My drone was caught in a sudden wind storm or SQUALL, barely could RTH. Thought I'd share the experience.

[cgmaxed]

I live in florida. It's rainy season now. So, we have sudden squalls and high winds preceding them. Where I was, the air was calm, but the sky didn't look too pretty. Lots of splotchy black clouds. The air was a mix of cold and hot. Not a good sign, but I took off anyway. So, I take off, and fly north. Suddenly, I'm going 46 mile per hour indicating a strong tail wind! Then I get a high wind warning. I stop the drone and turn back home. The drone would only go between 2 and 10mph. Luckily , I hadn't gone very far and I had over 80 % battery. The wind and trees around me were still calm, but in florida, the weather across the street can be totally different than that on the other side. I stayed calm, because I knew I had plenty of power and time. I made it back with 60 percent battery, but at times the drone actually got stuck at 0 mph. I kept lowering altitude, when I got to 30ft I was ok, but still only moving at 6-12mph, and now I had to contend with trees and power lines. I flew the drone manually the whole time back, I no longer trust the automated tech much. I landed it in calm winds on my balcony, but the drone was all wet. I apparently hit a squall. Didn't see that coming. It was tiny, but almost took my drone with it. It was a pain in the a** getting home though. I finally got back up to 25mph when just a few blocks away. Another day of drone fun in Florida rainy season.

EDIT: Just so everyone is on the same page:
The term "SQUALL" is used to refer to a sudden wind-speed increase lasting MINUTES. In 1962 the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) defined that to be classified as a "squall", the wind must increase at least 8 m/s and must attain a top speed of at least 11 m/s, lasting AT LEAST ONE MINUTE IN DURATION.

 

[Zeke]

A cardinal rule is ALWAYS fly into the wind when you take off so you have the tailwind helping you get home. Sounds like you knew the risks and decided to roll the dice anyway.

Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Repaid1]

Sounds like somebody doesn't understand what a squall is and how they can roll up on you. When you fly at one altitude, doesn't guarantee what the wind is doing at 50 foot from there up or around.

You did right vary altitudes, something hot air balloonists have been doing for years. They can fly in circles given prevailing winds

 

[vindibona1]

46mph.... M2P?

 

[cgmaxed]

A cardinal rule is ALWAYS fly into the wind when you take off so you have the tailwind helping you get home. Sounds like you knew the risks and decided to roll the dice anyway.

Glad it worked out for you.

Thanks. Everything worked out.
Just so you know, (also edited in my post), A SQUALL is like a riptide in the ocean. You don't know your in it until your in it. It was a small one, but very intense. I was amazed it stopped the drone in it's tracks at times. I noticed I was in one when the drone's speed suddenly picked up and a wind warning popped up at the same time. That's when I knew I needed to turn around immediately. Squalls are unpredictable, you can't know the direction it may push you. At my take off location, the wind was calm and going in no particular direction.

46mph.... M2P?

YES. AN M2Pro. WooHoo. Super speed! I was so tempted to ride with it for a while. 46 Mph is fun. I thought better of it.

 

[MARK (LI)]

And all this occurred within VLOS?

 

[cgmaxed]

And all this occurred within VLOS?

Always VLOS VLOS VLOS. Everybody asks VLOS. Anyway. Yes (more or less) Good eyesite ?. Squalls are funny things, you can be just a few hundred feet away from one and not notice. The drone sort of disappeared when the squall hit it.

"VLOS is a flight within Visual Line Of Sight, which is 500 meters (1640ft) from the pilot. EVLOS is a flight within Extended Visual Line Of Sight, from 500 meters range to a distance at which the UAV is still within the pilot's sight".

 

[Repaid1]

Always VLOS VLOS VLOS. Everybody asks VLOS. Anyway. Yes (more or less) Good eyesite ?. Squalls are funny things, you can be just a few hundred feet away from one and not notice. The drone sort of disappeared when the squall hit it.

"VLOS is a flight within Visual Line Of Sight, which is 500 meters (1640ft) from the pilot. EVLOS is a flight within Extended Visual Line Of Sight, from 500 meters range to a distance at which the UAV is still within the pilot's sight".

Simply it is a huge gray area on VLOS, if you are traversing behind a object, look down at your screen to get telemetry or lord forbid frame up a shot, then you do not have VLOS as the FAA states:

Visual Line of Sight (‘VLOS’) operations are a type of UAS operation in which the remote pilot maintains continuous, unaided visual contact with the unmanned aircraft. In its simplest term, the aircraft must always be visible to the pilot.

Continuous, but must always be visible? Well I know of no one who has never broke that rule, you simply just have to about break that rule on multiple occasions during flights to be taking any pictures or "film". So going with the broken down term...you must be able to see it when you look for it and for the most part understand where it is facing and going. That in itself has no set standard on how long one can look away from aircraft to screen or make flight adjustments to controls (Trims, when they apply)...either aircraft or camera.

The FAA really needs to give a actual usable rule on VLOS if they want to make that a mandatory thing or a solo pilot taking pictures would be in violation 99% of flights IMHO.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

I was shooting a big black cloud line one time from below some cliffs (a mesa really), only about 120 feet up the wind went from near zero where I was to whatever the max speed is of my Mavic Pro... in sport mode I cold barely maintain position. I was actually looking at down wind landing areas that I could get to by car and land (we were in the middle of nowhere in the AZ desert!). I was barely able to claw my way back and as soon as I got below 80 feet or so (below the cliff) I was able to land safely. Yes, wind is invisible and one must be cautious when Mother Nature decides to get frisky! Glad it went OK for you!

 

[Alan Mac]

Yep, as a sailor I know squalls can be violent, unexpected and can produce strong wind from any direction.

Sounds like you did everything right, turned round straight away, lowered altitude... glad you got it back!

 

[PeteTheJack]

I live in florida. It's rainy season now. So, we have sudden squalls and high winds preceding them. Where I was, the air was calm, but the sky didn't look too pretty. Lots of splotchy black clouds. The air was a mix of cold and hot. Not a good sign, but I took off anyway. So, I take off, and fly north. Suddenly, I'm going 46 mile per hour indicating a strong tail wind! Then I get a high wind warning. I stop the drone and turn back home. The drone would only go between 2 and 10mph. Luckily , I hadn't gone very far and I had over 80 % battery. The wind and trees around me were still calm, but in florida, the weather across the street can be totally different than that on the other side. I stayed calm, because I knew I had plenty of power and time. I made it back with 60 percent battery, but at times the drone actually got stuck at 0 mph. I kept lowering altitude, when I got to 30ft I was ok, but still only moving at 6-12mph, and now I had to contend with trees and power lines. I flew the drone manually the whole time back, I no longer trust the automated tech much. I landed it in calm winds on my balcony, but the drone was all wet. I apparently hit a squall. Didn't see that coming. It was tiny, but almost took my drone with it. It was a pain in the a** getting home though. I finally got back up to 25mph when just a few blocks away. Another day of drone fun in Florida rainy season.

EDIT: Just so everyone is on the same page:
The term "SQUALL" is used to refer to a sudden wind-speed increase lasting MINUTES. In 1962 the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) defined that to be classified as a "squall", the wind must increase at least 8 m/s and must attain a top speed of at least 11 m/s, lasting AT LEAST ONE MINUTE IN DURATION.

A very interesting and cautionary tale. There are thunderstorms forecast for this part of the UK tomorrow and Thursday, so I'll be aware.

I remember some Florida lightning from many years ago when we stayed with a pal in Titusville. We were sat on a sofa, in the back of a pickup truck, in the dark, looking at the storm and drinking rum & coke, as my pal, who was from Oklahoma, assured me it was "the thing to do Pete". Our wives were sat in the cab, shaking their heads.

Happy days.

 

[AMRE2ME2]

You didn’t mention the most important thing when running into headwinds. Use SPORT MODE!

 

[GregS]

Simply it is a huge gray area on VLOS, if you are traversing behind a object, look down at your screen to get telemetry or lord forbid frame up a shot, then you do not have VLOS as the FAA states:

Visual Line of Sight (‘VLOS’) operations are a type of UAS operation in which the remote pilot maintains continuous, unaided visual contact with the unmanned aircraft. In its simplest term, the aircraft must always be visible to the pilot.

Continuous, but must always be visible? Well I know of no one who has never broke that rule, you simply just have to about break that rule on multiple occasions during flights to be taking any pictures or "film". So going with the broken down term...you must be able to see it when you look for it and for the most part understand where it is facing and going. That in itself has no set standard on how long one can look away from aircraft to screen or make flight adjustments to controls (Trims, when they apply)...either aircraft or camera.

The FAA really needs to give a actual usable rule on VLOS if they want to make that a mandatory thing or a solo pilot taking pictures would be in violation 99% of flights IMHO.

VLOS is definitely a grey area. FAA states "unaided visual contact". I know they mean no binoculars, but maybe I'm flying illegally since I wear contacts!!!

 

[hychewright]

Glad it didn't turn into a disaster! Like everyone said, always start flight into the wind.

 

[offtheback]

46mph.... M2P?

Easy in sport mode with a strong tail wind.

 

[cgmaxed]

You didn’t mention the most important thing when running into headwinds. Use SPORT MODE!

It was already in sport mode. The wind was strong. I couldn't believe it could hold a M2Pro at 0-2 mph. I kept having to adjust my altitude until I got out of the squall. The biggest problem was losing my signal when I would get too low in altitude. I got higher speed the lower i went, but would lose signal, and had to go back up, putting me back into the wind. I was on a 2nd story balcony 20ft off the ground. The Squall seemed to affect the signal.

 

[cgmaxed]

Glad it didn't turn into a disaster! Like everyone said, always start flight into the wind.

I started the flight into no wind. I hit the squall after about 1000ft. Suddenly my speed skyrocketed and a wind warning popped up. Read the definition of squall in my original post. They are simply small pockets of wind, going in no particular direction. You only find out which way it's going when your in it. They are like weak tornadoes, but without the spinning. Luckily I was close to the edge and was able to get the drone out of it. My speed slowed to 0-12mph while I was maneuvering to get out of its edge. I'm lucky I turned around when I did. It's funny 46 MPH one way, 0-12 MPH the other way. I only had to fight for a few hundred feet before I escaped it.

 

[cgmaxed]

A very interesting and cautionary tale. There are thunderstorms forecast for this part of the UK tomorrow and Thursday, so I'll be aware.

I remember some Florida lightning from many years ago when we stayed with a pal in Titusville. We were sat on a sofa, in the back of a pickup truck, in the dark, looking at the storm and drinking rum & coke, as my pal, who was from Oklahoma, assured me it was "the thing to do Pete". Our wives were sat in the cab, shaking their heads.

Happy days.

I lived in Tulsa OK, for 10 years. I know those lightning storms. Intense mofos. They look like pre-tornado like storms. Spooky.

 

[vindibona1]

It's a good thing you weren't shooting with your Mini. It would have been gone. Would the Air2s been powerful enough to resist? How about your Evos?

 

[spudster]

A cardinal rule is ALWAYS fly into the wind when you take off so you have the tailwind helping you get home. Sounds like you knew the risks and decided to roll the dice anyway.

Glad it worked out for you.

I live in FL just 20 miles north of the OP. He may have taken off into the wind and it shifted quickly or was different at different altitudes. Along the coast here we have what is called the sea breeze. That is an onshore wind that will come in over Gulf to the west. At some point inland (and you have no idea where that point is) it will collide with the easterly "land breeze" and cause squalls and thunderstorms that can pop up in minutes. The weather in SWFL is very dynamic and can very quickly change.

A clue might be that where he took off the wind is calm. The wind is seldom calm near the coast. I suspect he was in one of the very narrow areas where the sea breeze was colliding with the land breeze. In a matter for a couple blocks it could change from a strong easterly wind to calm to a strong westerly wind. This is one reason that SWFL is the lightning capital of the US.

Best bet is to use the Windy app as it will show where they converge and hope it doesn't change much while you are flying. Not extreme example here but gives the idea of the effect.