What you you consider to be the maximum safe Windspeed a P3


EG -15 mph average gusting 20 mph

My rule of thumb is 20 MPH max for a precision job and 25 MPH max for anything else.......just not worth the risk in my opinion. GPS is great but not perfect in high winds, and you must always be aware of the direction.
Good Luck

The P4P manual v1.2 states that you should not fly in winds greater than 22.4mph
Maybe the P3 has its own stated limit...
Either way you should not fly in conditions beyond your judgement, skill, experience, and capability of the UAV.  Also, you must consider gust factors as they are the most destabilizing wind force you can deal with.
Be conservative in whatever you do

Please check below:

A P3 flown manually can do 15m/s, about 35mph.  In automatic flight such as RTH, it does 10m/s or about 20mph.  If you fly against winds of those speeds, you will not make any headway, the aircraft will not return to you, and you will lose the aircraft! Flying in speeds close to those maximums will not give any margin for safety, winds will gust from time to time and increase speed, leading to the aircraft being blown away.  Even flying with the wind, there will come a time when you want to stop moving sideways and land.  You will need enough power to fight the wind, come to a stop and hold position.  The aircraft will also be hard to control in strong wind.  As a rule of thumb, don't let the wind speed exceed half of the maximum rated speed of the aircraft.

DJI Susan Posted at 2017-9-11 19:46
Please check below:

The manual forget to mention "Do not fly in clear sunshine" ;-)

I have several times experienced the sensors get confused and the P4P refuse to fly further until i rotate AC in another direction.

Strange thing is that this can happen even with the OA sensor system disabled, likewise sometimes the "radar" see things that is not there.

Regarding the windspeed, i use common sense, in steady wind i would fly in higher windspeed than else.

I would use this 12G15 .... mph

endotherm Posted at 2017-9-11 23:05
A P3 flown manually can do 15m/s, about 35mph.  In automatic flight such as RTH, it does 10m/s or about 20mph.  If you fly against winds of those speeds, you will not make any headway, the aircraft will not return to you, and you will lose the aircraft!  Flying in speeds close to those maximums will not give any margin for safety, winds will gust from time to time and increase speed, leading to the aircraft being blown away.  Even flying with the wind, there will come a time when you want to stop moving sideways and land.  You will need enough power to fight the wind, come to a stop and hold position.  The aircraft will also be hard to control in strong wind.  As a rule of thumb, don't let the wind speed exceed half of the maximum rated speed of the aircraft.

Yes never try to exceed the maximum capability of the drone. Always fly your drone home with a tail wind if possible. Coming home from distance with a tailwind sure does save a lot of flying time. Phantom 3 Standard the Blackcrusader Menace.

I usually fly out and back.

If wind 0-9 mph - no hesitation

10-15 mph - cross wind I wouldn't fly.  Head wind or tail wind, I would fly.

16-20 mph - if it's a perfect head or tail wind, I'd consider it after double checking the props

Over 20 mph - no

Dji quads will handle 10 times more wind then they are rated for, if you want to see for your self, hover your quad then turn any leaf power on it. Its amazing how much wind they will handle..

Having suffered due to increased wind during last flight of my P3S - lost when battery ran out ... I advise extreme caution if any significant wind. It's fine saying with and against wind ... but in flight you experience wind shifts / gusts / squalls ... they all affect your getting home one way or another.

Forecast winds are usually for so many metres of the ground - but higher up can be significantly different, especially if a weather front is nearby.

My limit is - if I will not fly a regular RC model - then my P3P stays in its case.

Nigel

The higher you go, the more forceful and unpredictable the wind will be.  Not fun... but real.

The higher you go, the more forceful and unpredictable the wind will be.  Not fun... but real.

quadpilot Posted at 2017-9-12 03:53
hi nigel
did you loose your p3s just recent ?
was it the one you just had back from dji

No, the one back from DJI was a P3P that bricked with change of FW. They accepted it under warranty as DJI had modified boards 3x through P3P life and left it with possible consequences of bricking if board was Vers 1 or 2.

The lost P3 was my P3S ... I ran out 5km after a 1km run ... wind increased and RTH failed about 900m from home and went into the river. I rescued it but she's dead as a dodo ....

She is waiting for different gear .. I have full FPV gear and Flight Control to fit to her converting to a full aerobatic FPV job ... at approx. 1/2 the costs of repairs. It will also use a conventional RC transmitter giving over 2km range anyway ... not that I need it.

Nigel

I set my UAV forecast to 15 mph at 300 feet (my RTH altitude).  That is half the speed of my P3A.  Makes me feel safer, particularly if it is a longer flight.  

If you're close to a bluff, sudden updrafts are possible and unpredictable. I had my Mavic up about 30 feet, didn't even have my thumbs on the sticks, wind was fairly calm. A big gust came off the bluff and blew it sideways into a magnolia tree. It flipped upside down and crashed on a concrete parking lot curb. That was about a $500 repair. It could have been worse, at least it didn't go over the bluff and fall 1000 feet into the valley below.

Bluffs .. Cliffs .... Hillsides ........... all provide significant updraft when wind blows onto them .... its what Slope / Ridge Soarers use ...

Good indication is when you see the birds using the updraft ..... see that ? Unless you have a slope soarer - its not for your Drone !!

Nigel

KEDDK Posted at 2017-9-11 23:06
The manual forget to mention "Do not fly in clear sunshine" ;-)

I have several times experienced the sensors get confused and the P4P refuse to fly further until i rotate AC in another direction.

Manual always to provide what is the safest environment to fly in. Of course, in the end it is up to the pilot's discretion.

MrRobert5823 Posted at 2017-9-12 07:44
The higher you go, the more forceful and unpredictable the wind will be.  Not fun... but real.

It helps to practice to fly in atti mode just to make sure that your skills are there. For the same reason it is never wise to see how high you can go when you first get started.

Mark The Droner Posted at 2017-9-12 02:04
I usually fly out and back.

If wind 0-9 mph - no hesitation

Always a good idea to check the props to make sure that there is not any wear and tear not prevalent after the last flight.

DJI-Mark Posted at 2017-9-12 09:26
It helps to practice to fly in atti mode just to make sure that your skills are there. For the same reason it is never wise to see how high you can go when you first get started.

I can't believe that.... I am NOT joking... my first flight I kept it under 2 meters... THE WHOLE TIME!

MrRobert5823 Posted at 2017-9-12 09:51
I can't believe that.... I am NOT joking... my first flight I kept it under 2 meters... THE WHOLE TIME!

Well congrats. Hopefully you had fun. Please make sure to review the tutorials online as well as keep up on your knowledge. You will have a better experience that way.

DJI-Mark Posted at 2017-9-12 11:19
Well congrats. Hopefully you had fun. Please make sure to review the tutorials online as well as keep up on your knowledge. You will have a better experience that way.

Oh, that was a long time ago (ok 6 months) but I have a lot more confidence in my drone now.  I was just slow getting out of the gate... I totally have fun now!

MrRobert5823 Posted at 2017-9-12 11:58
Oh, that was a long time ago (ok 6 months) but I have a lot more confidence in my drone now.  I was just slow getting out of the gate... I totally have fun now!

Fantastic!!! We are here for you but glad you are having fun with your aircraft.