Max safe wind speed for first flight

rockhoundrob · Mar 16, 2015

Once again it's ANOTHER windy day in Oklahoma. I read in some places that the max safe wind speed for Phantom 2 flight is 15-20 MPH. But that the main problem is landing upright with crosswind.

I have a Hubsan H107L (about 5 inch x 5 inch) and I can fly it ok (not going higher than 20 feet) but do have to fight it a bit. With the Phantom 2 being heavier would I have more or less trouble flying it?
Or should I just wait until its under 10 MPH for the first flight?

Guess I can just go through the calibrations (non-NAZA mode) again so I can have something to do.

That's 4 days in a row!

msinger · Mar 16, 2015

I don't fly when the wind is over 10 mph. Up to 15 mph is doable, but it's a little risky.

n6vmo · Mar 16, 2015

I just took my 6th flight in a 12MPH wind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9OoKGD8kvM&list=UUxm_JlnjvqzHLvpTfBR28fQ

msinger · Mar 16, 2015

The Phantom does handle fairly well in the wind. The real problem comes into play when you lose GPS (less than 6 satellites) and must fly in ATTI mode. That's when a lot of people usually crash into a tree because they are not used to flying while their Phantom is drifting with the wind.

Meta4 · Mar 16, 2015

rockhoundrob said:
I read in some places that the max safe wind speed for Phantom 2 flight is 15-20 MPH. But that the main problem is landing upright with crosswind.

I have a Hubsan H107L (about 5 inch x 5 inch) and I can fly it ok (not going higher than 20 feet) but do have to fight it a bit. With the Phantom 2 being heavier would I have more or less trouble flying it?
Or should I just wait until its under 10 MPH for the first flight?

The Phantom has GPS position hold and can't be compared to some 5 inch toy that has a position holding ability similar to that of a butterfly.
It can easily handle 20 mph winds (and more) with no problem.
Just find a nice large open area, away from trees and buildings and have fun.

Here's an example of how a Phantom manages in a substantial breeze
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00BtVm9Qknw[/youtube]

rockhoundrob · Mar 16, 2015

Nice video N2vmo, what kind of camera do you have? I hope to have the guts to fly that high!

Right now I would be happy if it would just STOP blowing and let me try it out for 5 mins (at 20 feet!)

And that 2nd video is helpful! that guy uses sign language which is helpful to me (I have a hearing loss too). Obviously that guy is having a blast with the phantom!
I hope to get that way soon!

Turbazz · Mar 16, 2015

15 mph is fine if your not going far

rockhoundrob · Mar 16, 2015

Ok thanks everyone... I will just wait until the winds calm down to 10 or so...!

n6vmo · Mar 16, 2015

rockhoundrob said:
Nice video N2vmo, what kind of camera do you have?

GoPro Hero3 Silver...

pittsy · Mar 16, 2015

This video was shot in winds 18-20mph. I use iOS weather app, the weather channel app, and lastly Hover to check the wind speed and direction. Hover is a cool app as it shows, the temperature, the wind speed, direction and Kp-Index, it also says Ready To Fly at the top or Caution. It was in Caution when I shot this video, the Phantom behaved very well in this wind.

https://youtu.be/CUgpo4Vb2_U

IflyinWY · Mar 17, 2015

rockhoundrob said:
Nice video N2vmo, what kind of camera do you have? I hope to have the guts to fly that high!

Right now I would be happy if it would just STOP blowing and let me try it out for 5 mins (at 20 feet!)

And that 2nd video is helpful! that guy uses sign language which is helpful to me (I have a hearing loss too). Obviously that guy is having a blast with the phantom!
I hope to get that way soon!

That 2nd video, the guy using sign language, well he's got more videos than you have time to watch.
Each and Every one of them worth watching.
Notice he didn't even think of landing the Phantom. Well there's a **** good reason.
It would freaking blow over whenever it was light on the landing gear.

Go fly and be aware of where surrounding buildings or trees are creating turbulence which will cause you to crash.
Think of the wind as a river or stream. Look for the smooth water/air.

Have fun, take video and post it for us.

lake_flyer · Mar 17, 2015

Mic Bergsma is great. I watched all his stuff before I bought my first Phantom. And he has a ton of gopro tips as well.

You're totally right, Wyoming friend, air is like water. It's the first sentence in the aviation exam course book, my flight instructor wrote.

edonovanl · Mar 19, 2015

I fly every chance I get when it's windy, and always fly ATTI for the practice. I like the challenge but it's really in preparation for when I happen to lose GPS. I do stay close to the ground and near to Home, though. Probably 20 is the highest I would try...

Ezookiel · Mar 20, 2015

I start to draw the line at 30kmh (19-20mph)
Not because I can't handle it, not because the Phantom can't, but because I get too worried and it spoils the fun of it. An hour of being a nervous wreck hoping my quad will be able to come back from wherever I just flew it to, isn't all that pleasant. Watching 1000 meters tick slowly back down a few meters at a time, while watching the battery going down constantly, isn't good for the heart rate at all.

My flight yesterday the winds were listed as - converted to your language - 13mph gusting to 18mph. I deliberately positioned myself to fly into the wind, so I could be sure that if there was a problem, I could still get back. I flew out to 1.160km (3850 ft) and it took 3 minutes 55 seconds with two very short pauses on the stick, to get there, and dropped my battery from 98% down to about 75%, so used about 23% of my battery. That equates to about 16 feet per second, which isn't bad if you're on the outward journey and know you can just turn around and come back much faster with the tailwind, but it gets damned scary when you're trying to get back home at that speed. It feels like the longest 4 minutes of your life.

It kills me waiting for windy weather to clear so I can go fly, but it's not much fun flying if you're really worried the whole time either.
If you look around your area for somewhere sheltered by hills, where the winds will be less, that might get the winds down to a level you can feel comfortable with, without having to wait till a still day.
You can also buy pretty cheap wind-speed meters which are a much better indicator than the weather report, as speeds differ significantly just in the one town, based on terrain etc. It will give you a better idea of the wind right where you're flying.

Hughie · Mar 20, 2015

My preference is <=10mph, although I have flown in faster winds, but find it spoils the fun and burns up battery energy. I use an anemometer just to confirm what the wind speed is at ground level before each flight too.

Faceplant · Feb 13, 2017

I'm a kite boarder and want to use drone to capture kiting, but we usually only kite in minimum 18-20 mph winds. 20-25 is normal. Maybe it's not possible.