I have a good pre-flight check list put together by reading posts in the forums. Does anyone use an anemometer and / or drone weather apps to check local weather forecasts? Any recommendations welcome. I fly a Mavic 2 Pro in Ireland
Thanks guys for the input. I'm flying in brisk wind conditions this afternoon so I'll have a look at the tilt indicator in the Go app. Risk assessment is part of the EU regulations we will all be flying under at the end of the year.Its better to check the wind direction and speed with the tilt indicator of the GO app. Take the drone up to the flying altitude above head, hover there and observe the direction and magnitude of tilt. The more the tilt, the stronger the wind. Its far more reliable than any forecast.
this metod works on the GO app only. The FLY app does not have tilt indicator
I have a good pre-flight check list put together by reading posts in the forums. Does anyone use an anemometer and / or drone weather apps to check local weather forecasts? Any recommendations welcome. I fly a Mavic 2 Pro in Ireland
Good advice Mick. My nearest airport is Enniskillen so I'm going to see if they have a TAF available. If not, Dublin is the closest at 70 miles. Definitely, the weather is going to make flying frequently a lot more of a challenge this winter. Will the North be subject to the EU drone regs after Jan 1st? The Mavic 2 Pro at 907grams will technically be an A2 class drone with licensing requirements in the South. I've read some of the literature and I'm still unsure where M2P owners will stand. As a pilot you probably have all of the qualifications required to fly A2 drones - what's your take on the new regs for recreational flyers?Hello from up north, I fly a Mavic Pro 2 as well but I used to fly a 747 until recently. If you live near any airport you can access their TAF( terminal approach forecast) which is pretty accurate out to 25 miles from the airport. For example Belfast City Airport is EGAC and Shannon is EINN, sorry if you know all this, just google EINN TAF and it will be revealed in plain text. Their winds are pretty accurate.
I have an anemometer but found if I need to use it then the wind is probably too strong !! The 1000 foot wind will be totally different to the surface wind, you can access the 1000 ft wind on many met websites. I look at surface wind and the 1000 foot wind and have a think about it. If there is a low pressure system anywhere near Ireland then be cautious, the wind will be whipping up, the reverse with most high pressure systems. We are sometimes affected by local variations so some drone apps are too general in nature, you must take into consideration where exactly you are launching from.
I look at the tops of the trees, what are they doing, see how fast upper clouds are moving and any other clues. Flocks of birds are a good indicator especially if they are moving at speed, ie they are in wind. One day recently near Belfast I launched in still air, by the time the Mavic got to 150 feet it was nearly blown away, I just dropped it back to 20 feet and went home, old pilots and drone pilots !!
Wind and cold will attack the drone so preparation is the key, especially at this time of year.
Good luck
Mick
This may help. METAR TAF : Rosecrans Memorial Airport, Saint Joseph Missouri United StatesHow would you access the TAF?
Hi, I actually did my Pro license so I keep in touch with my instructor who is up to speed on all aspects of legislation, I will find out. I don’t think St Angelo publish a TAF . For anybody else interested a TAF is subtly different to a general forecast you see after the news. A forecaster must take into account all local topography which may influence the wind/cloud/precipitation within 25 miles of the airport as most aircraft are in their descent at that point and need more accurate weather information.Good advice Mick. My nearest airport is Enniskillen so I'm going to see if they have a TAF available. If not, Dublin is the closest at 70 miles. Definitely, the weather is going to make flying frequently a lot more of a challenge this winter. Will the North be subject to the EU drone regs after Jan 1st? The Mavic 2 Pro at 907grams will technically be an A2 class drone with licensing requirements in the South. I've read some of the literature and I'm still unsure where M2P owners will stand. As a pilot you probably have all of the qualifications required to fly A2 drones - what's your take on the new regs for recreational flyers?
Thank you Corsair415!
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