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Hi from Newbury UK. I'm Alan.

Just ordered my Vision half an hour ago. I have a Parrot AR Drone but it's been annoying me, suddenly deciding it needs to go in the opposite direction than you tell it, then refusing to come back, and it has low tolerance for wind. I fly on Greenham Common, formerly the well known US nuclear airbase, now just wide open common land, though there are various artefacts from the Cold War remaining. As it's flat and wide open there's always at least a breeze, more usually light wind. The Drone wants 10 mph or less according to the book, but in my experience anything much over 5 mph leads to instability.

So apart from saying Hey, my question: what would you think is the highest wind speed you would care to go aloft in? Also, of course, it's better than the Drone isn't it? Of course it is, I'm sure.
 
CallMeAlan said:
Hi from Newbury UK. I'm Alan.

Just ordered my Vision half an hour ago. I have a Parrot AR Drone but it's been annoying me, suddenly deciding it needs to go in the opposite direction than you tell it, then refusing to come back, and it has low tolerance for wind. I fly on Greenham Common, formerly the well known US nuclear airbase, now just wide open common land, though there are various artefacts from the Cold War remaining. As it's flat and wide open there's always at least a breeze, more usually light wind. The Drone wants 10 mph or less according to the book, but in my experience anything much over 5 mph leads to instability.

So apart from saying Hey, my question: what would you think is the highest wind speed you would care to go aloft in? Also, of course, it's better than the Drone isn't it? Of course it is, I'm sure.


Did you intend to order a Vision knowing the Vision Plus with 3 axis stabilization was out ? You may want to reconsider while you still can.

Otherwise, welcome to the forums...Lots of good info to peruse thru.

I fly higher up at altitude when I can see the Vision isn't struggling to stay stable after I get her in the air....only then do I go higher. between 5 and 10 mph winds is acceptable, however, I prefer dead calm. The dog days of summer in E.Texas should be perfect for flying.
 
CallMeAlan said:
Hi from Newbury UK. I'm Alan.

Just ordered my Vision half an hour ago. I have a Parrot AR Drone but it's been annoying me, suddenly deciding it needs to go in the opposite direction than you tell it, then refusing to come back, and it has low tolerance for wind. I fly on Greenham Common, formerly the well known US nuclear airbase, now just wide open common land, though there are various artefacts from the Cold War remaining. As it's flat and wide open there's always at least a breeze, more usually light wind. The Drone wants 10 mph or less according to the book, but in my experience anything much over 5 mph leads to instability.

So apart from saying Hey, my question: what would you think is the highest wind speed you would care to go aloft in? Also, of course, it's better than the Drone isn't it? Of course it is, I'm sure.

Hi Alan and welcome to the Mad House !!
I used to have an AR Drone and hated it.
The Phantom is far better than the Parrot in every way.
I have flown in wind gusts of 25-30mph but generally I would try not to fly in winds over 15mph, at least until you are proficient in handling the Phantom.
You will be amazed with how stable it flies and hovers.

Good luck!
 
CallMeAlan said:
Hi from Newbury UK. I'm Alan.

Just ordered my Vision half an hour ago. I have a Parrot AR Drone but it's been annoying me, suddenly deciding it needs to go in the opposite direction than you tell it, then refusing to come back, and it has low tolerance for wind. I fly on Greenham Common, formerly the well known US nuclear airbase, now just wide open common land, though there are various artefacts from the Cold War remaining. As it's flat and wide open there's always at least a breeze, more usually light wind. The Drone wants 10 mph or less according to the book, but in my experience anything much over 5 mph leads to instability.

So apart from saying Hey, my question: what would you think is the highest wind speed you would care to go aloft in? Also, of course, it's better than the Drone isn't it? Of course it is, I'm sure.
Welcome! Look a lot forward to see your footage! Compared with a AR Drone it´s night and day. Phantoms are so stable and reliable. Up to 15mph winds are a no issue! Just remember not to fly to far downwind if you are low on battery. A good habit is to fly up-wind so the ReturnToHome will not deploy your battery if needed. I am sure you will be very happy with your new Phantom!
 
Hello Alan (can I call you Alan?),

I'm a little way up the A34 from you - welcome to the mad house.

My personal limits would be not to fly if average wind speeds are over about 15mph consistently, and/or any gusts are over 25mph consistently at ground level. That's a limit, not a target, as once you get even a few tens of feet off the deck those speeds will increase. At those limits I wouldn't call the flying fun, I'd operate upwind at all times so at least your return is wind-assisted. At anything less than 15-17mph the Vision will hold station nicely, albeit with a bit of a "lean" on!

Have fun!
 
Hi Pull_Up, thanks for the reply. I bought a little anemometer a while ago, to help me decide whether to risk the AR Drone or not. Unfortunately of late it's been just too windy on Greenham Common.

I hear my Phantom arrives before noon tomorrow, from RCGeeks, but I'm prepared to bet I won't be flying it tomorrow. Rain here most of the day, windy.

Nice to hear from someone local-ish. Maybe some day we can fly together!

Alan
 
Hi XL, thanks for replying.
Also the same to 2trickpony and RCRookie.

It arrives tomorrow morning, can't wait. I've been reading everything I can lay my hands on so that the all-important first flight goes well. We shall see! (Weather permitting - not great here at present.)

Report in due course, plus, I imagine, 237 questions! Charging the Samsung phone, Galaxy Note 3, right now.....

Alan.
 
Welcome. The only thing that I would add about flying in high winds is that if you install prop guards, you will have more trouble getting around in higher (15+mph), winds. I just figured that out as I have flown without them since I purchased my Vision, but finally picked up a set after a number of tree-related crashes. My first flight was on what I though was a fairly calm day, when in reality I was just positioned in a calm spot. Once I was up pretty high, the wind really started pushing the craft away (and out over the water :shock: . I did manage to get it back but I was giving her all she had and she was just crawling. Without the guards I was zipping around just fine in 25mph winds over the ice (wide open). I'm gonna find myself a decent hex-head driver so I can add or remove the guards depending on the wind and where I'm flying.

Other than that, the P2V is a huge upgrade from the AR drone. Hopefully you either ordered the plus with the 3 axis gimbal, or got a good deal on the original P2V (I know you can get one for a lot less than what I paid for mine in January). Happy flying!
 
I came off using the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 as well. I've flown in 10+ mph winds with it but it becomes a challenge to control at those speeds. Sub 10 was always a requirement for an enjoyable flight with AR Drone even then it was not so stable and easily prone to flipping over and auto shut down when flying aggressively.

As far as wind conditions for the Phantom. Don't fly very far away if you're in Winds much over 20mph. The Phantom handles 20mph winds fine though but the most fun flying are winds below 20mph. 10-15mph winds make for pretty good flying with anything below 10mph making for buttery smooth flight performance and video.
 
jimdenburg said:
Welcome. The only thing that I would add about flying in high winds is that if you install prop guards, you will have more trouble getting around in higher (15+mph), winds. I just figured that out as I have flown without them since I purchased my Vision, but finally picked up a set after a number of tree-related crashes. My first flight was on what I though was a fairly calm day, when in reality I was just positioned in a calm spot. Once I was up pretty high, the wind really started pushing the craft away (and out over the water :shock: . I did manage to get it back but I was giving her all she had and she was just crawling. Without the guards I was zipping around just fine in 25mph winds over the ice (wide open). I'm gonna find myself a decent hex-head driver so I can add or remove the guards depending on the wind and where I'm flying.

Other than that, the P2V is a huge upgrade from the AR drone. Hopefully you either ordered the plus with the 3 axis gimbal, or got a good deal on the original P2V (I know you can get one for a lot less than what I paid for mine in January). Happy flying!

If you're going to be pulling the prop guards on and off be sure not to accidentally put the longer screws back into the motors without the prop guards in or you'll destroy your motors. In fact I wouldn't recommend regularly taking them on and off in general as it's more wear and tear on the screw holes in the motors. I do agree though that the prop guards added more drag which is why my use of them was short lived.
 
BenDronePilot said:
If you're going to be pulling the prop guards on and off be sure not to accidentally put the longer screws back into the motors without the prop guards in or you'll destroy your motors. In fact I wouldn't recommend regularly taking them on and off in general as it's more wear and tear on the screw holes in the motors. I do agree though that the prop guards added more drag which is why my use of them was short lived.


Yes good point on the screws. I'm torn between having them on and off as they give me more confidence when flying around trees, but I miss the speed. Someone needs to 3D print a quick release attachment where you could snap them on and off.
 

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