Turbulence & Unexpected Winds

[Infinity Drones Yarm]

Hi all,

Q. I realise DJI say "don't fly the Mavic in over 10 m/s winds (22 mph)" but what is the common consensus as to the maximum wind speed?
I understand switching to sport mode and turning off the sensors may have given me the Xtra oomph but time was limited.
Thanks from this newbie and for future reference, hindsight being a wonderful thing, I'll be sure to observe the effects on the water or the erratic flight of gulls first next time around !!!

Vid attached here if interested:-

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=331925350784521

 

[Former Member]

For me, 10mph is around the max I will fly in. Anything higher than that, and the drone is going to have a hard time finding and maintaining the horizon, and might not be able to maneuver the way I am used to.

In cases where it is necessary to fly in high winds, such as search and rescue, if the winds are >10mph, and I still want to fly, I write the drone off before I even start the motors. I know it will be luck if I make it back.

I never use sport mode. Why not? I never find my self in a situation where I need it. I always preplan my route, dont fly in excess winds, and land with plenty of battery. Many people use sport mode because it will help them get out of an emergency. My plan is to not get into an emergency to begin with. I plan on landing at 40% battery which give me 10-13 minutes of flight time.

If I am taking anemometer readings on the ground, and it's higher than 10mph, I just assume that at 100, 200, 300' it's going to be worse, and then might be variable. Not worth it to me. High winds when Im landing are the worst ones. One small tip in the wrong direction, and there go 2 props, and maybe more.

My sport mode switch has dust on it.

 

[MichiganMavic]

We’ve had the worst rain and winds (even snow on the mountains) here in Maui in all my memories, so I’ve been going up in 20 mph+ winds. As long as I have a spot blocked from winds for taking off and landing, the Mavic flies great. I’m actually surprised how well it can handle gusts coming off the ocean. Once I tested the handling in the backyard where it has a natural wind tunnel, I felt very capable of flying some more. I spent a whole battery hovering in the wind/gusts to see how it reacts and you’d be surprised what this thing can do. I’ve learned more about my drone in several weeks flying in not so perfect winds than I’ve learned in several years.
Make sure you know which way the winds are blowing and fly against it going out.

Here’s what winds did here last week

 

[bliksem]

Wind can be deceptive, what feels like a breeze at ground level could be a very strong wind at the drone's altitude. I got caught out a couple of weeks ago when I took some photos of a church for a friend, at ground level it felt fine but once I got up to altitude I realized the wind was pumping. Needless to say mission cut short.
I now use an app named UAV Forecast, it gives a lot of weather stats and a wind profile at different altitudes.

 

[old man mavic]

Wind can be deceptive, what feels like a breeze at ground level could be a very strong wind at the drone's altitude. I got caught out a couple of weeks ago when I took some photos of a church for a friend, at ground level it felt fine but once I got up to altitude I realized the wind was pumping. Needless to say mission cut short.
I now use an app named UAV Forecast, it gives a lot of weather stats and a wind profile at different altitudes.View attachment 63882

if i think the wind is marginal. i find that if i take off with the mav facing into the wind,after it has stabilised at around 25 ft i observe it to see how much it is fighting to stay in one place.then i will take it up to 100 ft and again observe it if all is well then, i try to fly forwards into the wind and observe forwards speed if it is struggling at 100 ft then no way is it going to cope at higher altitudes, best advice land and live to fly another day at the end of the day its you the pilot who has to make the call

 

[Former Member]

if i think the wind is marginal. i find that if i take off with the mav facing into the wind,after it has stabilised at around 25 ft i observe it to see how much it is fighting to stay in one place.then i will take it up to 100 ft and again observe it if all is well then, i try to fly forwards into the wind and observe forwards speed if it is struggling at 100 ft then no way is it going to cope at higher altitudes, best advice land and live to fly another day at the end of the day its you the pilot who has to make the call

Bravo! There are old pilots and bold pilots...

Im not saying youre old!

 

[harry moes Aruba]

Hi all,

Q. I realise DJI say "don't fly the Mavic in over 10 m/s winds (22 mph)" but what is the common consensus as to the maximum wind speed?
I understand switching to sport mode and turning off the sensors may have given me the Xtra oomph but time was limited.
Thanks from this newbie and for future reference, hindsight being a wonderful thing, I'll be sure to observe the effects on the water or the erratic flight of gulls first next time around !!!

Vid attached here if interested:-

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=331925350784521

Here most of the time winds around 24 mph with gust to 32-36 so no other option but to fly it has trouble keeping position and a stable image haven't crashed yet

 

[old man mavic]

Bravo! There are old pilots and bold pilots...

Im not saying youre old!

i Know that Rob but i am i guess to someone younger

 

[harry moes Aruba]

i Know that Rob but i am i guess to someone younger

Maybe a bit of both old man

 

[Steve Murray]

For me, 10mph is around the max I will fly in. Anything higher than that, and the drone is going to have a hard time finding and maintaining the horizon, and might not be able to maneuver the way I am used to.

In cases where it is necessary to fly in high winds, such as search and rescue, if the winds are >10mph, and I still want to fly, I write the drone off before I even start the motors. I know it will be luck if I make it back.

I never use sport mode. Why not? I never find my self in a situation where I need it. I always preplan my route, dont fly in excess winds, and land with plenty of battery. Many people use sport mode because it will help them get out of an emergency. My plan is to not get into an emergency to begin with. I plan on landing at 40% battery which give me 10-13 minutes of flight time.

If I am taking anemometer readings on the ground, and it's higher than 10mph, I just assume that at 100, 200, 300' it's going to be worse, and then might be variable. Not worth it to me. High winds when Im landing are the worst ones. One small tip in the wrong direction, and there go 2 props, and maybe more.

My sport mode switch has dust on it.

While I'm sure you've seen it all before, you don't appear to have much confidence in your quad, or your own abilities. I fly over the sea, on a small island in the Atlantic, with some very strong winds funelled between several islands, never had a problem with Phantom 1s, 2s, and 3s plus my latest love, a Mavic Pro, provided I drop and RTH on strong wind warnings, never a problem.

 

[Lapeer20m]

I’ve flown in winds that were strong enough Mavic was traveling backwards even with the still fully forward, maybe 35 mph?

Had to switch to sport mode.

Mavic consumed a crazy amount of battery for the small distance it was able to cover but the aircraft seemed completely stable and returned home for a new battery without issue. I was flying a mission for a public safety agency and continued to fly in these winds for most of an hour.

I’ve flown in lots of high winds, but this was the longest and strongest sustained winds I’ve flown in.

 

[Meta4]

what is the common consensus as to the maximum wind speed?

There's no single number.
It depends on the direction and what the wind would mean for your return home.
Would you rather a slow flight out going upwind (and an easy flight home) , or a fast flight out with a tailwind and a very difficult flight home?
One option is no problem at all and the other might see you going home droneless.

I understand switching to sport mode and turning off the sensors may have given me the Xtra oomph but time was limited.

Sport mode isn't all that much help in a really strong wind and just burns battery faster.
It's a lot more helpful to get down out of the stronger winds.
Even better to avoid getting caught downwind in strong winds.

 

[old man mavic]

this question about windy conditions is all really down to the PIC if you want to fly your drone in strong wind thats your call, if it crashes or you loose it again your call, if you use some common sense and are aware of your surroundings and the capabilities of you craft then you should be ok you also need to be aware of changing conditions, they are the worse to deal with ,gusts that seem to appear from nowhere can catch even the most competent pilot out