Very unlucky day today , Lost my drone :(

[JoBe]

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Forecasts are just forecasts and although useful for general planning, are no substitute for actual observations where you are flying.

legit post. so many people just look at their devices rather than paying attnetion to what is right in front of them.

 

[JoBe]

do we know if the writer figured out how to save logs with that monitor? maybe someone else would like to know how i think. not me those things are expesive af. way out of my league.

 

[DavidN747]

I have flown successfully in what I would call very windy conditions, but only following a few basic rules:
1. ALWAYS fly only upwind on a windy day. Pick a clear area and test fly being ready to do an "emergency" landing if the wind is too strong.
2. AVOID cliff faces, buildings and other obstacles etc which may cause severe up/down drafts and gusts of wind.
3.Increased ALTITUDE will nearly always increase the wind you experience near the ground. Thus, if increased altitude has made things worse, come lower to the ground for less wind.
4. RTH won't save you if the wind is too strong- you can fly much faster manually. Stay in line of sight!
5. Even in light to moderate winds, you'll chew far more battery flying back against the wind. ie: even on a day of light winds, if you fly downwind for say 40% of your battery life, you probably won't make it home with the remaining 60%.

 

[crash1sttime]

All I can say is I hope the OP finds the quad, and that maybe had he used ATTI mode, with the extra speed that can be achieved, it may have made it against the wind

Good luck and keep us informed

 

[JohnRich]

So I recently purchased a crystal sky monitor so I can fly my drone in the winter because last january when I tried to fly with my iPhone or apple tablet it would die EXTEMLY fast . So today I went to fly my phantom 3 and get some nice winter shots and a video , lucky the crystal sky monitor lived up to my expectations however after flying for a few minutes I was flying the drone back towards my direction but the wind was so powerful it was blowing my drone away I tried my best to fly it back but I literally had no control !!! the more I was trying to make it come back it was flying further and further away so I pressed the rth and I was waiting a couple minutes but I got a single back but apparently it was really blurry but I was able to see a satellite and a couple of wires so i realized it had landed on someones roof . SO I went to my crystal sky monitor to check the flight records so I can get an idea where it probably landed but for some stupid reason it said NO FLIGHt records how is that possible ? So what Im trying to do now is hand some flyers out saying missing drone will give reward if found and I wrote my phone number if that doesn't work Ill just order a phantom 4 .

 

[JohnRich]

So I recently purchased a crystal sky monitor so I can fly my drone in the winter because last january when I tried to fly with my iPhone or apple tablet it would die EXTEMLY fast . So today I went to fly my phantom 3 and get some nice winter shots and a video , lucky the crystal sky monitor lived up to my expectations however after flying for a few minutes I was flying the drone back towards my direction but the wind was so powerful it was blowing my drone away I tried my best to fly it back but I literally had no control !!! the more I was trying to make it come back it was flying further and further away so I pressed the rth and I was waiting a couple minutes but I got a single back but apparently it was really blurry but I was able to see a satellite and a couple of wires so i realized it had landed on someones roof . SO I went to my crystal sky monitor to check the flight records so I can get an idea where it probably landed but for some stupid reason it said NO FLIGHt records how is that possible ? So what Im trying to do now is hand some flyers out saying missing drone will give reward if found and I wrote my phone number if that doesn't work Ill just order a phantom 4 .

May I suggest that all drone operators think about using a GPS Tracker attached to the aircraft to enable its exact position to be monitored. See www.tractive.com for a description of the small tracker. It weighs 35 gr or 1.2 oz and has a battery that lasts 2-3 days. It will show its position on a smart phone superimposed on Google earth. I have use the device for a year now and can also be used to show the history of a flight. It is worth considering - cost in USA is approx. $70 with a 3g annual fee of aprox $50. Hope this might help for future fly-aways.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

My sympathies to the OP on his loss. There's a lot of good wisdom posted above. I tend to think of wind speed at ground vs. wind speed at altitude along the same lines as tourists dressed in summer clothes and shorts getting on a plane in Florida and flying back home to NY during the winter. There's a tendency to think that (weather) conditions will be the same at our destination as they are at our departure point. Same thing goes for wind speed. A lot of us have likely flown with very light breezes at ground, only to discover winds 2x, 3x, or more at 300 - 400 feet up. I tend to assume wind will be at least 2x ground speed when at those altitudes. I make an effort to avoid flying when ground speeds reach 15 mph, and I keep an eye on my forward speed against the wind anytime ground speed is over 10 mph. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Seevee]

You can safely assume that winds high up will be stronger than on the ground - but they will be going the same direction (unless you are getting up there with pressurised aircraft).
If wind is likely to be an issue, don't fly away downwind because you will have a battle coming back against the wind.
Fly into the wind and you'll have an easy assisted return flight.
And you can always check wind speeds up high just like you can down low.

Meta,

Not sure what you mean re the pressurized aircraft. The plane doesn't change the wind and pressure has nothing to do with wind.

Good advise in flying first into the wind.

Question: Does anyone know if there's some sort of app one could buy that would tell them winds aloft? (without buying an expensive air data computer). Would think some guy could compute that by having the plane fly in a circle with a known airspeed and pick up the different ground speed as it turns around. Would be neat.

 

[Seevee]

Another point,
Rare but sometimes the winds aloft can be less than surface winds.

 

[bsartist]

Meta,

Not sure what you mean re the pressurized aircraft. The plane doesn't change the wind and pressure has nothing to do with wind.

Good advise in flying first into the wind.

Question: Does anyone know if there's some sort of app one could buy that would tell them winds aloft? (without buying an expensive air data computer). Would think some guy could compute that by having the plane fly in a circle with a known airspeed and pick up the different ground speed as it turns around. Would be neat.

I think he meant that pressurized aircraft can fly much much higher and winds at that altitude might be in a different direction.

 

[Seevee]

I think he meant that pressurized aircraft can fly much much higher and winds at that altitude might be in a different direction.

Makes sense, but was confusing, but one doesn't need a pressurized aircraft to find a change in wind speed and direction. Small point, but the pressure does not get a plane to altitude, it only makes it easier to breath.

 

[Meta4]

Not sure what you mean re the pressurized aircraft. The plane doesn't change the wind and pressure has nothing to do with wind.

I meant that if you go high enough, the upper level winds can be blowing at a different direction from the surface winds.
Due to the coriolis effect, a strong westerly wind on the surface can be a much stronger northerly wind up at 25000ft.
But down below 1000 ft where our little machines fly, it's a fairly safe assumption that the wind you encounter will blow from the same direction as what you have on the ground.
(not counting localised effects close around cliffs, towers etc.)

 

[Martyg4567]

UPDATE: Found my drone !

 

[RodPad]

Great, any details?
Condition, how far away, etc?

Rod

 

[Neon Euc]

Yay. Nice one... Now upload the data, and any vids it may have recorded off the crash. We all like to see a good old fashioned crash [emoji12] any damage to the drone?

 

[Pharm]

That’s it? Found my drone? Details, man, details! You CANNOT leave us hanging here!

 

[Patrrick]

There is a program, can't recall the name of it at the moment, that lets you know if it is good to fly or not. It gives the local conditions to where you are. Part of the info is the wind speed at a certain altitude, and you would be amazed at the wind speed a couple of hundred feet off the ground.

Www.uavforecast.com

 

[Huge Bama Fan]

There is a program, can't recall the name of it at the moment, that lets you know if it is good to fly or not. It gives the local conditions to where you are. Part of the info is the wind speed at a certain altitude, and you would be amazed at the wind speed a couple of hundred feet off the ground.

I use UAV Forcast free and even breaks down wind per elevation

 

[Avocet]

I use UAV Forcast free and even breaks down wind per elevation

I must add that not only is there often a huge difference in wind speeds re: 0-100 feet vs. 200+ feet, but most seemed to have forgotten that often there is an equally large difference in WIND DIRECTION(S).

Being a former SEL, I tend to PLAN like one.

www.windy.com