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UAV Forecast?

DanielCreed3

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Hello again, friends. After everything that I’ve seen about the MM, it’s not great in the wind. I’ve been relying religiously on UAV Forecast for wind speed/ gusts, gps strength, etc. Do you guys think they are accurate? If not, I would appreciate any other recommendations. Thanks!
 
As accurate as they probably can be, but there is always a possiblity of a rogue gust that tops the forecast. Best you can realistically do is get a feel for where your comfort zone is in terms of things like motion of trees, wave sizes, etc., then compare conditions on the ground with the forecast before take off and if that seems to be stronger than expected exercise caution. Keep in mind that wind speed - and gust strength - generally increases with altitude though.

GPS will generally improve as you climb, so as long as you have a good lock before you take off and there are no sources of interference you should be fine on that front. If you run into GPS reception issues, then you should get warned of that on the RC, and can then take appropriate action to regain signal - climbing and/or reversing course - or continue in ATTI mode.
 
UAV Forecast is a good general guide and generally reliable. But weather fluctuates by the minute so you have to use judgement in the immediate time frame. As far as flying the MM and wind conditions, I use UAVF religiously and if it says strongish winds I won't fly my Mini. If you put the Mini up and the winds are strong it will warn you. What you do when you get the warning is up to you.
 
I use UAV forecast as a guide, and it usually gives a good feel for what the conditions will be like. However, I also live in a place where there is usually at least some wind so if I were to not fly when the default settings give a red light for flying then I'd be as well not having a drone. I have had literally hundreds of wind warnings from Fly but only ever seen the drone blown off course a bit on 3 occasions. On each of these instances it wasn't a surprise, and easily recoverable. I have deliberately gone flying on some windier days so that I know what the actual limits of the MM are and how to handle it in marginal conditions. When flying lower than about 50m the terrain can have a dramatic effect on local wind speed, sometimes increasing it and sometimes decreasing it. UAV forecast doesn't capture this detail well.
 
I use it and its a great general guide. Do some trials in stronger wind conditions at low height and in close and then set it up to match your observations. I always check the higher altitude and return to home height, as its more important whats happening up there than down here. Mine is set to reflect the conditions for my Mini, but i have other drones that buck the wind better, that said as its generally for fun and wildlife observation that i fly, if its too windy to be enjoyable the windlife wont be out and about anyway. I use the app first, but make a final decision based on my observations. The drone is good at telling you it is getting worried as well.
 
Hello again, friends. After everything that I’ve seen about the MM, it’s not great in the wind. I’ve been relying religiously on UAV Forecast for wind speed/ gusts, gps strength, etc. Do you guys think they are accurate? If not, I would appreciate any other recommendations. Thanks!
It also depends on where you live. In SoFlo the summer afternoons just can't be predicted. If it's a long drive to the site and UAV says no I don't go.
I have not found the GPS feature useful in that I have never had an issue with GPS,
 
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A nice feature is setting your wind and gust readings to a certain altitude. I have mine set at 100’ because I will usually be above that when flying.
 
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It has been very accurate in my area of Florida. Very flat terrain. Even checked it as a cold front was moving through with rapidly changing winds and it was accurate within minutes. Good enough for me.
Haven’t used it in mountainous areas but would expect more inaccuracies due to shifting winds?
 
I live within 4 miles of an AFB, and I use their weather forecast more then the NWS. Plus I get actual ground wind speed in real time. Because my altitude is limited due to my proximity to the base, I have to pay particular attention to ground wind speed. I'm restricted to flying no higher then 20M while on my property. I don't need to fly any higher then that, and they are a lot of things I can do flying low level.
 
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Hello again, friends. After everything that I’ve seen about the MM, it’s not great in the wind. I’ve been relying religiously on UAV Forecast for wind speed/ gusts, gps strength, etc. Do you guys think they are accurate? If not, I would appreciate any other recommendations. Thanks!
You can buy an anemometer for under $30 on Amazon. Obviously will only give you surface up to 3m but a good way to start figuring it out.
 
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Hello again, friends. After everything that I’ve seen about the MM, it’s not great in the wind. I’ve been relying religiously on UAV Forecast for wind speed/ gusts, gps strength, etc. Do you guys think they are accurate? If not, I would appreciate any other recommendations. Thanks!
UAV Forecast is updated hourly. I have found it very reliable at 150 AGL. That is where I keep it. Of course, if anything is unpredictable...is the weather. I suggest you always start your flying into the wind. That way, gusts will tend to bring you home.
 
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UAV Forecast is a good general guide and generally reliable. But weather fluctuates by the minute so you have to use judgement in the immediate time frame. As far as flying the MM and wind conditions, I use UAVF religiously and if it says strongish winds I won't fly my Mini. If you put the Mini up and the winds are strong it will warn you. What you do when you get the warning is up to you.
Wind gusts do make me nervous but what I've been doing is setting the MM to Sport Mode and descending as quickly as possible. Thanks for your help!
 
UAV Forecast is updated hourly. I have found it very reliable at 150 AGL. That is where I keep it. Of course, if anything is unpredictable...is the weather. I suggest you always start your flying into the wind. That way, gusts will tend to bring you home.
I read about flying into the wind not too long ago. I'll get the wind direction from UAV Forecast and use my compass to fly into the wind before I launch. Thank you, sir!
 
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I’ve learnt to use gut feeling when flying. Looking for obvious signs of wind conditions, using trees and birds flying as indicators generally determines my plan of attack.
There’ll always be another day tomorrow. This decision gives me satisfaction as I know my MM is safe, which in turn removes anxieties and stress.
 
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