UAV Forecast good or not so much?

[Herongate]

Hi everybody. I am a new drone pilot and I subscribed to the UAV Forecast app (basic) but I am somewhat disappointed in it and I am not sure if I can trust its forecasts. Don't get me wrong. It is great to have information like wind speed at various altitudes and Dew Point and Sat Info but it often seem to vary quite a bit with the info I get from the Weather Network app that I use for day to day weather (I live in Canada). Sometimes UAV Forecast will tell me that it is raining when it is not or will tell me that it is sunny ((i.e. good to fly) when it is raining. Also, the winds at ground level often vary by several km/h between the UAV Forecast app and the Weather Network app. It's fine if I want to fly from my house where I can just look out the window but if I want to go somewhere and I cannot trust the info that I am getting, then that is not good.

Most people seem to recommend that app but I wonder what your thoughts and experiences are about it.

Is there another app that would be good for use in Canada and maybe the US?

 

[Felix le Chat]

Hi everybody. I am a new drone pilot and I subscribed to the UAV Forecast app (basic) but I am somewhat disappointed in it and I am not sure if I can trust its forecasts. Don't get me wrong. It is great to have information like wind speed at various altitudes and Dew Point and Sat Info but it often seem to vary quite a bit with the info I get from the Weather Network app that I use for day to day weather (I live in Canada). Sometimes UAV Forecast will tell me that it is raining when it is not or will tell me that it is sunny ((i.e. good to fly) when it is raining. Also, the winds at ground level often vary by several km/h between the UAV Forecast app and the Weather Network app. It's fine if I want to fly from my house where I can just look out the window but if I want to go somewhere and I cannot trust the info that I am getting, then that is not good.

Most people seem to recommend that app but I wonder what your thoughts and experiences are about it.

Is there another app that would be good for use in Canada and maybe the US?

Any weather forecast app is just guesswork, even the Met Office forecasts are best-guesses based on a lot of historical data. The best way to gauge the weather is by using the back door weather model. Stick your head out if it: if your baseball cap blows off - it's too windy. If your head's wet - it's raining.
Have a look at either DroneCast or Windy, both are relatively accurate (about 75-80%). Windy is good for higher altitude wind and gust speed.

 

[Chrislaf]

UAV Forecast used to give a full days info but now it only gives about 3 hours unless you purchase a subscription. I now use AirData UAV more since it gives you the forecast for a few days and it’s free.

Chris

 

[Dronebike]

If you are near an airport learn to read METAR and TAF reports for free. Then step outside and see if you have local phenomena. The most interesting part of 107 test was learning more about aviation related weather.

 

[Ralph thompson]

As a fellow Canadian I can assure you the weather info issued by Environment Canada and NAV Canada are very good but you should study the subject a little deeper, it is complex. As said above, METAR/TAF is accurate (METAR are measured conditions at an airport) but only relates to the situation measured at the specific airport (AWWS - Forecasts and Observations). If you consult METEO Media app it will extrapolate wx data to give you a more accurate picture on what to expect in your area. However meteorology is complex and is very much impacted by the local situation; hills, valleys, lakes, buildings etc. can have a very significant impact. You should learn and understand the Beaufort Scale which will help you understand wether the wind conditions are reasonable where your located (if large branches are moving, whistling in the trees, large waves on the water with spray (level 6)) then the conditions are marginal for drone flying. Towering Cumulous clouds indicate likelihood of thunder storms, freezing rain are all bad conditions for drone flying. I'm not a fan of third party apps, they are just manipulating national data sources. Transport Canadas study guide for Basic and Advanced operators cover all of these issues. Also this excellent video by Transport Canada gives a good indication of the localized dangers of wind around building.

Urban Airflow: What Drone Pilots Need to Know

tc.canada.ca

 

[Herongate]

As a fellow Canadian I can assure you the weather info issued by Environment Canada and NAV Canada are very good but you should study the subject a little deeper, it is complex. As said above, METAR/TAF is accurate (METAR are measured conditions at an airport) but only relates to the situation measured at the specific airport (AWWS - Forecasts and Observations). If you consult METEO Media app it will extrapolate wx data to give you a more accurate picture on what to expect in your area. However meteorology is complex and is very much impacted by the local situation; hills, valleys, lakes, buildings etc. can have a very significant impact. You should learn and understand the Beaufort Scale which will help you understand wether the wind conditions are reasonable where your located (if large branches are moving, whistling in the trees, large waves on the water with spray (level 6)) then the conditions are marginal for drone flying. Towering Cumulous clouds indicate likelihood of thunder storms, freezing rain are all bad conditions for drone flying. I'm not a fan of third party apps, they are just manipulating national data sources. Transport Canadas study guide for Basic and Advanced operators cover all of these issues. Also this excellent video by Transport Canada gives a good indication of the localized dangers of wind around building.

Urban Airflow: What Drone Pilots Need to Know

tc.canada.ca

Thank you very much @Ralph thompson for your helpful reply. I will do more reading and try to understand better the local conditions.

 

[Chrislaf]

I use apps like AirData UAV as a guideline. I check the app usually for wind conditions at ground level and at various altitudes and also for temperature. I also pay attention to the gust speed. In addition at this time of year I look at the temperature and the Dew Point so that I am aware of the possibility of prop icing.

The app is only a guideline. When I get to my flying location I take stock of the conditions and will decide whether to fly or not. I also take note of any warnings I may get on my controller such as High wind warnings, in which case I will be much more cautious in how far out I may fly.

Chris

 

[Ralph thompson]

Thank you very much @Ralph thompson for your helpful reply. I will do more reading and try to understand better the local conditions.

Pleasure, fly safe and have fun.

 

[PhotoDB]

I use the paid UAV Forecast app for weekly planning the dates I'll go out and shoot. I like that I can see cloud cover for an entire seven days and decide when I want to head out. It's right more often than it's wrong and better than Weather.com.