When looking at UAV forecast, should I be concerned too much about wind gust speed?

[LoudThunder]

I've never used an app to check wind. I just look around me and feel and see what is happening.

It may be a bit over the top, but before I go out flying, I fire up the drone at home and check for Updates, I also download the maps for my planed flying area, I use a WiFi Tablet with no live data feed (my phone service does not allow Hotspotting (tethering -- Tracfone…).

Besides looking out the window… I also use two Apps to check the weather: the 1Weather App because it gives good predictions and has a live Radar feed for clouds and storms approaching and the UAV because it's pretty good at providing wind conditions and direction, and more, but it's the wind I'm most concerned with…

 

[veryzebra]

Always a good idea to check the wind profile too just to get a feel for how much stronger it may be further up

 

[LoudThunder]

I just look around me and feel and see what is happening.

While I was sitting on the front porch, watching the rainfall, I wondered why anyone really wants to just fly in the rain and then I started to hear B.J. Thomas singing, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", then a flash of lightning brought me back to my senses…

I remembered writing about the UAV Forecast App and wondered what it reported and here it is…

 

[caryflyboy]

I’ll look at UAV forecast page to have an idea of the winds, but that doesn’t determine alone if I fly. I have flown on days that said not good to fly because of wind gusts of over 30…. But when I got to where I was flying, there was barely any winds at all. Chicago is well known for wind…. Hence the name “Windy City”. If I don’t like how my mini se is acting 30 to 40 feet off the ground I will immediately land and try a different day, don’t want to excessively harming the little mini se or loosing it.

 

[frcaloy]

I am a certified private pilot and I am concerned with wind gusts especially during takeoffs and landings.
I consult the UAV forecast before flying my drone but I still the check actual weather conditions.
I bought a toy wind vane to help me determine wind direction and a handheld anemometer to determine wind speed and wind gusts. Pretty inexpensive.
Posted a photo of the equipment. Hope this helps.

 

[akdrone]

I use my nose.

 

[LoudThunder]

If I don’t like how my mini se is acting 30 to 40 feet off the ground I will immediately land and try a different day, don’t want to excessively harming the little mini se or loosing it.

I wrote this previously, the App cannot know what is happening everywhere. Your location may have the wind blocked by buildings, trees, hills, etc...

It's really all up to you and your best judgement... As akdrone says, keep your mose to the wind...

And I write this one more time... When I fly and there is the possibility of high altitude winds or Gusts that my position may not feel, I lift off to various altitudes with my Drone, facing North, and hover for a short while and I check the Attitude Indicator to see if My mini 2 is struggling to maintain its position. This way I know if I fly in a certain direction, I'm not being blown along with a tail wind and find that I've gone too far away to recover due to the wind.

 

[akdrone]

Sometime I’ll have to look at that UAV forecast thing…

 

[MS Coast]

Sometime I’ll have to look at that UAV forecast thing…

Or not. Forecasts are good for planning, but they're just guesses and they apply to large areas. Nothing beats first-hand observations at the specific site where you're flying. Trust your nose.

 

[FLDave]

Forecasts are a lot more than guesses. They are based on technical past data and weather patterns, current weather data, using computer programs. Some forecasts will be more local than others, but based on the same set of past data and current conditions (satellite and radar).
On the other hand, local wind is what really matters for runways for small manned aircraft and especially for small UAS. Whether you use your nose, your moist finger, or a handheld anemometer, understanding current take-off position and aloft winds is what matters; this will be based on understanding the capabilities of your aircraft and your past experiences with it in wind.

 

[MS Coast]

Forecasts are a lot more than guesses. They are based on technical past data and weather patterns, current weather data, using computer programs. Some forecasts will be more local than others, but based on the same set of past data and current conditions (satellite and radar).
On the other hand, local wind is what really matters for runways for small manned aircraft and especially for small UAS. Whether you use your nose, your moist finger, or a handheld anemometer, understanding current take-off position and aloft winds is what matters; this will be based on understanding the capabilities of your aircraft and your past experiences with it in wind.

I agree completely.

Forecasts are very well informed prognoses, but they're still expectations of future conditions will be and not observations of current conditions. I'm thinking of the many folks who believe that whatever is shown on their cell phone screen is real and ignore the physical indicators around them.

I'm remembering a fellow on a fishing trip who held his iPhone up in the wind and insisted that the windspeed was 4 mph because the app said so. There were widespread whitecaps on the water, so it was obvious that the wind was at least twice what the app said.

 

[Parallax]

If I relied solely on UAV Forecast for wind gusts, I'd hardly ever fly my drone. I find that the app consistently shows significantly higher wind speeds than the other localized weather apps I have on my phone. Sometimes, the leaves are barely fluttering on the trees and UAV Forecast says it's not good to fly.