Wind?

[omega_vfx]

I was in the area south of Cancun for the past weeks and it was the first experience with a drone for me as well. I watched my weather app for wind speeds and was hesitant at first. Once I flew in low winds (3m/s and gusts of 6m/s) and got a feel for the handling I slowly tried flying at higher wind speeds up to gusts of 12m/s.

While I had the wind speed warning up a lot of times, I NEVER experienced any major unstability or problems. Just once the wind was so strong that the Mavic was only moving at 2m/s against it at full throttle (P-MODE), which was a bit scary.

The most important part is that your start and landing zone is clear of dirt and that it's pretty well protected from wind gusts. There was a guy who started his drone (a Mavic also!) right from a beach lounger at the beginning of a storm, with wind gusts, beginning rain, a mere 2 meters from the water front. His drone was thrown into the water as he tried to land. He was asking for it though. Be smart and never over confident with a flying device!

 

[Huddy]

I'm a newbie, and I'm feeling the same anxieties many have spoken of in this thread. I live on Blackpool Promenade, and I have a great droning video subject right outside my house. I always thought the first thing I'd do when I get my Mavic is fly vertical from the beach, then take a look at my house from 300-400 feet. The wind has been between 8-22 mph most days, and wherever I've flown, even inland, I've never been higher than 20ft. (Except when RTH took it to 100ft at great speed). And that gives me a feeling of vertigo.

I think this is because I can see and hear the Mavic compensating for the gusts. It's not so much that the Mavic can't cope, it's that I don't feel confident in my ability to act quickly if something goes wrong.

I think the opening poster is right to be cautious. I'm sure we'll all become more confident with experience.

 

[flyNfrank]

What I suggest you do is, first making sure you are comfortable with all settings. Such as the RTH height, the IMU and Compass number based on calibration. Due to it being windy, you will not want the sensory features enabled in the app. They can cause unwanted problems when landing and/or hovering.

Do Not Fly away from home point until you hear the app tell you Home Point has been Recorded". You should be able to ascend up around 150-175ft. If you want to fly away from home point any, it's best to fly into the wind, and use a tailwind to fly back towards home point.

Btw, it's also better to NOT use any Auto features, such as Auto TakeOff or AutoLand. It will do you some good to practice launching and landing when it's windy.

 

[Keth Unwin]

I'm a newbie, and I'm feeling the same anxieties many have spoken of in this thread. I live on Blackpool Promenade, and I have a great droning video subject right outside my house.

Hi Huddy, don't forget to check your proximity to Blackpool airport. I know it's obvious advice but you'd be amazed at the number of "pilots" that ignore the potential danger

 

[Huddy]

Thanks. I'm OK with that. I'm at the north end of the Prom, which is outside the red circle.

 

[Chewy4000]

Funny I just got back from down the road from you. Playa Mujeres.
Only flew it once for the same reasons. Especially since I had never flown it.
So here's my first crappy windy video

 

[Kestrel]

Wind isn't a problem flying wise for the Mavic, but my experience is that wind can be an issue with the video. Yawing from side to side in high winds gave me problems, (not an ND filter issue.)

 

[Rick]

There's an App called "Gust Buster" that can be loaded as an add-on to the Mavic OS. Very useful when flying in coastal areas. It was originally released as "Guster". But Guster was dropped in favour of "Gust Buster". Hope that helps

Hi again Keith.
I still can't find the App you refered to and would like to give it a go. Did you compare this app to any of the others mentioned in this thread. You intimate "but gusters" produced impressive wind results, can you provide the link please?

 

[mlaczek]

Hi again Keith.
I still can't find the App you refered to and would like to give it a go. Did you compare this app to any of the others mentioned in this thread. You intimate "but gusters" produced impressive wind results, can you provide the link please?

hi Rick,

same. i found just umbrellas, but not app

 

[Keth Unwin]

It seems that Guster Buster may have been renamed as WINDY. I have an early beta version of Guster before it was renamed Gust Buster or "Gusty" as it is also known. Not the easiest App to use until you get used to it. There is also an App called "Blower" that is used by RC aircraft guys but probably wouldn't be compatible with the Mavic. Perhaps Guster has been withdrawn and if so I would recommend WINDY although I have never tried it. Hope that helps

 

[AlanTheBeast]

Just got back from Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Took my Mavic hoping to get some nice beach video, but the wind had me scared. Never had it up. I even walked down to the beach early one morning thinking the wind would be less, but it was still pretty strong. I estimate the speeds at a steady 15-20mph with no gusts really. Would I have been OK? I've only had it a couple months, so I'm still kind of nervous.

Learn to confidently fly in S-mode to be sure you can get your bird back. Learn that in easy conditions.

That means flying higher. It means perfect RTH settings (OA off in RTH).

It especially means flying upwind at the start of the flight for a tailwind return.

Other tricks: a headwind is usually worse at higher altitudes - so fly lower (safe height) into the headwind and higher back with the tailwind. Wind direction also changes with height.

PLAN YOU FLIGHT. The more difficult the conditions, the shorter the "objective" time should be and the greater your target battery level on return should be.

Learn these things over time with each flight as you go towards more difficult conditions. Don't rush getting there.

 

[Keth Unwin]

I've just had a PM from another pilot. It seems that the most reliable App is "Wind Breaker" I'll downloaded and report back once I've tried it.

 

[Rick]

Not forgetting one of the best and most accurate apps that's used by the sailing fraternity and others called Wind Guru. This lists specific areas near you. Can't remember if it's just UK coverage or further afield.

 

[maxfaxdude]

Just got back from Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Took my Mavic hoping to get some nice beach video, but the wind had me scared. Never had it up. I even walked down to the beach early one morning thinking the wind would be less, but it was still pretty strong. I estimate the speeds at a steady 15-20mph with no gusts really. Would I have been OK? I've only had it a couple months, so I'm still kind of nervous.

I've flown the Mavic in gusts up to 59 MPH and guess what -- the bird and video were rock solid stable! I also fly routinely with winds in the 10 to 25 mph range with no problem. So go and fly that bird with confidence!!!

 

[flyNfrank]

I've flown the Mavic in gusts up to 59 MPH and guess what -- the bird and video were rock solid stable!

Sorry...but I'll have to call BS on that one. A little exaggeration is common, but rock solid at 59mph is jacked up.

 

[SteveCA]

Ive had numerous flights in winds up to 30mph with no issues. Just be sure to start your flight going up wind. Use sport mode to go up wind. It is actually more efficient to fly faster. Start bringing it closer to home by the time your battery reaches 60% and you'll be quite safe. The Mavic handles Highwinds better than my phantom 4 and produces flawless video despite Highwinds.

 

[Lostgirl Hikes]

Normally I stick to anything under 15mph winds just because my video gets shaky but it handles pretty well in high winds.

 

[Keth Unwin]

No luck getting hold of a copy of "Gust Buster". Sorry guys

 

[AlanTheBeast]

On wind planning, there is Windy as forecasted with good forecasting, different models, winds aloft (not much help, but interesting). A bit of a learning curve on all its options and how to interpret. It is not drone specific. Also an app for it but I haven't tried it. I use windy for planning, not in the field.

I prefer this to all the drone apps or websites.

 

[Keth Unwin]

Just loaded WINDY AKA Gust Buster. Will give a full product review later