What does DJI consider "high winds"? Estimated wind speed would be nice.

[Nfhill]

The app 'UAV Forecast' is very useful for getting an estimate of the winds aloft. This app needs to run on a device with GPS.

Nick

 

[Slim.slamma]

In P-GPS mode 20.8 - 21.4 mph pitch = 34° - 35°
Atti mode 20.7 - 21.7 mph pitch = 35°
Sport mode 24.3 mph pitch = 39°

After computing the math...

Return trip in atti mode speed = 60 mph pitch = -35°

The Inspire 2 would serve you better

 

[WithTheBirds]

The app 'UAV Forecast' is very useful for getting an estimate of the winds aloft. This app needs to run on a device with GPS.

Nick

Why does the device need GPS? The predictions for a location are no different for me if I search by location or am standing on the spot (devices have GPS).

 

[crazylegs30plus]

Here are some numbers from a flight today pushing straight into a 15 knot wind.
These numbers match with my observations whenever I try Sport mode to punch into a stiff headwind.
It's never shown a big boost that would allow the drone to easily go against a headwind.

In P-GPS mode 20.8 - 21.4 mph pitch = 34° - 35°
Atti mode 20.7 - 21.7 mph pitch = 35°
Sport mode 24.3 mph pitch = 39°

Yes, Sport mode flew a little faster, but not much.
I didn't consider the small speed burst enough to make up for the faster battery drain.

Return trip in atti mode speed = 60 mph pitch = -35°

What about rpm of motors in sport vs p mode, The way this reads no significant increase, just pitch?! Will test, but if you have already....

 

[RobH2]

Same here in San Francisco from April through September. I choose to sail on those days instead of flying.

Like you SteveCA I tend to sail instead of fly if the air is up. It's amazing though what our drones can endure as far as wind speeds. I've found this thread very helpful and informative as I've been afraid to fly in air over 12-15 knots.

If you want to see an excellent example of what drones can do (this is a Phantom mind you but I think similar power as a Mavic) here is a video of what guys in the Volvo Ocean Race do with drones. They were sailing downwind at 30knots in 30knots (almost 35mph) of air. If flew pretty fast going upwind to get behind the boat. Then, of course, coming back was not too difficult with a 30knot breeze behind it. It's still one of the most spectacular pieces of consumer drone footage I've seen. It's also a great example of how you can hand-catch a Phantom..lol... You'll see at the end why I say..."lol."

 

[Meta4]

They were sailing downwind at 30knots in 30knots (almost 35mph) of air. If flew pretty fast going upwind to get behind the boat. Then, of course, coming back was not too difficult with a 30knot breeze behind it.

Correction: They did not fly upwind at all (and would have made no perceptible progress if they tried).
That Phantom would have been more or less hovering in place with the boat and video camera moving away from it at 25+ knots.

 

[Meta4]

What about rpm of motors in sport vs p mode, The way this reads no significant increase, just pitch?! Will test, but if you have already....

Yes .. the motors spin faster in sport mode (which burns the battery faster)
Faster motor speed can only translate to faster airspeed when the pitch increases too.
Sport mode is great for speed in still or light wind conditions.
But every time I test it against strong headwinds, sport mode doesn't provide enough speed boost to make much real difference.
It's not a magic answer if you are caught downwind in strong headwind conditions.

 

[RobH2]

Correction: They did not fly upwind at all (and would have made no perceptible progress if they tried).
That Phantom would have been more or less hovering in place with the boat and video camera moving away from it at 25+ knots.

Sure, fair speculation. Regardless, it's remarkable that we have these pieces of technology to debate about. When I was in High School we had 8-track tape players in our cars as Cassette tapes weren't invented yet. We could never have imagined we'd have these devices.

Next time I'm in the ocean I'm taking a drone and find out what it can do.

 

[Moozer]

Sport mode is indeed helpful if winds exceed 30mph. In fact it may be the only way you can fly in such winds. It does not use any more battery than flying the same speed in p mode but will consume more battery if you fly faster. 95% of my flying is in winds exceeding 20-25mph and often Up to 35-40 Mph.

I always plan the flight going upwind to ensure that I can make it home. Here is a flight in such winds in case you are wondering how the Mavic handles high winds.

Isn't Pigeon Point part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary? I looked into flying there once, but saw it was off-limits.

 

[PropSpin]

The key difference between P mode and sport mode is the maximum angle that the drone is permitted to use. P mode will not handle winds above 30MPH due to insufficient angle of attack. Yes I've flown in such conditions extensively with my P4, mavic Pro and now Mavic 2 pro, and what you will notice is that your drone speed will be near zero in p mode even under full throttle. That is when you need to switch to sport mode.

I once flew in conditions that frankly turned out to be too much for my Mavic Pro. I thought it was blowing 25-35 but in fact, it was clocked at 35MPH with gusts to 47 MPH. In those conditions, P mode could not even hold position and my drone drifted rapidly down wind, even with full stick in the opposite direction. My drone drifted at 15 MPH until I switched to sport mode. In sport mode, it made 2 MPH coming home and it was very difficult to land due to the crazy gusts. I had to find a spot behind a building to bring it down safely.

I no longer fly when there are gusts above 35MPH. It can handle a bit more but I avoid it these days

Are you sure that P mode will not increase AOA or RPMs as needed in wind in order to follow commands from the TX as long as it's under the max speed for P mode? In sport mode, increased AOA and higher RPMs of course result increased speed. In P mode, you're going to see reduced AOA and RPMs compared to sport mode because the max speed in P mode is lower. I'm not sure why the flight controller wouldn't do whatever was necessary to do what it was told within the selected mode's parameters.

 

[PropSpin]

Sport mode is indeed helpful if winds exceed 30mph. In fact it may be the only way you can fly in such winds. It does not use any more battery than flying the same speed in p mode but will consume more battery if you fly faster. 95% of my flying is in winds exceeding 20-25mph and often Up to 35-40 Mph.

I always plan the flight going upwind to ensure that I can make it home. Here is a flight in such winds in case you are wondering how the Mavic handles high winds.

Aside from some yaw that was out of sync with lateral movement on occasion, seems like it handles it quite well!

 

[Turn11]

If all else fails look for a landing spot so you can land where you choose.

Good words.
It doesn't hurt to take a picture, the latitude and longitude are captured where the picture is taken.

 

[Meta4]

Good words.
It doesn't hurt to take a picture, the latitude and longitude are captured where the picture is taken.

But you need to get the image from the SD card to be able to read the the location data in the exif info.
However you can read the location data from your recorded flight data.

 

[SteveCA]

Are you sure that P mode will not increase AOA or RPMs as needed in wind in order to follow commands from the TX as long as it's under the max speed for P mode? In sport mode, increased AOA and higher RPMs of course result increased speed. In P mode, you're going to see reduced AOA and RPMs compared to sport mode because the max speed in P mode is lower. I'm not sure why the flight controller wouldn't do whatever was necessary to do what it was told within the selected mode's parameters.

The MP 2 Pro may behave differently from the original Mavic (the drone I flew in very high winds). On the Mavic, there is a huge difference between p mode and sport mode in terms of handling high winds. The mavic in P mode will not handle winds in excess of 30 MPH except in sport mode. My Mp 2 will go 30 MPH in p mode and handles high winds much better in P mode than the Mavic ever did. But I havent flown the MP 2 in winds over 30 MPH yet so Im not sure and cant comment until I experience it.

 

[SteveCA]

Isn't Pigeon Point part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary? I looked into flying there once, but saw it was off-limits.

You are right. That video was from 2016, before I learned that it was part of NOAA overflight restricted airspace. Fortunately there were no marine mammals or sea birds in the area that day