Density altitude for drone pilots
A drone holds itself up by pushing air down, and thin air gives each turn of the propellers less to push. Flying from a mountain trailhead in summer heat means the motors work harder to hover, which eats into battery time. Check the maker's altitude and temperature limits for your model.
Not for flight planning. Use your aircraft's POH or flight manual and an official weather briefing.
Open these numbers in the calculator and change them to match your own conditions.
| Take-off elevation | 77 F (25 C) | 95 F (35 C) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 ft | 1,179 ft | 2,292 ft |
| 2,000 ft | 3,625 ft | 4,720 ft |
| 4,000 ft | 6,063 ft | 7,139 ft |
| 6,000 ft | 8,494 ft | 9,551 ft |
| 8,000 ft | 10,916 ft | 11,954 ft |
| 10,000 ft | 13,330 ft | 14,349 ft |
Density altitude describes the air at take-off. Climbing higher thins it further.
How these figures are worked out
Each figure uses the National Weather Service method: station pressure from the altimeter setting and elevation, vapour pressure from the dew point, then virtual temperature and density altitude. The calculator runs the same code. Figures are rounded to the nearest foot and are estimates.