Flying in wind - much different experience

[creativedogmedia]

Picked up my P2 with H3-3D, IRC, iOSD and GoPro a couple weeks back....Came to Emerald Isle, NC this week for vacation. There have been a couple of calm days (5-7mph winds) but the rest has been a bit above average. I still wanted to fly so I took it out and I've gotta say it's pretty amazing how stable it actually is in heavy wind (24-28mph). Still a nerve-racking experience. I updated to 3.06 when it came out and I guess it seems a little better (I didn't have much time with it prior to update).

One thing I noticed in the wind was that the front seemed to dance up and down rather roughly (I am sure this is due to the wind). Just hadn't noticed it before but also haven't flown in this kind of wind. I was able to get a couple of phenomenal shots of the whole island, a video of the 4 families (8 adults, 10 kids) jumping up towards the P2 and then shooting up quickly as well as family portraits of each family hovering just above them looking out to sea.

How has your experience been flying in the wind?

 

[Koz]

The last few times I flew at the beach here on Hilton Head we had steady winds of 20-25mph with some larger gusts. For the most part the p2V+ handled it well, but on a few passes at the POI flying perpendicular to the wind the video showed some movement that ruined the shots we were after.

The only real problem I had was on a few occasions I briefly dropped below 6 satellites, losing GPS mode, and the wind took it 30-40 feet down range. The last time it happened I was coming in to land and only 10 feet off the deck when it started to move down the beach. Luckily, my first instinct was "altitude is my friend" and I initiated an immediate climb before the Phantom had a chance to poke someone's eye out

So for me, heavy winds make getting some video shots a challenge, and I'll keep an eye on how many satellites I can pick up. If I'm only picking up 6 or 7 that in a windy area I'll probably pack it in and fly another day.

 

[FredMurtz]

I'm in a fairly windy area in SoCal so it's always a problem, especially the big gusts. I flew my Phantom 1.0 at a lookout point the other day that has some serious updafts. GPS mode. I was one with the soaring crows, almost. :mrgreen:

 

[4wd]

It's often windy for days on end here, you can manage up to around 20mph, the main problems are taking off and landing safely -even from your hand. Also be wary of how much additional speed you pick up flying with the wind - and the extra time taken to stop.