A few questions from a newcomer regarding wind

[Two Seam]

I got a Mavic Mini this week and it's amazing! I've taken it up about 8 times so far, and it would've been much more than that if the wind was cooperating. I've been taking it slow and adding a small additional goal to each flight. I haven't been above 200ft yet though. I've just a got a few questions regarding wind...

- When discussing wind ranges (e.g. "the wind was blowing 10-15mph"), does this include the gusts or is there a "baseline" wind and gusts are always their own separate thing? For example, someone writes "the wind was blowing 10-15mph", should I just infer that in that scenario the "gusts" were probably around ~20mph? I know this is pedantic but I'm being overly cautious while I learn to fly this thing.

- I've been using the UAV Forecast app a lot and it lets you customize your parameters, which is great. Currently, I have "Max Wind" set to 18mph, "Include Gusts" checked, and ground level. Are these good starting parameters for the Mavic Mini? Would it make more sense to get the readings from 50+ feet?

- I've noticed wind readings from UAV Forecast and Kittyhawk can vary from one another by several MPH at times. What's the best/most reliable wind app for drones?

- I ordered a cheap $14 wind gauge (anemometer) off of Amazon. How accurate/reliable are those things? Also, is there a general rule of thumb regarding wind speeds at altitude based on the ground speed?

This seems like a great forum and I've already learned so much just from lurking around this week. Drones are definitely a hobby I see myself putting a lot of time into now. Thanks for any answers or insight!

 

[MA2 317]

Hello from the Hoosier Heartland Two Seam.

I own a Spark and Mavic Air 2 that seem to handle the wind well up to 20 mph gusts since they are heavier.

I always fly into the wind if possible so if I have a Atti-Mode or low battery issue, the tail wind will help for the return trip home.

Look for an app called windy.com in the stores.

It has a flow of graphic arrows to show the wind patterns in your area.

Welcome to the Forum.

 

[Rchawks]

I took awhile for me to be comfortable flying about 150 ft, now it's always 390 ft but I always aware of the wind. I also use UAV and windy, but I always read the trees and clouds. Your best bet is to find a flat open area and experiment with handling in the wind. The higher you fly the more wind (usually) the wind meter is really only good for ground level) except over looking from a big hill (IMO). You'll get there in time (be careful, but have fun with it)

 

[Meta4]

- When discussing wind ranges (e.g. "the wind was blowing 10-15mph"), does this include the gusts or is there a "baseline" wind and gusts are always their own separate thing? For example, someone writes "the wind was blowing 10-15mph", should I just infer that in that scenario the "gusts" were probably around ~20mph? I know this is pedantic but I'm being overly cautious while I learn to fly this thing.

Don't worry about it.
Whether it's called a gust or the max wind, it's all the same.
The strongest wind is the strongest wind.

- I've noticed wind readings from UAV Forecast and Kittyhawk can vary from one another by several MPH at times. What's the best/most reliable wind app for drones?

A forecast is just a forecast, even if you get it on an app.
There are many reasons why the actual wind at your flying site could be significantly different from what some app suggests.

is there a general rule of thumb regarding wind speeds at altitude based on the ground speed?

There's no rule, but the wind up high will generally be stronger than what you experience on the ground.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi Two Seam Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
I agree with the answers already given as to wind speed.
As to the wind gauge accuracy I would say once you use it a few times with caution you will get to know the numbers it shows in regard to how it effects the Mini, as long as it shows a similar reading for similar conditions accuracy for the actual speed is not that important.

 

[Heindrich1988]

Gusts are by definition not a sustained level of wind. With a bit of care, you will be fine as long as you stay within the wind tolerance of your drone for a sustained wind strength.

For example I've been flying in China since I bought my drone. My Air 2 is rated to be capable of handling level 5 winds (Chinese definition). Before I fly, I check the wind level on my Chinese weather app. Level 3 or lower never presents wind issues for my Air 2. On level 4 days, I occasionally get strong wind warnings, but it has never affected anything. On level 5 days (rare where I am) I see strong wind warnings much more often, but it's never sustained, and also basically never affected my flights. Whenever I see the wind warning, I just reduce altitude until the warning goes away.

Obviously it's important to be aware of wind strength and take appropriate precautions. I might fly my drone to 15% battery before landing on a level 3 day. But on a windy lv5 day, I'm making sure that I'm close to home from about 35% onwards.

 

[old man mavic]

welcome to the forum ,most of the things to be aware of about wind have been covered in the posts already
but i would just like to add ,that to avoid local wind ,try not to eat whatever it was that caused it again
(sorry but your thread title was just asking for an attempt at humour)

 

[Chetk7677]

Welcome from Florida.

 

[SpitFire]

Welcome to the forum from Chicago the Windy City.
All I am going to say is that most flight control problems are caused by six different issues. One of them is wind speeds in excess of the design limits of the Aircraft.

 

[Thomas B]

Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.

good answers above... especially to fly out against the wind and return with it .... keep an eye on your battery percentage.

 

[maelstrom]

Welcome to the forum from Chicago the Windy City.
All I am going to say is that most flight control problems are caused by six different issues. One of them is wind speeds in excess of the design limits of the Aircraft.

What are these 6 issues?

 

[Deleted member 103366]

If you read wind related threads here you will, I think, find that the general recommendations are
1) reduce the drone's height, if that is possible,
2) switch to S mode to make the drone's maximum air speed available,
3) do not place absolute reliance on RTH to get you home against a too strong headwind,
4) if all else fails try to land the drone and stop the motors somewhere safe and reachable before the drone gets blown out of control range.
"4)" is worth noting as the automated behaviours after a loss of signal can be complicated.
a) If the response to loss of signal is RTH then the drone may climb into faster winds etc.
b) If the response is set to hover then it may hover, perhaps whilst still being blown away, until such time as the low battery RTH kicks in then, as above in a). ( I have tried this on a windless day by switching the controller off and leaving the drone hovering until the low battery thing kicked in, it started to RTH at which point I switched the controller on again etc. etc.)
c) If land the drone may reject the landing site and hover which might lead "b" ( I haven't tried this. )

 

[vindibona1]

I got a Mavic Mini this week and it's amazing! I've taken it up about 8 times so far, and it would've been much more than that if the wind was cooperating. I've been taking it slow and adding a small additional goal to each flight. I haven't been above 200ft yet though. I've just a got a few questions regarding wind...


- I've been using the UAV Forecast app a lot and it lets you customize your parameters, which is great. Currently, I have "Max Wind" set to 18mph, "Include Gusts" checked, and ground level. Are these good starting parameters for the Mavic Mini? Would it make more sense to get the readings from 50+ feet?

- I've noticed wind readings from UAV Forecast and Kittyhawk can vary from one another by several MPH at times. What's the best/most reliable wind app for drones?

I use UAV Forecast but I don't mess with the settings. Here's the thing, the max on your Mini in sport mode is going to be 26mph. IN ROUGH TERMS, 26mph wind speed would pin it in place of trying to fly into the wind at full power. Taking it further, the way it was explained to me, if the Mini is capable of flying 26mph and flying into a 20mph wind it will move in that direction at roughly 6mph. Where this gets problematic is making sure you have enough battery power to fly the distance home into the wind as flying at full power will deplete the battery faster than if flying with a tail wind. That's why everyone here will tell you, on moderately windy days fly out into the wind, and return with the tail-wind.

As far as report accuracy, you have to remember that the wind changes moment to moment, so while not always accurate UAV Forecast and Kittyhawk will give you a pretty good ballpark estimate of the airpseed and gusts. Pay particular attention to gusts and the wind speed as you go up in elevation. Remember, compated to it's bigger brothers, the Mini has limited power and limited battery life, so always err on the side of caution when it comes to wind. Also take note that often lower winds happend at a particular time of day. If you check UAV Forecast regularly you'll start to pick up on a pattern.

 

[Rchawks]

Today's UAV forecast at 400 ft was a steady 27mph with gusts at mid 40's. I didn't fly, even though my MA2 could handle it my skill level isn't up to handling that kind of wind just yet, so I wait to fly another day.