With the arrival of the winter months, opportunities for beautiful winter drone shots open up. If you fly your drone in winter conditions, you may encounter challenges. If you’re taking your drone out for winter sports or winter weather in the Netherlands this winter, read our five tips for flying drones in winter conditions first.

1. Warm up the drone batteries

It’s not your drone, but the batteries that have trouble functioning in cold temperatures. Therefore, always store your batteries in a warm place, such as in your car or in your jacket pocket. Only insert the batteries into the drone shortly before takeoff. Once you’ve taken off, it’s best to let the drone hover for 60 seconds to allow the battery to warm up. Remember that flight time is slightly reduced in cold temperatures.

2. Avoid flying in (dense) fog

According to the European legislation It is only allowed to fly VLOS in the open category. This means that you must always fly the drone within direct line of sight. It is not permitted to fly in or over thick fog that obstructs the view of your drone. Fog causes a lot of water on the drone. In cold temperatures, the fog can also form ice crystals on the propellers and camera. This can damage the drone. We therefore recommend avoiding fog completely.

3. Avoid condensation after drone flight

If you flew your drone in the cold, condensation may form on the drone and controller after the flight. This happens when you put your drone in a warm car after flying or store it in a warm place in the house. It’s best to warm up the drone slowly and dry it a few times before storing it.

4. Use a landing pad

Starting from a cold or wet surface is not optimal. We therefore recommend using a landing pad. You can take off and land more easily on flat ground or in snow. It is also good to have an alternative landing site behind you in case weather conditions are difficult.

5. Keep warm

Wear gloves to prevent your hands and fingers from cramping up from the cold. Gloves are available to allow you to continue using the controller’s touchscreen. It is allowed to fly the drone from a car. However, you must fly the drone in direct line of sight.

General tips for flying drones

No matter what weather you’re flying in, always make sure you have the following items ready:

• When flying drones, adhere to the European rules for drones
• Register as an operator and display the number prominently on the drone and send via Remote ID if necessary
• You must have yours EU drone driving license which can be in digital or printed form.

Lots of drone fun this winter!