When is too Windy to Fly?

[HerronSkyView]

I had a real estate job today in Dripping Springs, TX and the wind was 18mph. I used my P4P, but it was tossed around like a rag doll. I was very uncomfortable flying which such high wind.

What do you all call a cutoff for wind speeds to high for flying?

Thanks,
Dan Herron

Austin Aerial Real Estate Drone Footage and Photography

Herron Sky View provides stunning real estate photography for commercial and residential realty firms serving Austin & Texas Hill Country

www.herronskyview.com

 

[Ansia]

18mph is nothing. Your drone should be able to fly under harsher conditions. I've flown in 20mph+ winds with gusts up to 50mph (according to Windy app). The first thing I noticed was the camera kept tilting to the sides, showing the legs. That is when I decided to take it down.

The Phantom held position well, but the constant camera tilting to the sides made the shooting impossible.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

OK p4p,22mph is recomended max wind or 10m/s,,If I can't light my smoke it to windy to fly but on serous note should invest in one of these wind machines,,,it's got m/s , kpH, knots,mph, but wind changes at height so just a guide, uav for cast would be ok to estimate wind at height aswell...if bit all over the place working to hard I would give it imu calibration,,,only the p3s should be rag doll ..p4p should hold position nice if not gale force

 

[Fat Albert]

I had a real estate job today in Dripping Springs, TX and the wind was 18mph. I used my P4P, but it was tossed around like a rag doll. I was very uncomfortable flying which such high wind.

What do you all call a cutoff for wind speeds to high for flying?

Thanks,
Dan Herron

Austin Aerial Real Estate Drone Footage and Photography

Herron Sky View provides stunning real estate photography for commercial and residential realty firms serving Austin & Texas Hill Country

www.herronskyview.com

"Tossed around like a ragdoll" is a dramatic exaggeration, 18 mph winds are high but not high enough to ground me , when I want to do high speed passes I go out in 20-30 mph winds frequently I simply find a calmer place to launch and land usually behind my truck of something that blocks the wind a few feet from the ground...

Fly upwind at a low altitude 50 ft. for about two miles then go up to 200-250 ft flip it in Atti mode and then come flying back with a 30+mph tailwind and see what your speedo says [emoji851]
( only do this when not flying over populated areas)

I m stilling trying to hit 88 mph [emoji51]

 

[WV. Rootman]

"Tossed around like a ragdoll" is a dramatic exaggeration, 18 mph winds are high but not high enough to ground me , when I want to do high speed passes I go out in 20-30 mph winds frequently I simply find a calmer place to launch and land usually behind my truck of something that blocks the wind a few feet from the ground...

Fly upwind at a low altitude 50 ft. for about two miles then go up to 200-250 ft flip it in Atti mode and then come flying back with a 30+mph tailwind and see what your speedo says [emoji851]
( only do this when not flying over populated areas)

I m stilling trying to hit 88 mph [emoji51]

I have logged 127 mph with only 3 props on my P4. In the flight records, it shows when the prop flies off, the speed recorded as 127 mph. Lol

 

[Fat Albert]

I have logged 127 mph with only 3 props on my P4. In the flight records, it shows when the prop flies off, the speed recorded as 127 mph. Lol

Bravo, [emoji3][emoji3] you got me beat by 50 mph which I’ve been trying to beat for two yrs..

 

[Archaeo Drone]

I often encounter winds over 18mph and gusts of 50mph. Due to the need to photograph paintings on the rock cliffs with trees and tall, bushy weeds and brush, it is not safe, nor would I obtain good photos. I think that flying in windy conditions also depends on your situation.

PS: The other consideration is that the battery drains faster in the wind.

 

[MotorCycle-Man]

FLY at 88 MPH !......If you go that fast....take a few pairs of nice tweezers and a few big baggys to pick UP all the drones pieces IF you should HIT something at 88 MPH'S ...Man Oh Man Good luck on that one

 

[jlrsn]

Bear in mind that when you're looking at 88mph or whatever your drone itself is not going through the air at 88mph. The 88mph shown is Ground Speed, the speed of your drone plus or minus the speed of the air mass the drone is flying in.

 

[HerronSkyView]

Well, might be a little exaggeration, I don't know what the gusts were, but the drone would get tossed. Thank goodness I was just shooting stills. It would be impossible to get smooth, steady video.

I would like to establish a baseline speed to know whether or not to call a job off. I think I'll say 18mph at this point.

Austin Aerial Real Estate Drone Footage and Photography

Herron Sky View provides stunning real estate photography for commercial and residential realty firms serving Austin & Texas Hill Country

www.herronskyview.com

 

[WV. Rootman]

I flew in 20 + mph wind last Saturday in Panama City. Not my normal thing to do. I stayed away from objects the wind was so strong. I had my reasons for the flight. The stills I took were all tilled. LOL Easy to fix. Your phantom can handle the wind with prudent flying. I flew in to the wind to start and got the feel of things.

You are the one to make the call. You know your skill level and the risk involved with the area you are flying in. You should know your shutter speed for the light level to ascertain a quality photo. Try practicing in an open area. I know Austin Tx. has plenty of wind and open spaces to culminate your skills/confidence.

 

[JarrodF]

For me it really depends on the gust speed. I've shot very respectable video at over 20mph with low gusts but had serious issues with 15mph and heavy gusts. It also depends of the type & direction of moves I'm flying. & certainly flying straight with a heavy cross wind is a chore.

 

[Cellblock776]

Anything over 15MPH steady is enough for me to scrub. Any gusts over 30 is too much. I check Windy dot com and UAV Forecast app before heading out and on site I have a hand held wind gauge which I rarely use. More often, if my cap is being blown off my head it's time to bring it in for the day.

 

[Fat Albert]

Bear in mind that when you're looking at 88mph or whatever your drone itself is not going through the air at 88mph. The 88mph shown is Ground Speed, the speed of your drone plus or minus the speed of the air mass the drone is flying in.

[emoji848][emoji848] So what are you saying that that the mph indicator on the Go app is BS ?

 

[Fat Albert]

FLY at 88 MPH !......If you go that fast....take a few pairs of nice tweezers and a few big baggys to pick UP all the drones pieces IF you should HIT something at 88 MPH'S ...Man Oh Man Good luck on that one

If you hit something at 5 mph or 88 mph it’s not going to end well either way so why worry about it....

 

[trevornewkirk]

I'm stilling trying to hit 88 mph [emoji51][/QUOTE]


[emoji1][emoji106][emoji106]


***edit*** Wow, just read the rest of the comments. Alot of folks here know nothing of flux capacitors or time travel, do they?!??

 

[Fat Albert]

I'm stilling trying to hit 88 mph [emoji51]

[emoji1][emoji106][emoji106]


***edit*** Wow, just read the rest of the comments. Alot of folks here no nothing of flux capacitors or time travel, do they?!??[/QUOTE]

Nope they don’t know squat about reaching the magical 88mph,
I kinda thought a lot of folks here were around in that era

 

[trevornewkirk]

Maybe just not as cool as us! Lol
[emoji13]

[emoji1][emoji106][emoji106]


***edit*** Wow, just read the rest of the comments. Alot of folks here no nothing of flux capacitors or time travel, do they?!??

Nope they don’t know squat about reaching the magical 88mph,
I kinda thought a lot of folks here were around in that era[/QUOTE]

 

[Fat Albert]

Maybe just not as cool as us! Lol
[emoji13]

Nope they don’t know squat about reaching the magical 88mph,
I kinda thought a lot of folks here were around in that era

[/QUOTE]

Or old movie buffs like us[emoji106]

 

[bhartwell]

For what it’s worth, I have found that flying in around 15 to 18 mph winds, that are directionally consistent while a bit unnerving is relatively safe. It’s when you get gusts higher then 20mph, especially when they come cross stream or inconsistent that things get scary.

I was just doing some work in Sedona AZ yesterday. We had medium to strong winds coming up the valley at around 15 to 20 mph. My P4 did ok, but it was hard keeping the props out of frame due to the angle the drone was holding to keep position. I would get a lot of turbulence when the hot air would gust up off the valley floor, which made for some nerve wracking jumps and dips. Once the gusts jumped up to 20mph, that was it.

Holding steady was near impossible and the drone would bounce around 10 to 15ft in various directions as the gusts came in. Landing was a real trick, basically try to find a tree or wind block of some kind, and slip in next to it between gusts. I guess, I could have tried to hand catch, but given the erratic behavior of the drone, I would more likely have caught a blade then the drone.

So, speed, direction, consistency and gust speed all come into play. 15 to 20mph if consistent is doable, but risky. 15 and below, especially if consistent, and you should be fine. I have seen and heard hirer numbers posted, but I wouldn’t recommend it based on real world experience.