Drone Might Hover on RTH in Strong Wind. Why?

[Mountains]

Hi everyone!
I’m wondering why, in strong winds, a message pops up saying that if RTH is activated, there’s a chance the drone might just hover.
Has anyone experienced this?

 

[Kilrah]

There is a max airspeed the aircraft will use for RTH, if the wind is faster than that then it can't come back.

 

[Mountains]

There is a max airspeed the aircraft will use for RTH, if the wind is faster than that then it can't come back.

Thanks for the reply.
Since the wind doesn’t blow at a constant speed but in gusts that sometimes ease up for a moment, does that mean the drone would still try to head back as soon as the wind drops a bit, even if it had been hovering?

 

[Kilrah]

Yeah, but then there can be an even faster gust that takes it farther away.

When wind's that strong you probably don't want to be flying/stay lower to avoid the stronger winds higher up.

 

[Mountains]

Yeah, but then there can be an even faster gust that takes it farther away.

When wind's that strong you probably don't want to be flying/stay lower to avoid the stronger winds higher up.

Yeah, that’s true, but you know how it goes... sometimes the best shots happen right when the winds are stormy.

And yeah, that part about dropping altitude caught my eye... since the M4P uses optimal RTH, I’m guessing it’s smart enough to lower the drone to avoid obstacles.
Anyway, I’ll give it a test run in controlled conditions sometime.
Thanks for the answers, they really helped!

 

[Meta4]

Hi everyone!
I’m wondering why, in strong winds, a message pops up saying that if RTH is activated, there’s a chance the drone might just hover.

It's a badly worded message and doesn't mean that your drone will just hover at all.
Even if your drone was blowing away in a hurricane, it would still keep trying to return home.

The message is just advising that in strong wind situations, RTH might not be able to bring the drone home.
You'll even see the message when the drone is flying back with a strong tailwind and will easily return.

 

[Mountains]

It's a badly worded message and doesn't mean that your drone will just hover at all.
Even if your drone was blowing away in a hurricane, it would still keep trying to return home.

The message is just advising that in strong wind situations, RTH might not be able to bring the drone home.
You'll even see the message when the drone is flying back with a strong tailwind and will easily return.

Thanks for clearing that up!
Makes a lot more sense now, sounded way more dramatic than it actually is.
Good to know the drone will still try to make it home even if that message pops up.

 

[Meta4]

Has anyone experienced this?

I see that message on many of my flights.
Here's a screenshot:

Despite the warning, you can see that the drone is having no trouble making good speed because the wind is coming from behind the drone and it won't have any problem getting back.

 

[Mountains]

I see that message on many of my flights.
Here's a screenshot:

Despite the warning, you can see that the drone is having no trouble making good speed because the wind is coming from behind the drone and it won't have any problem getting back.

Gotta admit, I totally misread it and thought it said the drone would hover if RTH kicked in.
Turns out that was just me skimming the message and only catching a few key words because I didn’t have time to read it in detail; and I ended up mistaking the actual word “lower” for “hover.”
Sorry for the wrong info and for not checking the RC playback afterward.
That message popped up a few times during the flight, and since I can’t see that well up close without my glasses (guess I need to bump up the font size on the RC), it looked like it said HOVER.
Anyway, from what I’ve gathered from everyone’s replies, the drone will head back home no matter the wind. The only real risk is it might not make it back if a strong headwind drains the battery too fast.
Can someone just confirm if I’ve got that right?

 

[Meta4]

Anyway, from what I’ve gathered from everyone’s replies, the drone will head back home no matter the wind. The only real risk is it might not make it back if a strong headwind drains the battery too fast.
Can someone just confirm if I’ve got that right?

Your drone will always try to get back in RTH.
It might not be able to make it if:

• the wind is too strong
• and/or the distance to home is too great
• and/or you've let the battery run down too far

Fortunately DJI's threshold for the strong wind warning is quite low and their warning to return home is quite conservative.
Their suggestion to reduce height if you are having trouble getting home is a good one.
Winds up high are stronger than down low.

Avoiding getting into that kind of problem is the best solution to ensure you always come home with the drone.
Think about what the wind is doing and how it's going to affect your return flight.
It's much better to have a battle upwind going out than having to fight the wind coming home.

 

[Mountains]

Your drone will always try to get back in RTH.
It might not be able to make it if:

• the wind is too strong
• and/or the distance to home is too great
• and/or you've let the battery run down too far

Fortunately DJI's threshold for the strong wind warning is quite low and their warning to return home is quite conservative.
Their suggestion to reduce height if you are having trouble getting home is a good one.
Winds up high are stronger than down low.

Avoiding getting into that kind of problem is the best solution to ensure you always come home with the drone.
Think about what the wind is doing and how it's going to affect your return flight.
It's much better to have a battle upwind going out than having to fight the wind coming home.

Thanks for the detailed explanation! Better safe than sorry!