Wind - how much is too much?

Greetings,

The video demonstrates the greatest risk of flying in strong winds - landing and taking off. Despite what another poster said, I would -NOT- attempt to hand catch a quad copter in high winds. The risk of unplanned machine-man interaction is too great.

-David
 
dkovar said:
Greetings,

The video demonstrates the greatest risk of flying in strong winds - landing and taking off. Despite what another poster said, I would -NOT- attempt to hand catch a quad copter in high winds. The risk of unplanned machine-man interaction is too great.

-David
When the wind picks up during a flight, that is when I am going to hand catch my quad. Keeps it from tipping over. Properly done, even in a wind, you can still hand catch without any finger problem. The reason I have a leather glove in my back pocket.
Best just not to fly when much, if any, wind.
 
I experienced something similar on a windy day. I looked up and saw that my green lights suddenly started flashing yellow. I check the remote and saw that it was still powered up and set to GPS but somehow the Phantom lost it's GPS signal. Once it lost it's GPS signal, it started drifting away and when it was too far to see I had no way to bring it back because I had no idea which way it was facing. I tried kidding it into the failsafe but nothing happened. Thankfully the GPS signal kicked back in and when it started to lose power it came back but if it had been really windy that day it would have drifted too far away. I am guessing some unseen power lines may have contributed.. who knows but if it's too windy, I just don't fly it.
 
OSUllivanStudios said:
it was still powered up and set to GPS but somehow the Phantom lost it's GPS signal. Once it lost it's GPS signal, it started drifting away ... I am guessing some unseen power lines may have contributed.
Powerlines are unlikely to cause you to drop sats. The Phantom can't hold position or RTH without satellite lock. Did your Phantom have an unobstructed horizon or were you flying low in an area with trees, mountains etc that block parts of the sky? How many sats did you have before this incident?
 
Fyod said:
My measurement is based on my hair. If the wind can mess up my hairdo, I call it a day.

I look at my comfort level, my experience, and the likelihood of the wind affecting my fun. Call me a fair-weather pilot!
 
OSUllivanStudios said:
I experienced something similar on a windy day. I looked up and saw that my green lights suddenly started flashing yellow. I check the remote and saw that it was still powered up and set to GPS but somehow the Phantom lost it's GPS signal. Once it lost it's GPS signal, it started drifting away and when it was too far to see I had no way to bring it back because I had no idea which way it was facing. I tried kidding it into the failsafe but nothing happened. Thankfully the GPS signal kicked back in and when it started to lose power it came back but if it had been really windy that day it would have drifted too far away. I am guessing some unseen power lines may have contributed.. who knows but if it's too windy, I just don't fly it.

Watch this Quadcopter Drone Orientation Tips for Distant Fly…: http://youtu.be/qdYTCfjUVVo
 
I agree that it depends on common sense and what you are comfortable with. I fly a windsock from a ham antenna. It helps me get a feel for the upper winds.

Plus, I have an electronic weather forcast station. If for nothing else, it Is interesting with many sensors, plus Internet data for my surrounding area. The cool factor is the nice, color display.
 
It depends on whether you fly upwind or downwind. If I fly upwind, you can fly at 15 mph. For downwind, I would call it a day for resting.
 

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