I have a DJI Phantom 4 and have flow it many times. I recently passed the part 107 exam and feel even more confident flying my drone safely. My question relates to wind guests. I use Airmap which does a good job of advising wind guest for your currently location. As I think I am often to cautious in not flying if wind guest are predicted to be over 10-12 mph I am seeking opinions on not being to cautious and missing out on a day of drone flying.

As for me I stay away from any wind above 10 MPH because it is very hard to land as the motors go to idle in RTH which cause it to never land where it should land

Maybe just try flying in a large open area so you can safely get used to what a 10mph gust feels like and how the aircraft behaves. I fly around sailing boats quite a bit so by virtue of them needing wind to sail, i often incur undesirable wind conditions - but no major issue.

I fly in Florida, where it is breezy often. Flying in 16 mph is not bad but limit distance seems prudent.  The P4P handles the wind well and the camera remains rock steady.

I thought your guests had problem with wind

I find it effects the video footage long before it becomes an issue about getting back or dangerous the drone. Gusts above 10mph may push it around a little, ruing all your nice smooth shots with wobbles. A steady wind is easier to work with, up to 15mph maybe. I wouldn't go much above 15, but many do.

Matt-and-Riley Posted at 2017-5-20 10:17
I thought your guests had problem with wind

I find it effects the video footage long before it becomes an issue about getting back or dangerous the drone. Gusts above 10mph may push it around a little, ruing all your nice smooth shots with wobbles. A steady wind is easier to work with, up to 15mph maybe. I wouldn't go much above 15, but many do.

Thanks for the quick responses – I double checked my spelling but what do you know guest instead of gust. I really enjoyed the "your guests had problem with wind" comment

Your Phantom can easily handle winds of 20 mph and more.
It will hardly even notice 10-12 mph.
If you want to fly in 20+ mph it would pay to be cautious about launching and takeoff and that you don't fly away too far downwind as a long return flight could be tricky.

From a previous post I responded to........with codicils:

You are being an intelligent/safe remote pilot for paying close attention to the wind speeds.

Remember that wind speeds on the ground do not always translate to wind aloft or the all important "gusts" that can quickly turned into sustained winds.

DJI specs rate the P4 and P3 "Max wind resistance speed" at 10 m/s or a little over 22 MPH (actually 22.3693629 mph).........but I don't think I would attempt to fly in sustained 22 mph winds.

It's very important to remember that if you fly in winds higher then the top speed of your UAS, you in theory could fly downwind and never overcome the wind to get back to your home point........so while it's up to the judgment of the PIC on what is an acceptable wind, common sense should rule the decision.

My rule of thumb is sustained wind or gusts at 20 or above is a "No Go".
Just keep the same attitude you already have and you will do fine!

There are a lot of really good apps out there that will give you accurate wind speed info.  I use one that gives me wind, gusts, barometric pressure and temperature with 24 hours worth of future predictions.  I'm sure you can find one that will suit you and your flying.

Good luck and stay safe.

I have often flown my Phantom in winds of around 20 mph.  I like to go up and practice flying in a strong wind in ATTi Mode. That is a challenge, but makes you a better pilot.   In GPS mode, it's no problem.  When I take off in a strong wind, I quickly jump up to about 10 feet and hover to let things stabilize.  Don't take off slowly. Get up quickly above all obstacles.  It may tip over on you, or fly downwind into an obstacle if you don't.  Do not use "Auto Land" when landing. Do it manually, and plunk it down quickly.  Much like a jet does when landing on an aircraft carrier.  Also, land facing into the wind, with you standing behind it (downwind).  It is a challenge, and I only do it for practice.  And remember, if you lose your GPS, you're going to have your hands full of wild machine and will probably crash unless you have practiced in ATTi Mode.  Here is a link to a video of one of my practice flights.  The scenery is not very pretty I know.  Especially of that big boy standing in front of the truck.  I flew almost the entire flight in ATTi Mode.  The wind was pretty strong.
  

"I use Airmap which does a good job of advising wind guest for your currently location." I too have my Part 107 Cert, Here is a Link to what many commercial Pilots use in their preflights.
Skyvector: https://skyvector.com/

I use an APP. called Drone Buddy it tells you the wind speed . The big problem with the wind for me  is landing if it is windy, crash a few toy drones from trying to land in the wind.

I use UAV Forecast. It's free and you can set your own parameters

http://www.uavforecast.com/#/

You can always get an idea of what the wind is doing at altitude by switching to atti mode and see how fast and in what direction its moving. Ive launched with what felt like very little wind and then fly up to 100 ft and switch to atti mode and it starts flying away at 20mph. A lot of people confuse that with a fly away but in reality its just wind taking it off. No amount of wind (within reason) is going to knock it out of the ski. The risk is that the wind is moving faster than the quad and it cant fly back home.