way. I fly in 100 degree heat at times and it isn't fun. Thing is we don't have the high humidity that you have and that seems like it would make if unbearable.
If you do fly in the heat, you will find that things can overheat quickly,
I recommend AirData to track your flights.

 

[Fred Garvin]

It's been a hot one so far. Last few days here in DFW, 108-110. It's finally cooling off to 102-103 for the next week or so.

I start at dawn and am grounded by 11:00 am. Plenty of time to get a few jobs in. My clients know the limitations as well and understand. They don't send their Engineers into an attic at 2:00 in the afternoon. We all try to be done by 11:00 am and draw the line at Noon. By then it's hitting 100.

If you get out at 7:00 am and fly until 10:00 am you'll be fine. (Drone wise...YOU may be drenched in sweat though)

 

[JimD]

Good evening!

New remote pilot here with mostly book and classroom instruction.

After studying relentlessly for the past 2 months and successfully applying for my Part 107 license, I finally pulled the trigger and purchased my first real drone. I am now the proud owner of a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and it is a HUGE upgrade from my previous experience with a little Tello drone from Ryze Tech.

As luck would have it my drone arrived in the middle of a brutal heat wave here in TX that has me grounded until further notice. Despite my excitement to get going as soon as possible, I've taken the time to prepare for my first flight by reading over the manual, testing hardware & equipment, making sure I have flight logs, registration paperwork, etc.

Not gonna lie, I feel like I have run out of stuff to prepare for... the itch to fly is getting hard to ignore, haha!!

I'm thinking of just getting up extra early before sunrise and heading down to the local park to get my first test flight out of the way before the heat can kick in. Who knows, after a little practice flying around the park, I might just be able to get a good shot of the southern sun rising over TX.

Wish me luck, y'all!

Recently I have been doing 400 Acre Map jobs here is Florida - which has been blazing hot and humid.
Pro TIp: Park you truck so you can see the drone fly, crank up the AC and run the mission.
Or if needs be stand by the door that is cracked open and fly.
Also a small wet towel under your hat helps too. The top of your head transfer much of your body heat.
The cost of gas is lower than a visit the the ER when you get heat stroke.
Staying cool and comfortable in the heat - priceless.

 

[Gagey52]

Welcome to the forum from the outback of Australia. Hope you have your first flight under your belt by now. I regularly have to fly in hi heat, 38-42C, the biggest problem I had was the display unit overheating until I bought the Tripltek 7. Still take steps to keep it as cool as possible though. Best of luck with the new drone.
Regards

 

[R.Perry]

Some job sites will not allow me to fly until the construction people are done for the day. Meaning I need to fly those missions during the heat of the day. I use two iPads. This seems to be the best solution for me, and allows me to comlete the flights without interuption.
The other thing is keep yourself hydrated if your working 100+ degree heat. Try to drinking at least 24 oz of water prior.
Best of luck to everyone.

 

[Fred Garvin]

Pro TIp: Park you truck so you can see the drone fly, crank up the AC and run the mission.

I've had a couple jobs where this was possible. Did a big old church in Dallas, roof inspection images, and I was able to sit in the Jeep with the AC running, drone always in full view. Had to reposition twice. Sure was nice sitting in that AC while it was 98 outside and humid.

The other thing is keep yourself hydrated if your working 100+ degree heat. Try to drinking at least 24 oz of water prior.

I have an 18oz and a 32oz Hydroflask bottles. The 32 will just about refill the 18 twice. Start out with all 3 full of Gatorade, and I'll drink all of it between 7:00 am and Noon.

 

[Chicagolanddroneflyer]

Finally cooling down to the mid 80's here in Chicago, was in the mid 90's with dew points of 65-70 degrees. Gonna take my part 107 test late morning near the chicago executive airport near me, nice that it is fairly close by, Then maybe have to go get some business cards made.

 

[miturnbo]

If you're going to wait, then it will be late September in Texas. Early morning or late evening is your best bet. Can't escape the humidity though. If you get too hot, just hover over your head though. Those props make great fans. Where are you in Texas?

 

[Volar Solo]

Thanks for the replies and WARM welcome, everybody! After hearing some of y'all's stories about braving the heat, I decided to get myself out there in the D/FW area as well.

I finally achieved my first flight, but I ended up having to flip the script and fly just before sunset rather than in the morning as planned. Turned out to be great practice for night time flying as well, as I got to install my strobe light and propeller guards due to several ongoing pick-up soccer games at the park.

Still going to try getting back out in the morning however, as the evening flight gave me trouble when trying to focus the lens on the buildings and lights off in the distance. After a certain amount of time, most of my ground shots were out of focus as well. May also have been due to leaving all of the settings in Auto for the first flight.

Round 2 coming soon!

 

[DallasDroneGuy]

Good evening!

New remote pilot here with mostly book and classroom instruction.

After studying relentlessly for the past 2 months and successfully applying for my Part 107 license, I finally pulled the trigger and purchased my first real drone. I am now the proud owner of a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and it is a HUGE upgrade from my previous experience with a little Tello drone from Ryze Tech.

As luck would have it my drone arrived in the middle of a brutal heat wave here in TX that has me grounded until further notice. Despite my excitement to get going as soon as possible, I've taken the time to prepare for my first flight by reading over the manual, testing hardware & equipment, making sure I have flight logs, registration paperwork, etc.

Not gonna lie, I feel like I have run out of stuff to prepare for... the itch to fly is getting hard to ignore, haha!!

I'm thinking of just getting up extra early before sunrise and heading down to the local park to get my first test flight out of the way before the heat can kick in. Who knows, after a little practice flying around the park, I might just be able to get a good shot of the southern sun rising over TX.

Wish me luck, y'all!

I have been flying the A2S and MA2 in the TX heat several days a week, 4-5 batteries at a time all this month. Which component are you worried about? or is it the PILOT you're worried about?! You can only think and plan for so long--at some point you just need to get out and fly. Welcome from north Dallas.