is a 24 mph wind too much for a ph3 Standard?

[jabugia]

I was flying my ph3 standard with a constant 20 mph wind (120 feet high), when I stopped watching the bird for a minute, and then it was almost 2 streets away from me, even though it was on GPS mode.
Checking the UAV forecast app, it showed 25 mph gusts for my location.
I made a RTH success landing but felt very worried because now I don't feel confident about having the drone out of sight. I know the wind was kind of strong, but the drone didn't fight against it as I thought it would.

Is it possible? Have you experienced any similar situation?

Cheers, happy Easter for the community!!!!!

 

[GrammatonxXXxCleric]

Too much..... I don't lift off in over 8-10... and then its kinda risky. It can withstand fairly heavy wind, but is it worth it?....

 

[stuka75]

I set my UAV app at 14mph max, and altitude to my RTH at 160ft. Flew a 4 mile mission with thirty percent battery on landing. Same mission later in higher wind, around 12mph, RTH'ed on smart return. Stronger wind was the only variable.

 

[jabugia]

I set my UAV app at 14mph max, and altitude to my RTH at 160ft. Flew a 4 mile mission with thirty percent battery on landing. Same mission later in higher wind, around 12mph, RTH'ed on smart return. Stronger wind was the only variable.

Thanks mate, I have just set my parameters to those numbers and will give it a try for some time.

 

[ghutch]

I'd say it was too high! I took off the other day in 15-18mph wind and it did the same thing - started drifting with the wind. I just brought it back and landed it...

 

[Meta4]

I was flying my ph3 standard with a constant 20 mph wind (120 feet high), when I stopped watching the bird for a minute, and then it was almost 2 streets away from me, even though it was on GPS mode.
Checking the UAV forecast app, it showed 25 mph gusts for my location.
I made a RTH success landing but felt very worried because now I don't feel confident about having the drone out of sight. I know the wind was kind of strong, but the drone didn't fight against it as I thought it would.

From your description, it's not clear what happened to your Phantom.
Are you saying that it was blown 2 blocks away rather than hovering in place?
I'd need to see the recorded flight data to be able to say what happened.

I'm also very skeptical about your reported wind strength.
You are assuming that a forecast wind was the actual wind strength. when the real wind may have been significantly more or less than the forecast.
Your Phantom can easily hold position in real 25 mph winds (but would make slow progress flying against that wind and launching safely might be tricky).

If you want to share the flight data, go to DJI Flight Log Viewer
Follow the instructions there to upload your flight record from your phone or tablet.
Come back and post a link to the report it gives you.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

Checking the UAV forecast app, it showed 25 mph gusts for my location.
I made a RTH success landing but felt very worried because now I don't feel confident about having the drone out of sight. I know the wind was kind of strong, but the drone didn't fight against it as I thought it would.

Considering that you were flying in 20 mph winds, with 25 mph gusts, and RTH speed is ~22 mph, if you were flying home against the wind, I don't know what you were expecting.

 

[GrammatonxXXxCleric]

If the Phantom had just taken off and did not have enough sats to lock it in place yet and/or was low or had buildings blocking a triangulation sat signal or the toggle switch was not in either P or F position this would explain a drift. Only other possibility is a malfunction, which I experienced in one that was replaced by DJI.

 

[Just_nick]

I don't fly above 15mph winds.

 

[Astrix]

I don't fly above 15mph winds.

Anything above 10 and I stay grounded. I do not see any point in giving myself any unnecessary grief or expensive repair bills. Caution and experience always wins !!

 

[JazzAir]

After a while you can also use your ears. You can actually tell if the wind is to much (+20?) by the way your blades protest it by listening for the 'rip' in the air they make. Not accurate but useful.

 

[PhantomHero]

I've flown in 15MPH and it held position pretty well, but it was obviously putting up a fight. I don't like to put any more stress on the props and motors than need be. So I tend to stay 10 or under.

 

[Squirrel!]

now I don't feel confident about having the drone out of sight. I know the wind was kind of strong, but the drone didn't fight against it as I thought it would.

Cheers, happy Easter for the community!!!!!

Good! Now you know why there are rules and regulations about VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT and the fact that you should never 'try' to fly so it is "out of sight". ALWAYS keep your eyes [and ears] open. If you can't see or hear it, you don't know where it is or what it's doing, regardless of there being a camera.

 

[Dan Lee]

Remember 20 mph winds on the ground, standard weather forecast, might be much higher at 200’ or 400’. I always check UAV Forcast for winds at different altitudes. Also your Standard will have more power, should you need it to get home, in Atti Mode, however, you only have altitude hold and not GPS hold so practice flying in this mode at a very low altitude in an open field. Learn how to totally control the bird with no GPS. Can’t release the sticks and expect it to sit there. It will drift off with the wind. Do this on a day with mild winds to practice flying around then bringing it in for a landing. I hand catch in windy weather all the time,

 

[ITGuy1024]

15 mph is about where I start to reconsider flying. If I do fly I keep it under 200 feet with high winds. Check UAV forecast for high altitude wind speeds.

 

[russellk]

Yes, 20 mph on the ground is too much for the phantom 3. 15-20 is a danger zone and if you lost gps you better be proficient in flying without it. My p4 can handle more wind but that doesnt mean im going to put it up in 20+ mph winds. Also, stay UPwind at all times!

 

[trevsdad]

Remember 20 mph winds on the ground, standard weather forecast, might be much higher at 200’ or 400’. I always check UAV Forcast for winds at different altitudes. Also your Standard will have more power, should you need it to get home, in Atti Mode, however, you only have altitude hold and not GPS hold so practice flying in this mode at a very low altitude in an open field. Learn how to totally control the bird with no GPS. Can’t release the sticks and expect it to sit there. It will drift off with the wind. Do this on a day with mild winds to practice flying around then bringing it in for a landing. I hand catch in windy weather all the time,

...what he said. If you haven't secured your Part 107 certification yet, now might be a good time. Among other things, you'll learn that winds aloft are always faster and many other wind related issues. In general, 25ks is too fast unless you're flying a hexacopter (6-blades) with lots of heavy wind flight time using some of the patterns and configurations described above.

 

[Fun Flyer]

View attachment 97344
Jabugia. Check this. Pg. 37 of the P3s manual. Recommended max. wind speed is 10 m/s (meters per second) which equates to just over 22mph. So at 25 mph I’d say you’re on the edge of possibly losing your Phantom.
Don’t let the wind ruin your day. Better to have your Phantom safely on the ground than wishing you’d never taken off in iffy conditions.
Fly safe
Denis

 

[Squirrel!]

Throw all caution to the wind.

 

[Wouter]

How do you guys measure wind speed? Here is S-Africa you pay a fortune for a proper wind meter.