Mavic High Wind Warning (crying wolf)

saudio · Jan 8, 2017

Sorry I've started so many threads, I'm a week into my new mavic and learning new stuff every day.

Almost every time I've flown my Mavic, I've gotten a high wind warning. Not one time have I even had to switch to Sport mode to get home.

I've been caught in high wind before in my P3A and it's a scary proposition. I had to drop to just above the trees and limp home at top speed. So it's a serious concern, but the threshold for the warning on the Mavic is so low that I've just begun to ignore the warning. And that's not good. I'd like a warning when it's really serious up there.

Any DJI folks out there? Maybe tweak the settings a little so the warning is meaningful?

kvn_roberts · Jan 8, 2017

Do you recall what the wind speed was at when you were getting the warning? I was getting it the other day with 10 maybe gusting to 15. The Mavic seemed to handle it ok, but I didn't want to push my luck.

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Robert Mitchell · Jan 8, 2017

I flew today in 10-15 and got no warning.

saudio · Jan 9, 2017

kvn_roberts said:
Do you recall what the wind speed was at when you were getting the warning? I was getting it the other day with 10 maybe gusting to 15. The Mavic seemed to handle it ok, but I didn't want to push my luck.

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I can't be sure what the actual wind speed was but I was able to make very good ground speed into the wind without using Sport mode. I assume it was less than 10 MPH.

P0V · Jan 9, 2017

Yup, I can confirm I'm having the same issue in some cases. Those issues are the worst because reproducing them is not consistent at all. Sometimes they appear, sometimes they don't.

Wind speed around me was barely 2 m/s, and still got wind warning.

Jake Galloway · Jan 9, 2017

Does anybody know the windspeed that triggers the warning? Also, you have to remember its windier up in the air, so if it seems somewhat breezy on the ground its gonna be a bit more in the air.

Kilrah · Jan 9, 2017

Calm on the ground means nothing at all, if you get the warning there IS some wind up there, from what I can gather the warning appears at 15km/h or so (which is probably a bit too early - but on the other hand it's only a warning that's supposed to make you aware that you'd better keep your eyes on your speeds, not a "you should come back now").

P0V · Jan 9, 2017

Nope. This was empirically tested by me. I measured the speed on the ground with a pocket anemometer, and flew to the level of the anemometer operated by the local meteorological institute which is on top of the building where I work. The anemometer was barely moving on the ground and up there, yet the Mavic was still giving wind warnings. It definitely has a very exaggerated sensitivity.

J-Dub · Jan 9, 2017

Jake Galloway said:
Does anybody know the windspeed that triggers the warning? Also, you have to remember its windier up in the air, so if it seems somewhat breezy on the ground its gonna be a bit more in the air.

No wind warnings for me when I flew in 15mph wind gusts (at around 110ft up) The bird handled it no problem but I could definitely hear it fighting to maintain a solid hover. I think the warnings are accurate and useful, especially when wind speeds at higher altitudes might come as a surprise to the pilot.

Levanterman · Jan 9, 2017

I flew mine in zero wind conditions and got the high wind warning ! then the next day in very gusty wind , i got no warning, but the Mavic was very stable and handled the wind gusts brilliantly.

J-Dub · Jan 9, 2017

J-Dub said:
I think the warnings are accurate and useful,

...maybe not so accurate?

Kilrah · Jan 9, 2017

I personally only had warnings when there was wind that I could verify by looking at the ground speed when flying upwind then downwind.

Pedro · Jan 26, 2017

Probably a stupid question but is the warning just that, purely a warning? It can't trigger an event? I also get the warning a lot..

waverider969 · Jan 26, 2017

I noticed when taking to higher altitudes I get warnings on 10-15 mph days but who knows maybe its 15mph plus up at 130ft

Pablo · Jan 26, 2017

I agree the high winds warning does pop up a bit too easily. However the Mavic is nowhere near as good in the wind as the P4 or P3 in my opinion (unless in Sport mode). At least having that warning reminds me I need to be extra careful with the Mavic in the wind compared to my old P3.

Chip D · Jan 26, 2017

I wonder if it's the wind, or is it the gusts. I live in Nebraska, where I think the wind "starts" at 15mph (sorry can't remember how many hectares that is

), but when it's gusty, I get the warning. Dunno. Was watching Iphonedo's Hawaii blog and he said he was getting that wind warning in Hawaii all the time, but the Mavic had no problems flying with it.
Chip D - Omaha, Ne

J-Dub · Jan 26, 2017

From Joby Energy website: Our analyses show that upper boundary layer wind is typically 1.5 - 3 times faster than at the Earth's surface. This results in approximately double the power density.

From Yahoo: Why is wind faster at higher altitudes?

KiterTodd · Jan 26, 2017

I like the warnings even though the Mavic does a find job handling wind and higher gusts. The warnings remind me to keep the drone closer than usual and keep an eye on battery life.

I had mine out recently in winds in the high teens with higher gusts.
When gusts came I'd note the drone was having difficulty holding position, but as I was not near obstacles and the higher winds were not sustained, I was not too worried. I was also taking-off/landing from a sheltered spot.

Good to know that if I were to get stuck downwind, a switch to Sport may give me the push I need to head upwind and get back. I've yet to try Sport mode...

Guitarzan · Jan 26, 2017

Chip D said:
I wonder if it's the wind, or is it the gusts. I live in Nebraska, where I think the wind "starts" at 15mph (sorry can't remember how many hectares that is ), but when it's gusty, I get the warning. Dunno. Was watching Iphonedo's Hawaii blog and he said he was getting that wind warning in Hawaii all the time, but the Mavic had no problems flying with it.
Chip D - Omaha, Ne

When I was stationed in Hawaii, the tradewinds were usually between 10 and 15 mph, and were constant, except when a typhoon was approaching, then it got eerily calm!