Due to an overload of “bizzyness” in my life since the start of this year, I've yet to take my
Mini 4 Pro up.
But, I suspect that the performance of the
Mini 3 Pro is very much similar, & I can confirm that it can manage some fairly stiff winds.
It was last year that I hand-launched it (trying to avoid sand, etc.) from my local beach, to take some photos of an inlet with markers, looking inland from over the water.
The winds were forecast to be a mild breeze, & it was sunny, & I checked that from the beach location, not from my home ~6 miles (ca. 10 km) inland.
But as it's wont to do, ocean-front weather can be changeable, & while I was heading out, the winds started picking up, but as I got closer, it really started blowing — thankfully, toward inland.
Luckily, I had the screen record on, & decided that those photos were going to have to wait — I turned around & flew back, 1st away from the ocean-beach waterline, up high enough to clear any ocean front structures, & then ducked down behind them for the shelter of the wind shadow.
I made it back, & was impressed that it flew as well as it did, & managed to return under manual control without needing to make an emergency landing.
But, as I had hand-launched, so I also hand-caught, & with the wind now in full breezy-gusty mode, the
Mini 3 Pro made a valiant & very active effort, darting around, trying to remain in 1 position.
After several attempts, with the low battery alarm beeping, I finally did manage to catch it safely.
3 recommendations when flying in high(er) winds:
1. Always take off & fly into them, so the return is likely easier, not having to fight against the wind so much, nor run out of battery in doing so, on the way back to the launch point.
2. If the flight is over water, always try to avoid flying with an offshore wind, that is, with the wind blowing away from the shore, & for similar reasons to #1.
3. Encountering headwinds on the return flight, try to lower the altitude — the higher the altitude, the higher the winds will tend & likely be.
Although I've yet to try it, the “home point” can be changed to 1 in a better location during flight.
However, in the heat of the moment, it requires a cool head to think about trying that, knowing that your bird is in trouble.
I'll never forget what my grandfather said to me when I was learning to row a boat as a young child: “Never travel farther from the shore, than you can swim. When setting out, always head up current (he lived on a river) so if you get tired or run into trouble, the current will be with you on the way back.”
Epilogue: I did finally get a few photos, but it was on another day with more gentle winds (again, blowing onshore!) & some others with mild onshore winds also.