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?