What's your normal height in low wind? And a mode question...

[Lurch003]

Hi guys
Me again, 2nd day of flying, gaining confidence and absolutely loving it!
Gained a bit more altitude today, but still not brave enough to go above 20m for fear of it flying away!
What's your normal height? UAV forecast showing green, 9mph gusts at 50m, 11mph at 100m. Can feel a small breeze on the ground.
Was in the car park at work so not as open as I'd like just in case something did happen.

Secondly, I couldn't change mode today. I'm not in payload. It says p mode but wouldn't change either on screen or in settings. Any ideas?
TIA
Stay safe
P

 

[Arnu69]

Hi guys
Me again, 2nd day of flying, gaining confidence and absolutely loving it!
Gained a bit more altitude today, but still not brave enough to go above 20m for fear of it flying away!
What's your normal height? UAV forecast showing green, 9mph gusts at 50m, 11mph at 100m. Can feel a small breeze on the ground.
Was in the car park at work so not as open as I'd like just in case something did happen.
TIA
Stay safe
P

I take it up to 400 whenever I can, you get ample warning to decrease height if it's too windy. Trick is always send it into the wind then come back with the wind regardless of height. Sports mode against wind gets you further quicker. Make sure you have enough battery to get back. Lastly...... I avoid gusts of more than 15 mph, rather wait till it's nice and calm.

 

[old man mavic]

for me,the MM is about being able to fly low and slow ,i use C mode as much as possible,if i want to fly high and far i use my MPP ,the MM is so great for those shots in confined spaces and in woodland with the prop guards on its virtually unbreakable it just bounces off trees and continues flying for its size the camera is amazing and i like the fact you can get really close to objects with out having to worry ,the lack of avoidance sensors is a blessing not as some seem to think a shortcoming, my max height to date is around 190 ft and that was only once or twice

 

[Lurch003]

Without being able to change modes, I felt a bit stuck. Didn't want to chance the wind too much without s mode as a backup option.
Really wanted to try c mode but wouldn't select it. Helped me stay smoother on the sticks though ... It's all practice!

 

[ShadowCat]

I take it up to 400 whenever I can, you get ample warning to decrease height if it's too windy. Trick is always send it into the wind then come back with the wind regardless of height. Sports mode against wind gets you further quicker. Make sure you have enough battery to get back. Lastly...... I avoid gusts of more than 15 mph, rather wait till it's nice and calm.

Air turbulence is unpredictable, eddies close to the ground tumbles esp3around obstructions (high buildings, walls, hills, trees) airflow higher up can be smoother but faster. You should be able to sense by looking at your surroundings like flags grass , if they flap then stop them flap again the air is tumbling and can cause anything to drop or rise unpredictably. Invest in an anemometer and a flag they can save you a lot of money

 

[Thomas B]

Too much equipment if you’re hiking. Anemometer is still just a ground reading, but can tell what is likely the lowest wind you’d encounter

 

[ShadowCat]

Too much equipment if you’re hiking. Anemometer is still just a ground reading, but can tell what is likely the lowest wind you’d encounter

I generally use a light scarf to judge wind ;-)

 

[Thomas B]

I generally use a light scarf to judge wind ;-)

Yep.
I just make a nonobjective judgement myself after looking at the Weather Channel or similar for my location.

 

[StubbornSwiss]

@Lurch003

Regarding not being able to change modes - are you flying with your phone in airplane mode? Or with wifi or bluetooth off?

I believe there was a thread somewhere about this happening.

Try having everything on and doing a short, low, close to you flight and test the modes.

 

[Ajkari]

@Arnu69 you mean 400 ft right? Like 120 meters.. Ive been at 100m but feels extremely daunting. But yea @Lurch003 you can generally take up to 50 meters without any issues . I was swirling at 80m with 5m/s wind at ground level the other day and it went fine.

 

[Beet]

Hi guys
Me again, 2nd day of flying, gaining confidence and absolutely loving it!
Gained a bit more altitude today, but still not brave enough to go above 20m for fear of it flying away!
What's your normal height? UAV forecast showing green, 9mph gusts at 50m, 11mph at 100m. Can feel a small breeze on the ground.
Was in the car park at work so not as open as I'd like just in case something did happen.

Secondly, I couldn't change mode today. I'm not in payload. It says p mode but wouldn't change either on screen or in settings. Any ideas?
TIA
Stay safe
P

I have had my Mini since 11th March, first ever drone. I am amazed when I read so many posts about wind troubles.
I live on a hilltop at 780 meters, some wind most days, there is a weather station on a property 5 klm away at the same altitude where I sometimes fly, I have flown one day when wind speeds varied from 18-29 kph with top gusts to 34 kph, the Mini certainly got blown around a bit but never enough to lose control, I didnt go further than 150 meters out or over 40m up.
I am very impressed with the little Mini.

 

[mullern88]

If I'm in doubt about the winds I make sure I have no obstacles underneath like high trees (forest) etc. In case I get a wind warning I then always have the option to make the MM descend to lower altitude into less windy conditions. Oh and yes, I usually fly in an open field surrounded by high trees, so somewhat protected from winds lower down. And you can observe the tree tops for movement.

 

[Lurch003]

You're all amazing, thank you for your help! I'm being over cautious, and will take it up in little steps once I can get it to open spaces.

Will keep low and keep learning for now ?

 

[Spook2608]

I have had exactly the same problem with changing mode almost every time I fly, so have been trying to get to the bottom of it.

What phone do you use? I use a Samsung S10 in flight mode and still have the same issue.

Interestingly, what I seem to find is (doesn’t are a difference if I start the app or turn drone on first) once pre flight checks complete and before I take off I can change mode without a problem.

Once I take off I can no longer change mode, however if I land the drone (don’t turn it off) then exit the fly app, then start it again, reconnect and take off again it seems I can change the mode from then on.

Very strange, but would be very interested to learn if you find the same.

 

[Vapor069]

The most I’ve pushed my Mini was around 23mph with 30+ gusts (UAV Forecast app). It was a little scary, got blown around all over the place and had to make constant adjustments to keep it pointing in the right direction, but it made it! The scariest part was trying to fly back back against the wind, I really thought I’d run out of battery before making it back. Also, be very aware of your RTH altitude. I lost signal that day, and had my RTH altitude preset to 300 feet, bad idea! I cancelled RTH and descended as soon as I got my signal back To avoid disaster.

 

[15PSI]

I take a look at Kittyhawk before my flights. It is always good to know the wind conditions, especially with the Mini. Also, reading a METAR before flight is also a good idea. If you don't know how to decode a METAR, run it through a translator like the one available at www.iflightplanner.com.

www.1800wxbrief.com offers a UAV forecast for CONUS as well.

If you have access to Alexa: Say, Alexa, Open Flight Service. Then, say "What is the TAF for (your closest large airport identifier)". For example: What is the TAF for India Alpha Delta? You can also request METARs from Flight Service as well.

TAF: Terminal Aerodrome Forecast
India Alpha Delta (IAD - Dulles Airport)

 

[Martysticks]

I keep seeing a reference to 'C' mode. What is that? Not having a MM (I have a MA and a MPP) I only know of P-mode and Sport-Mode.

 

[Martysticks]

I think I may have answered my own question about 'C' mode. Is this the 'CE' vs 'FCC' frequency modes?

 

[Lurch003]

I think I may have answered my own question about 'C' mode. Is this the 'CE' vs 'FCC' frequency modes?

C mode is cinematic. Basically p mode with slower, smoother controls

 

[Lurch003]

I have had exactly the same problem with changing mode almost every time I fly, so have been trying to get to the bottom of it.

What phone do you use? I use a Samsung S10 in flight mode and still have the same issue.

Interestingly, what I seem to find is (doesn’t are a difference if I start the app or turn drone on first) once pre flight checks complete and before I take off I can change mode without a problem.

Once I take off I can no longer change mode, however if I land the drone (don’t turn it off) then exit the fly app, then start it again, reconnect and take off again it seems I can change the mode from then on.

Very strange, but would be very interested to learn if you find the same.

I use a Google pixel 2. So you fly in airplane mode?

One of the replies mentioned me having it in airplane mode so next flight I'll have a bit more of a play and not turn wifi/bt off as that makes sense.

learning so much, my poor little mind can't cope! Actually had to print myself a pre flight checklist yesterday as I left the gimbal cover on... And called myself a few names I can't repeat on here!