What is “too windy” for you?

[pedz]

I have a Mavic 3 Cine and I was thinking about taking it out this morning but the wind is 13 mph with gusts up to 28 mph.

I think I’m going to stay home but I’m wondering what others think.

 

[Meta4]

I have a Mavic 3 Cine and I was thinking about taking it out this morning but the wind is 13 mph with gusts up to 28 mph.

I think I’m going to stay home but I’m wondering what others think.

It depends on the distance you intend flying and direction of the wind.
If that wind strength is accurate and you were only intending to fly a short distance, you'd have no problem at all in that wind.

 

[pedz]

It depends on the distance you intend flying and direction of the wind.
If that wind strength is accurate and you were only intending to fly a short distance, you'd have no problem at all in that wind.

I was going to go scout out the Tesla mega plant here near Austin so the drone would be rather far away.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

This is a great day for you to learn about your drone in the wind.


Take your drone up 12 ft so you can watch it and listen to in the wind an see how it reacts in the wind.

You will immediately gain some confidence with your drone as you watch and listen it to it struggle to maintain its postion.

Once your comfortable than fly directly into the wind , aware of how much power is needed to cut thru it.
Flying in the Heavy winds 35/40 mph is all about the confidence you have in yourself not to panic .

This is a good time to practice and have a Remote landing spot where you can land if panic sets in.

The last step in flying in extreme wind is to learn how to protect your Gimbal from flipping and this is just a matter of having some experience in the wind.

One thing you will be amazed at is how well the Camera negotiates the wind while recording .

Your biggest learning lesson will come when your flying into the Head wind and your drone is simply not able to move forward very well , once you get a feel for that, you will understand the limits of your drone much better.

Once you have your practice day, than the Tesla Plant will be easy , but scout for a Remote landing area none the less.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain, an Capture the storm.

 

[YVRGUY]

I have a Mavic 3 Cine and I was thinking about taking it out this morning but the wind is 13 mph with gusts up to 28 mph.

I think I’m going to stay home but I’m wondering what others think.

Good choice if the wind is all over the map. Also, remember, what is 16 kph / 10 mph at ground zero could be 48 kph / 30 mph at 120 m / 400 f with the wind changing direction often. To help familiarize yourself with wind speed see what your environment is telling you. The Beaufort Scale of Wind Force is a great tool. It’s your call.

 

[projectarjun]

I have flown in reported wind gusts of up to 36mph and never had an issue with the Air 2S in these conditions; although I could tell the drone was working extra hard and the horizon was not leveled.

 

[mavic3usa]

Anytime the leaves are blowing on the ground, too risky for me. It just doesn't make sense to go out and fly on a windy day when you can wait for a different day when there is no wind. Too often while flying, you're worried about the gusts and the direction rather than the pictures and videos and images which you should be enjoying. I don't find it fun any longer so I don't bother but if it is windy almost everyday where you live, gotta make choices.

 

[GFields]

As @Meta4 mentioned, keep the distance short in high winds. If, as you said, you will be flying out a great distance, VLOS is very important. Depending on "how far out" you're talking about, you might wait for another day when wind is not an issue.

 

[akdrone]

I have a Mavic 3 Cine and I was thinking about taking it out this morning but the wind is 13 mph with gusts up to 28 mph.

I think I’m going to stay home but I’m wondering what others think.

I have a Mav 3 and Mav 3 Pro and would not even hesitate to fly in those conditions. I've flown in winds at 20 to 30 with no issue at all. The mav 3 can fly up to 36 or so mph. Flying at 25mph give you a 10mph buffer for gusts. We have high winds in our local mountain passes that mean if I don't fly in those conditions I would fly a lot less. It's like flying at -20F. To some folks that's crazy but fairly normal for me.

 

[MS Coast]

The last step in flying in extreme wind is to learn how to protect your Gimbal from flipping and this is just a matter of having some experience in the wind.

Gimbal flipping? Please explain.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Gimbal flipping? Please explain.

Couple great example of the Gimbal giving up the goose.
Start at about 14 minutes into it.

You will see some good examples

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the water, and gimbal flip in the extreme winds.

 

[Aerialskape]

Most importantly, take off so outward flight is into the wind and return is with wind. Otherwise battery left may not be enough to make it back.

 

[twickers14]

Most importantly, take off so outward flight is into the wind and return is with wind. Otherwise battery left may not be enough to make it back.

Ah. I was going to add my bit but you beat me to it. Really useful thread this and I shall be studying the contributions more. Must get out into the wind more for practice!

 

[MS Coast]

Couple great example of the Gimbal giving up the goose.
Start at about 14 minutes into it.

You will see some good examples

I see some small, abrupt side-to-side twitches.

... learn how to protect your Gimbal from flipping and this is just a matter of having some experience in the wind.

What is the cause? How does an experienced pilot prevent it?

 

[KB9Radio]

I have my max wind speed set for 20 MPH at 100 ft in my UAV Forecast app. That would be for wind speed or gust. What model of drone you have and it's maximum speed would make a big difference. I have a Mavic 2 Zoom which can easily exceed 20 MPH even in normal (P) mode. You have to be sure your aircraft can still make headway even into the wind.

 

[Dbez1]

A couple of points… some of the guys that have responded above are highly skilled and have had much experience in windy conditions. I have a weather station sitting beside me, and I can tell you that a TRUE 25 mph wind is not something I would voluntarily fly in unless it was a SAR deployment etc. The other thing is that the UAV Forecast app is just a prediction of the wind speed and gusts at a certain altitude. Don’t rely too much on it as it can be off. The Beaufort Scale as noted by Yvrguy above (and endorsed by Phantomrain) is probably more accurate for your particular location. Lastly, are you sure the flight that you described is a good idea and won’t get you in trouble with the FAA or LEO’s? Best wishes!

 

[Capt KO]

Altitude can make a big difference and winds can be much higher at 400' than 100'. If your drone struggles, bring it closer to ground level to gain speed and save battery juice.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Most importantly, take off so outward flight is into the wind and return is with wind. Otherwise battery left may not be enough to make it back.

Often not possible, if your POI is downwind of your launch point.

 

[Droning on and on...]

My rule of thumb limit is more or less steady breeze at half the rated N speed of the drone.

 

[Parkerjh]

I fly in that wind condition all the time. If I waited for a dead calm, I'd never be flying.