Is wind variable being calculated into Phantom?

[Hung]

Hi guys,

I just have two questions for ya:
1. Hypothetically, if you let your Phantom hover at one spot and a gust of wind blows it 10 feet, will it hover at the new spot or return back to the old spot because of GPS?
Please serious answers only, lol. Don't respond by saying 'don't fly if it is windy.'

2. Let's say I am flying over water and it started to get windy and I pressed the RTH button in panic, do you guys think that is a good idea?
My guess is no, because wind isn't being calculated into the drone programming. If you guys ever notice, when pressing the RTH button, the drone kinda hovers there in one place for a few seconds before flying back to the home point. And when it flies back, it is flying pretty slow. It is better if you calmly maneuver it yourself back home manually rather the RTH button. RTH mode might just blow it off course easier because of its slowness.

What are you guys' predictions or theories? lol

 

[Twistedladle]

The slowness of rth probably helps it to be even more stable. And if the wind blows really hard when you are in a hover, if the phantom can't sustain that position (which it does a great job at doing), it will drift back to where it was blown away from. If your in trouble just hit rth. Make sure it's not going to try to return through some trees though.

 

[Twistedladle]

And you can speed up the decent as well. Once it gets above it landing spot (you know, where it seems to sit for hours before it starts going down) just pull down on the throttle stick, and it will speed up

 

[Hung]

And you can speed up the decent as well. Once it gets above it landing spot (you know, where it seems to sit for hours before it starts going down) just pull down on the throttle stick, and it will speed up

This answer is useful. I only have had my drone for 2-3 weeks and only flown it 3 short times, so all this information is useful. Still learning. Thanks, lol.

 

[Meta4]

I just have two questions for ya:
1. Hypothetically, if you let your Phantom hover at one spot and a gust of wind blows it 10 feet, will it hover at the new spot or return back to the old spot because of GPS?

Your Phantom is not aware of wind.
Its sensors tell it if it is being moved from the position it tries to hold and it will apply whatever force is needed to stay in place. Gentle breeze = small force, more wind = more force.
It can hold position as long as the strength of the wind is less than the max speed of the Phantom.
Beyond that it will fight but slowly be pushed away.

2. Let's say I am flying over water and it started to get windy and I pressed the RTH button in panic, do you guys think that is a good idea?
And when it flies back, it is flying pretty slow. It is better if you calmly maneuver it yourself back home manually rather the RTH button. RTH mode might just blow it off course easier because of its slowness.

Be aware that while the Phantom can travel at 15 m/s in still air, RTH is a lazy 10 m/s.
If you have a headwind/low battery situation coming home (and that's bad piloting if you do), you should do the driving rather than let RTH fight a headwind or at least push the right stick forward to get max speed during RTH.

 

[Hung]

Your Phantom is not aware of wind.
Its sensors tell it if it is being moved from the position it tries to hold and it will apply whatever force is needed to stay in place. Gentle breeze = small force, more wind = more force.
It can hold position as long as the strength of the wind is less than the max speed of the Phantom.
Beyond that it will fight but slowly be pushed away.

Be aware that while the Phantom can travel at 15 m/s in still air, RTH is a lazy 10 m/s.
If you have a headwind/low battery situation coming home (and that's bad piloting if you do), you should do the driving rather than let RTH fight a headwind or at least push the right stick forward to get max speed during RTH.

Best answer. Thank you!

 

[Twistedladle]

Sorry. I would have tried harder if I knew it was a competition. Does he even get a prize?

 

[Hung]

Sorry. I would have tried harder if I knew it was a competition. Does he even get a prize?

I never said this was a contest and he did provide a great detailed answer.
Yes. More teaching experience if he ever wants to become a sensai of drones lol

 

[Mario_SB]

Hi guys,

I just have two questions for ya:
1. Hypothetically, if you let your Phantom hover at one spot and a gust of wind blows it 10 feet, will it hover at the new spot or return back to the old spot because of GPS?
Please serious answers only, lol. Don't respond by saying 'don't fly if it is windy.'

2. Let's say I am flying over water and it started to get windy and I pressed the RTH button in panic, do you guys think that is a good idea?
My guess is no, because wind isn't being calculated into the drone programming. If you guys ever notice, when pressing the RTH button, the drone kinda hovers there in one place for a few seconds before flying back to the home point. And when it flies back, it is flying pretty slow. It is better if you calmly maneuver it yourself back home manually rather the RTH button. RTH mode might just blow it off course easier because of its slowness.

What are you guys' predictions or theories? lol

Please watch this video!!! Enjoy.

 

[Erroll]

Best answer. Thank you!

Please also read the manual carefully.

If your quad is less than 20 meters away when you pres RTH it will go straight down and land, and if that is over water.......

You can also set the RTH altitude at which the quad will fly back when RTH is pressed, if it is further than 20 meters out. ALWAYS ensure that it is set to higher than any obstacle such as a house, tree or tower where you are flying.
When RTH is pressed the quad will first ascend to that preset altitude before flying back to above the recorded home point, from where it will descend. (ALWAYS make sure that a home point is recorded prior to taking off!)

You should at all times pay attention and be ready to cancel RTH to take back manual control should the need arise.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Be aware that while the Phantom can travel at 15 m/s in still air, RTH is a lazy 10 m/s.
If you have a headwind/low battery situation coming home (and that's bad piloting if you do), you should do the driving rather than let RTH fight a headwind or at least push the right stick forward to get max speed during RTH.

Great information! I didn't realize one could control RTH speed with the right stick, as I have never invoked it myself (the P3P does, and then I cancel it, once signal is restored, and take over again). Is full speed in P-GPS the most efficient "mpg" as it were on the P3P, to cover the most distance within the remaining battery capacity? I have heard that while ATTI increases max speed, it also correspondingly reduces flight time, such that P-GPS at max speed is the best way to make sure my "bad piloting" doesn't end short of the runway! Any thoughts?

 

[Guillermo Barreiro]

Hi guys,

I just have two questions for ya:
1. Hypothetically, if you let your Phantom hover at one spot and a gust of wind blows it 10 feet, will it hover at the new spot or return back to the old spot because of GPS?
Please serious answers only, lol. Don't respond by saying 'don't fly if it is windy.'

2. Let's say I am flying over water and it started to get windy and I pressed the RTH button in panic, do you guys think that is a good idea?
My guess is no, because wind isn't being calculated into the drone programming. If you guys ever notice, when pressing the RTH button, the drone kinda hovers there in one place for a few seconds before flying back to the home point. And when it flies back, it is flying pretty slow. It is better if you calmly maneuver it yourself back home manually rather the RTH button. RTH mode might just blow it off course easier because of its slowness.

What are you guys' predictions or theories? lol

Hey, I was in a small city in Ecuador last week called Otavalo, the wind was really fast, I was a mountain taking a video of a ancient Inca tree, the phantom 3a was fighting the wind really hard but keep the position all the time, the video was perfect even at maybe 25km/h wind, I was worried but everything was fine, until my my g3 battery fail, in the middle la. Cordillera de los andes so, have to return to Quito, the capital of the country, now I'm waiting for a new battery from. Amazon, is found to be weeks though

 

[Meta4]

Is full speed in P-GPS the most efficient "mpg" as it were on the P3P, to cover the most distance within the remaining battery capacity? ... Any thoughts?

I'm not sure, haven't seen a serious test but all the long distance guys go full speed.
If full speed isn't exactly the most efficient mpg method .. it's not far from it.
The Phantom uses a lot of power just staying in the air whether it's moving fast or slow and travelling at speed doesn't use much more power like climbing or a conventional plane does.

 

[Erroll]

I'm not sure, haven't seen a serious test but all the long distance guys go full speed.
If full speed isn't exactly the most efficient mpg method .. it's not far from it.
The Phantom uses a lot of power just staying in the air whether it's moving fast or slow and travelling at speed doesn't use much more power like climbing or a conventional plane does.

I normally only do long distance in optimal conditions, with little to no wind. While I never go at full speed, I do go quite fast. I have not actually tested different speeds but in no/low wind it shouldn't make a big difference.

The full-size pilots will tell you that when flying into a head wind there is an optimal speed to fly, but you have instrumentation/avionics to help to determine that.

In my experience the best 'mpg' will be from ATTI mode - with only one 'pilot', you, flying the quad.