Do you take off in the wind?

[28wins]

I was by the beach this past weekend and I stood there feeling foolish and waiting for a "window" of opportunity to take off.

Landing is ok since I can always reach up and catch the drone.
But taking off....

Once you set the drone on the ground and turn on the motors, the wind will tip it over.

And even you take off, can the Phantom be trusted to navigate in a windy environment?

I chickened out and left wondering if there is a device to measure wind speed, perhaps one that can plugged into the lightning port or 3.5mm port of the iPhone?

 

[yojo182]

There is definitely such a device that is only accurate for ground wind speed. I usually wait for it to calm off with everything ready the moment the wind slows I hit the CSC then gun the throttle the faster it lifts off the safer I feel. I have a trust it will be ready to fly when it's in the air.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[bernek]

I take off in winds up to 25 km/h that would be 15-16 mph.

 

[BigAl07]

With a rotorcraft "into the wind" is fairly irrelevant because the lift generating device(s) (rotors) are spinning regardless. Even more irrelevant when you have multiple rotors. With a plane you always take off and land into the wind because air going over the wind generates lift for you. By taking off INTO the wind you take off at a slower ground speed because the wind going over the wing creates more lift sooner. Same thing landing.

I've found that when there is some wind I tend to take off fairly quickly to get clear of the ground and also clear of the aircraft's "junk air" also known as Ground Effect.

 

[Erised]

Same as BigA, I take off quickly, I will land in low winds but prefer to find a wind sheltered area or hand catch in higher wind. All ways in P mode.

 

[mortenp]

When I tried flying on very windy beach, mine started tipping over by just starting the motors, but I quickly gave it full throttle and avoided a tumble in the sand. But I was a bit worried about the sand blowing up and into the motors. I started from the box. No problems navigating. But I guess it all depends on how strong the wind is

 

[28wins]

Same as BigA, I take off quickly, I will land in low winds but prefer to find a wind sheltered area or hand catch in higher wind. All ways in P mode.

Forgive me, what is P mode, could you explain please?

 

[Argyle]

Always takeoff in the wind. Just look at the birds, they do it all the time. [emoji13]

You are right though. The wind tends to tip it over once the props are spinning and a gust of wind comes by. The copter does not have a set direction of lift like am airplane thus "into the wind" or not is not very relevant.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Erised]

On a P4, p mode is using gps to maintain Position. This will prevent the quad from drifting away with the wind, also S mode does this, A mode does not.

 

[28wins]

Got it. TY.

I have never flown it in anything but P mode then. I need the all the help I can get.

 

[JWarren]

I have no choice, the Texas panhandle is one of the windiest places on earth. 30 mph winds are typical, but the only hard part is landing.

 

[jwt873]

I don't fly if the wind is over 15 mph. I have been up in up to 25 Mph winds but it's not fun watching the craft struggle. Normally I keep it to under 10 mph. Where I am, in the summer our early mornings and late evenings are usually still or close to it.

 

[28wins]

How do you guys measure the wind speed?

And for those of you who do it often and confidently, how do you prevent the tip over: just turn on the motors and take off immediately? There is a chance the drone may go sideways, isn't there?

 

[roemeister]

I use the Vaavud Sleipnir to measure wind speed before takeoff, and don't fly if wind exceeds 20 mph at arm's reach "altitude".

Good luck,

Bobby

 

[JWarren]

To prevent tip overs on landing I hover very low and wait for a window.

 

[jwt873]

How do you guys measure the wind speed?

Normally you can tell the wind speed roughly just by looking at trees etc. (Are the leaves fluttering or are branches bending).

I live in the country, so I have lots of room to fly around my property. I have a Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station. By looking at the display in the house, I can see the wind before I go out. It also provides gust info and a 10 minute average speed.

When I'm away, I have a small hand held anemometer that I hold up in the air to get a wind speed reading. It fits nicely in the Phantom 4 case.

 

[28wins]

Thank you

I use the Vaavud Sleipnir to measure wind speed before takeoff, and don't fly if wind exceeds 20 mph at arm's reach "altitude".

Good luck,

Bobby

Thank you for mentioning that brand: I didn't know the company.

[...]

When I'm away, I have a small hand held anemometer that I hold up in the air to get a wind speed reading. It fits nicely in the Phantom 4 case.

Do you recall the name of your handheld anemometer?

 

[Dirty Bird]

I have over 1000 Phantom flights & I almost always land except in an emergency or extreme gusty winds (>25 mph). I have NEVER had a Phantom tip over during take off or landing. On take off just start the motors & gun it. Don't try to gingerly "throttle up" like you're in a real helicopter. Just gas it to get her 10' or so off the deck, then release the sticks & allow her to stabilize. Timidly applying throttle will lead to tips. I consider landing part of the whole flight experience. IMHO, if you aren't landing you are only rated as 2/3rds of a pilot. Being raised flying fixed-wings hand catching was never an option. Pick your mark, bring her close, commit & bring her down. Once you commit, bring her down & kill the motors the instant the skids hit the deck. Most of my videos include the landing sequence & you can see how easily & smoothly she lands even in windy conditions.

A Phantom can fly in winds as high as 25-30 mph but you'll want to keep her upwind & close in conditions like that. I don't suggest flying in such conditions for novice pilots, but 10-15 mph winds she will handle just fine. On a P4 with OA active, the Phantom is limited to 22 mph. If the wind is blowing 20 and you're flying directly into it, that gives you only 2 mph. This is when you want to turn off OA (35 mph) or engage Sport Mode. When its windy you want to fly into the wind so the wind brings her back to you when it's time to come home. Do NOT go way out downwind in windy conditions since the Phantom will have a difficult time getting back to you against the wind. If you find yourself in this situation get as low as you can while maintaining control signal since winds are normally lower near the surface.

I was by the beach this past weekend and I stood there feeling foolish and waiting for a "window" of opportunity to take off.

Landing is ok since I can always reach up and catch the drone.
But taking off....

Once you set the drone on the ground and turn on the motors, the wind will tip it over.

And even you take off, can the Phantom be trusted to navigate in a windy environment?

I chickened out and left wondering if there is a device to measure wind speed, perhaps one that can plugged into the lightning port or 3.5mm port of the iPhone?

 

[Jussaguy]

Only in one condition. One and ONLY one condition, if it's windy.

 

[28wins]

I have over 1000 Phantom flights & I almost always land except in an emergency or extreme gusty winds (>25 mph). I have NEVER had a Phantom tip over during take off or landing. On take off just start the motors & gun it. Don't try to gingerly "throttle up" like you're in a real helicopter. Just gas it to get her 10' or so off the deck, then release the sticks & allow her to stabilize. Timidly applying throttle will lead to tips. I consider landing part of the whole flight experience. IMHO, if you aren't landing you are only rated as 2/3rds of a pilot. Being raised flying fixed-wings hand catching was never an option. Pick your mark, bring her close, commit & bring her down. Once you commit, bring her down & kill the motors the instant the skids hit the deck. Most of my videos include the landing sequence & you can see how easily & smoothly she lands even in windy conditions.

A Phantom can fly in winds as high as 25-30 mph but you'll want to keep her upwind & close in conditions like that. I don't suggest flying in such conditions for novice pilots, but 10-15 mph winds she will handle just fine. On a P4 with OA active, the Phantom is limited to 22 mph. If the wind is blowing 20 and you're flying directly into it, that gives you only 2 mph. This is when you want to turn off OA (35 mph) or engage Sport Mode. When its windy you want to fly into the wind so the wind brings her back to you when it's time to come home. Do NOT go way out downwind in windy conditions since the Phantom will have a difficult time getting back to you against the wind. If you find yourself in this situation get as low as you can while maintaining control signal since winds are normally lower near the surface.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. Great info.

Being carried away downwind is exactly what happened to me during my 3rd flight with my P2.
I felt nauseous watching my toy getting away and noticing that it wasn't responding to controls!

I do recall your giving the same advice in another thread where I brought up the same question: turn on the motors and gun it right away.
I will try and make a video of it next time I bring myself to attempt this.

You mentioned videos of your own. Could you please let us know how to watch them (where they are)?