When do you guys usually bring your drone back?

Curious to know at what battery percentage you all decide to return your drones. Do you play it safe, or push it close to empty?

It depends on a lot of things: the wind, direction of the wind, how far the drone is, and even the temperature.

If you’re landing with less than 10%, you’re taking a big risk. I aim to bring it back at 20%, but sometimes it drops to 15% by the time I land.

One time I thought 20% would be enough to get one last shot in the middle of winter. Ended up having to emergency land near a road in the forest. Lesson learned.

I try to get it back with at least 20%, but it also depends on the distance. Here’s a tip I found online:

Letting a lithium battery drop below 20% isn’t great. It can shorten the lifespan and put stress on the cells. It’s better to keep the charge between 20% and 80% for optimal battery life.

For me, it depends on the wind direction. But as a rule, I aim for 20%.

I usually listen to the drone’s low battery warning. If it tells me to come back at 40%, I bring it back. Better safe than sorry.

I typically run it down to 20-30%, then swap out the battery.

I bring it back at 50%.

It depends on the job. If I’m close to finishing, I might let it go until it forces a land, but I’m always nearby when that happens. Normally, I return it around 20-30%. With my Mavic 3 Pro, the battery lasts so long that I’m usually done before it even drops below 40%.

5% max.

Depends on what I’m shooting.

Wait, you guys actually return your drones? :joy: