Newbie ?? On Wind

[captainstubbie]

So I just bought a Phantom 3 professional, new to me, and as I'm reading through all the instructions I see the recommended wind limit for flying. Before I crash and burn, I'm just curious if a 10 to 15 knot wind is too much for this craft or not? I'm used to much lighter uavs that would be very difficult to fly in those winds.

 

[tevek]

My advice to you would be to fly the drone up to your desired altitude, switch the controller to atti mode and look for any drifting. The wind usually varies considerably at height than that at ground level and will cause you a lot of grief if you're not ready for it.
Most people fly into the wind on the outbound trip and come back with a tailwind to ensure you have enough battery life, I have flown in 25 kph wind with no issues but generally avoid anything above that for fear of running out of juice.

 

[Meta4]

I'm just curious if a 10 to 15 knot wind is too much for this craft or not?

A Phantom would hardly notice winds of that strength.
It would appear to be stapled to the sky in hover and easily make good headway with the object avoidance switched off.
If you wanted to fly a long distance, it would pay to fly into the wind on the outward journey to ensure a tailwind for an easy trip home.
Here's a pic taken in 15 knot winds - probably a bit further out than you'll be flying.
It was a tailwind coming home so I had no worries.

 

[gringorio]

So I just bought a Phantom 3 professional, new to me, and as I'm reading through all the instructions I see the recommended wind limit for flying. Before I crash and burn, I'm just curious if a 10 to 15 knot wind is too much for this craft or not? I'm used to much lighter uavs that would be very difficult to fly in those winds.

10 - 15 knots is fine. I've flown in the 15 - 18 knot range and it was also fine, it's just the take off and landings where you need to be careful. Just be careful on take off, you don't want a gust to tip it over just as your lifting off the ground. As for landing in those wind speeds, I always hand catch. Here's a pretty good video (not mine):

 

[Richard R]

Just finished a real estate shoot in wind gusts up to 25 knots! Bird handled flying through it just fine. Only problem was that the gusts made it tricky to hold position while aiming at the right point and at the same time avoiding the trees and wires! Not my favorite mission.

 

[captainstubbie]

Great...thanks!

 

[Sagebrush]

My advice to you would be to fly the drone up to your desired altitude, switch the controller to atti mode and look for any drifting. The wind usually varies considerably at height than that at ground level and will cause you a lot of grief if you're not ready for it.
Most people fly into the wind on the outbound trip and come back with a tailwind to ensure you have enough battery life, I have flown in 25 kph wind with no issues but generally avoid anything above that for fear of running out of juice.

I agree with Tevek. (Good question, BTW.)

Keep in mind that winds aloft, even at 400', can frequently be twice as brisk as winds on the surface. I read many a post that starts out, "I just crashed, what happened?" It's frequently caused by an extended downwind flight, and not having enough battery to make it home with a headwind.

SB

 

[blackcrusader]

I often fly at max 1640 height at altitudes of 8000 - 11000 feet in the mountains where I live. So wind gusts are always something to understand. The drones can take a lot of wind but you need to understand that flying into the wind and coming home with a tail wind is a good idea.

Mostly I try to fly with low wind conditions so if I go to a place and the wind is ripping I simply don't fly. I took this picture after finding a location above my valley, then using max height and then flew out about 1.5 miles from launch location to take a picture over the area I live, more than 4000 feet above where I live. I did so at a time with wind of less than 5mph. Easy flight for the drone to handle.

 

[captainstubbie]

Well I took the plunge yesterday and gave it a try. Winds at 15 knots gusting to 20. My P3 profunction flawlessly, I was able to get great pictures, and landed safely several times both with the return to home feature and manually. I am thoroughly impressed, and the Fear Factor has greatly decreased. I've been a private pilot's since the late 70s so I'm familiar with the downwind up wind speed over ground and air speed stuff, but great reminders. Thank you so much for all your encouragement!

 

[the88man]

 

[Tarkington Studios]

Good grief! Piloting a boat and a drone at the same time- crazy cool! Am I the only one who had a lump in their throat watching this? [emoji51]

 

[Providian623]

A Phantom would hardly notice winds of that strength.
It would appear to be stapled to the sky in hover and easily make good headway with the object avoidance switched off.
If you wanted to fly a long distance, it would pay to fly into the wind on the outward journey to ensure a tailwind for an easy trip home.
Here's a pic taken in 15 knot winds - probably a bit further out than you'll be flying.
It was a tailwind coming home so I had no worries.

What a great picture ! Good job (I'm nervous as hell flying over any water)

 

[Providian623]

I agree with Tevek. (Good question, BTW.)

Keep in mind that winds aloft, even at 400', can frequently be twice as brisk as winds on the surface. I read many a post that starts out, "I just crashed, what happened?" It's frequently caused by an extended downwind flight, and not having enough battery to make it home with a headwind.

SB

I had a really bad experience that translated into a runaway (had my Trackimo working so it turned out ok). I climbed to altitude on a 4 mph ground wind. At 350' my Standard caught an updraft into a high speed wind aloft stream. Next thing I know I can't even control it in ATI Mode. When it disappeared, strobe lights and all (yes it was at night, and "No" I don't want to hear it) The updraft had taken it to 975' and roaring along extremely fast to the North East. What saved me was the Trackimo and it had received my RTH signal which helped drop some altitude. My bird turned around and was trying to come home but was now flying into the extremely strong headwind 'till the battery hit critical and it landed. I checked the Trackimo on my Nvidia Shield tablet and the path took me where I could easily see the addon strobes (separate small battery) in a field roughly 5 miles from where I'd launched. Don't think winds aloft won't very quickly carry your drone away, because they will. Even though I was flying against them, they still pushed my drone that far. Drone - Flight learning experience #250.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

A Phantom would hardly notice winds of that strength.
It would appear to be stapled to the sky in hover and easily make good headway with the object avoidance switched off.
If you wanted to fly a long distance, it would pay to fly into the wind on the outward journey to ensure a tailwind for an easy trip home.
Here's a pic taken in 15 knot winds - probably a bit further out than you'll be flying.
It was a tailwind coming home so I had no worries.

Great photo ... but you must not be flying under the FAA VLOS guideline. You are way, way beyond VLOS.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

Flying light aircraft, including Phantoms, is best done with light air. Aerial photography is also something that is best done in light air. In my mind, there is generally always another day. There are also planning tools to help you pick optimal weather so that pushing wind speed limits is hardly necessary. Your choice

 

[tevek]

Great photo ... but you must not be flying under the FAA VLOS guideline. You are way, way beyond VLOS.

Or he may be a fully licensed and authorised aerial photographer, took off from a headland close to the shoot, took off from another vessel nearby? I wouldn't be too quick to comment or judge. He is also governed by CASA regulations over here in Australia relevant to his licence conditions.... His aerial portfolio (link at the bottom of his signature) is superb.

 

[Providian623]

Great photo ... but you must not be flying under the FAA VLOS guideline. You are way, way beyond VLOS.

Your intentions, I am sure, are good, but why is it every time somebody posts pictures there are always someones comments about "FAA violations"?

 

[tevek]

Your intentions, I am sure, are good, but why is it every time somebody posts pictures there are always someones comments about "FAA violations"?

As I noted above, and not everyone lives in the US..

 

[blackcrusader]

Great photo ... but you must not be flying under the FAA VLOS guideline. You are way, way beyond VLOS.

I love how everyone quotes FAA regulations which do not apply to the country where many of these photo's are taken. I get it all the time FAA this or that yada yada yada

You will kill someone in an aircraft flying at 11000 feet altitude yada yada. People who are clueless as to the laws I fly under.

 

[Russ43Phantom]

Not everyone who reads the forum knows where you live so it's a good reminder to those who live in US. The issue with flying over the ocean or, where I live, over the lakes is the flying of UltraLight aircraft, Helicopters, and Seaplanes who can't see the drone. All of these types of aircraft fly belown 500'. VLOS (and being within hearing range) is critical for safe flying. Whether or not you live in the US or whether or not you are a recreational flyer, the same safety considerations should be kept in mind.