I am a scuba instructor. We always teach students that when you dive you first head INTO the current for 1/3rd of your air, then you turn around and drift back with the current to your back for 1/3rd of your air (you actually use less) and then you ascend. If you go with the current at the beginning of your dive and use 30% of your air you will not have enough air left in your tank to get back if you have to swim INTO the current on the return.
People who use drones need to practice the same thing. If you have the wind at your tail and use 40% of your battery going out you most likely will not get your drone back because of the head winds. If I have the wind at my tail I use no more than 30% of my battery going out and then I drop my drone down to less than 100 feet (30 meters) for the return.
Finally, for those of you who want to take your drone out over the oceans--BEWARE! I have been doing this for months with extreme caution. The winds are totally different over the oceans and you need to be much more careful. I generally hover my drone where visually I can see that it is at least 5 meters (15 feet) above the highest wave. I then note what the DJI app says is my altitude and never, ever let the drone go lower than that. Yes I am cautious but I also have not lost my drone after hundreds of flights.
People who use drones need to practice the same thing. If you have the wind at your tail and use 40% of your battery going out you most likely will not get your drone back because of the head winds. If I have the wind at my tail I use no more than 30% of my battery going out and then I drop my drone down to less than 100 feet (30 meters) for the return.
Finally, for those of you who want to take your drone out over the oceans--BEWARE! I have been doing this for months with extreme caution. The winds are totally different over the oceans and you need to be much more careful. I generally hover my drone where visually I can see that it is at least 5 meters (15 feet) above the highest wave. I then note what the DJI app says is my altitude and never, ever let the drone go lower than that. Yes I am cautious but I also have not lost my drone after hundreds of flights.
