What is considered by DJI and/or the forum members to be the maximum wind speed in MPH for safe operation of the P3S?

It depends what you want to do with it but it's probably more than you would guess.
The P3 can make 15 metres/sec (35 mph) in still air
Above that it would get blown backwards.
In a 30 mph wind it would make very slow headway.
But in winds that strong you'd have difficulty launching and landing safely

i believe 15   any higher you will be eisking a blowaway

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-8 14:39
i believe 15   any higher you will be eisking a blowaway

The Phantom can easily handle more than 15 mph winds.
It can maintain position and not be blown away in 25 knots.

The wind speed should not be higher than Level 4

Baldo81 Posted at 2016-4-8 18:33
but I saw videos of Phantoms filming kitesurfers, and the wind by the sizes of the kites was at le ...

It is possible but we do not recommend to fly in such windy conditions.

DJI-Paladin Posted at 2016-4-8 20:53
It is possible but we do not recommend to fly in such windy conditions.

DJI are extremely conservative in their recommendations.
They recommend not flying over water, calibrating your compass every flight .. or every different location (make your mind up - the manual can't decide) and never flying in winds in excess of force 4.
But the Phantom is hardly working in force 4 and will hold position in a force 6.
Whether you choose to do that is up to you.

I think they're right to be conservative. Having lost a P3P in 15mph gusting to 20+ at ground level in a blow-away I now am! Beaufort level 4 goes up to 18mph but my own personal limit is 15 and only flying into the wind at 10+.

yes i dont enjoy anything over 15mph it just becomes stressful and you have to be so mindful of wind direction as return times may double.

Flyers are entitled to whatever personal limits they choose but the Phantom is capable of much more than many imagine.
The Phantom can fly at 35 mph and can hold position in winds close to that.
It can make 20 mph over the ground flying into a headwind of 15 mph.
In many parts of the world you don't get much flying if you stay grounded above 15 mph.

What's with these clains of Phantoms being blown away by breezes of 15-20 mph?
A Phantom can easily make headway in those conditions.

In windy conditions never fly away downwind - always start by going upwind.
That way you know what your speed will be in a worst case situation.
There are lots of cases of people flying away with a strong wind and not being able to get home against a strong headwind.

Also be aware that if you let RTH do the driving, it's a slow driver and will only do 22 mph which might not be enough in a headwind situation.
You can drive 15 mph faster if you take over.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-4-8 01:20
The Phantom can easily handle more than 15 mph winds.
It can maintain position and not be blown aw ...

this question was asked about the P3P

Speed in no wind stated by dji in atti mode is 35 mph.

My P3P goes roughly 25-6 in no wind while in P/gps mode

phantom3 can handle more what 15 mph wind but practically, not really.   throw a few gusts in and you could be in trouble.    anything over 15 sustained unless you know how to fly in atti you aren't going to have much fun and may lose your bird.    if your flying with the wind you will go really far pretty fast.     if you lose signal and your drone has to return home, as stated by another poster RTH goes 22 mph   
  if you lose your drone a mile down wind  and it tries coming back its only going to be returning at roughly 7 mph   which is about 8.5 min return flight.  

Yes it can maintain stable flight over 15    even 20 mph wind.  but wonlt me much fun except in 1 direction.       P4 on the other hand.   totally different creature.   ive flown in 20 mph sustained winds with gusts with complete ease.   threw in atti mode a couple days ago on a breezy day and got up to 60.5 mph  

P3 not too useful over 15 mph, and can loose drone if not careful.    P4 easily eat 25 mph wind with no problems with skilled pilot  

quickpoint Posted at 2016-4-9 15:30
this question was asked about the P3P

Speed in no wind stated by dji in atti mode is 35 mph.

And I was talking about the P3 too.  Read my post again.
If yours doesn't zip along at 35 mph in still air, there's something wrong with it.

If you are dumb enough to go long distance downwind in a strong wind or you leave RTH to do the driving in strong winds, you will have trouble with any drone.  
That's operator error and not the fault of the drone.

The P3 is extremely capable of dealing with wind and your suggestion that you could be in trouble in winds over 15 mph or that the P3 is not too useful over 15 mph doesn't match what experience in those conditions shows.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-4-9 04:48
And I was talking about the P3 too.  Read my post again.
If yours doesn't zip along at 35 mph in s ...

so called common sense isnt all to common anymore.   if you see all the dumb accidents and losses due to weather,  (sorry mafia16)  its someone inexperienced who can't handle conditions or know how to handle them.   

P3 can handle alot.   but dumb people can not.   people can easily get caught up in the moment showing off drone gets too far away as they get cocky and its never seen again.   

First rule of thumb check the weather and make sure you can safely fly
Second know what you are doing  and what your machine is able to do,   do not fly to extremes often in order to safely return your drone.   if you fly in rough weather often enough you will get hit with something unexpected that will exceed what the drone can handle then you just out of luck

People live their whole lives till die,   just because its never happened to you before,  doesn't mean it never will. (don't read too much into that)

Good afternoon. We are asked this question quite often. Our recommendation is that you do not fly in over 15-20mph winds. Anything over that is pushing it. It is doable but it is not recommended.  

CloudCityDrones Posted at 2016-4-9 15:04
Good afternoon. We are asked this question quite often. Our recommendation is that you do not fly in ...

Tried to fly in over 20mph wind the other day and regretted it. The extra strain on the battery isn't worth it. By the way your logo is remarkably similar to the spectrum logo from Captian Scarlet, minus the colours. Are you indestructible like him?

Just a clarification on this, normally the weather tells you of 2 speeds the wind speed and the gusting speed. So for example tuesday wind speed 10 mph gusting to 20mph. So would it be safe to fly if for example it was 15mph winds gusting to 25mph because the gust are only every now and then so you can make headway and remain stable. Or do you only look at the first number the general wind speed not the gusting wind speed?

You can't just look up the wind speed.  The most important thing is what kind of flying you're doing.  If you're simply buzzing around at 100 feet. that's one thing.  400 feet is a whole different ball game.  If you're going for distance straight out and back, you can handle a much higher wind speed than normal provided the wind is coming straight at you or straight away from you as you head out.  Is the wind speed increasing or decreasing?  it matters - especially if you're flying on the edge of your battery range.  If you're going for distance straight out and back and you have a cross wind, you must be extremely cautious because that cross wind, even if it seems manageable, will ruin you.  It will kill your battery, throw you off course, and if you're rural it will force you to trample through the woods and corn fields wondering what in the world went wrong.  Mooooo.  If you're urban, you'll end up on here making a new thread and posting your log trying to blame DJI for your lost AC, and then somebody like Lambroides will calmly explain to you in intimate detail that you screwed up.  

I set my maximum at 15 mph at 300 feet.  I always check the UAV forecast site (https://www.uavforecast.com) before flying.   

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-4-8 06:00
Flyers are entitled to whatever personal limits they choose but the Phantom is capable of much more than many imagine.
The Phantom can fly at 35 mph and can hold position in winds close to that.
It can make 20 mph over the ground flying into a headwind of 15 mph.

Captain, in your opinion, if you were only worried about video quality (steady), what is the highest wind speed that would work? Maybe 10 mph?
Thank you for your opinion. Ray

Uncle Stumpy Posted at 2017-6-24 00:45
Captain, in your opinion, if you were only worried about video quality (steady), what is the highest wind speed that would work? Maybe 10 mph?
Thank you for your opinion. Ray

Sorry ... I'm a stills shooter so I'm not sure but I suspect the gimbal would handle things pretty well at any wind speed you fly.
In still air, it works just fine as you fly at 35 mph.  
For the camera, that's the same as hovering in a 35 mph wind.

And not perfect but try http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/iw ... fort_Wind_Chart.pdf for an easy estimate.

Labroides Posted at 2017-6-24 04:29
Sorry ... I'm a stills shooter so I'm not sure but I suspect the gimbal would handle things pretty well at any wind speed you fly.
In still air, it works just fine as you fly at 35 mph.  
For the camera, that's the same as hovering in a 35 mph wind.

A completely logical answer, why didn't I think of it?
You are the first guy I talked to who shoots stills.... most everybody wants video.
I imagine you get some great shots!
Thanks again.

sky wombat Posted at 2017-6-24 06:38
And not perfect but try http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/iwx/publications/Beaufort_Wind_Chart.pdf for an easy estimate.

I was actually going to Google for something like this, but this saves me the trouble.
I am going to print this.
Thanks!!!

ps, I like the pic of your drone! A Toys r us 500?

Uncle Stumpy Posted at 2017-6-24 07:48
I was actually going to Google for something like this, but this saves me the trouble.
I am going to print this.
Thanks!!!

nup CX-Stars nano drone & came with the p3p thereby showing warped sense of humour of supplier. It has a mind of its own and even the cat won't eat it {:4_142:}

sky wombat Posted at 2017-6-25 02:34
nup CX-Stars nano drone & came with the p3p thereby showing warped sense of humour of supplier. It has a mind of its own and even the cat won't eat it

That's funny!

I flew a realestate job today in very windy conditions. Max gust 71kph. I had to use sport mode to fly into wind. My p4 pro handled it very well though I wouldn't do it without having time constraints.

i took my standard in 33 mph took forever to fly away from me but coming home was fast! also if you fly in a higher wind fly into it first some it can make it home safely

Labroides Posted at 2017-6-24 04:29
Sorry ... I'm a stills shooter so I'm not sure but I suspect the gimbal would handle things pretty well at any wind speed you fly.
In still air, it works just fine as you fly at 35 mph.  
For the camera, that's the same as hovering in a 35 mph wind.

I tend not to be flying at speed when shooting photos. I prefer to get to a location then hover and take several photos. I do have one of my drone leaving a scene at speed though

Uncle Stumpy Posted at 2017-6-24 00:45
Captain, in your opinion, if you were only worried about video quality (steady), what is the highest wind speed that would work? Maybe 10 mph?
Thank you for your opinion. Ray

For myself I prefer wind speeds of less than 10mph.   I did one video hovering at near max height but during the flight encountered a very strong wind. a tail wind.

My drone fly home at over 50mph with the assist.  I also went to critical battery auto land at 35% battery due to the strain of the drone hovering for 10 mins. However with the height I had even with autoland my drone was at home point before it had finished descending and power levels were back to normal.  I was fortunate and flew my drone home at max throttle. My drones altitude was at over 10500 feet in a -10c air with the wind chill as well.  Was filming an early morning sunrise.

An old wise man once said. Never fly in stronger winds than you can manually fly your vessel home in ATTI mode without GPS !!!   

Regards Leif.

DJI-Paladin Posted at 2016-4-8 01:39
The wind speed should not be higher than Level 4

Sorry but I have to ask...
Please define "level 4"
I've heard of Kts, mph, kph, and then you have your mag winds, true, winds aloft, surface winds blah blah blah...but I've never heard of defining wind speed by a level designation.  So, please define and if it's not to much trouble provide a link or reference to what this designation is?
Thank you

aaron.ferguson@ Posted at 2016-4-8 04:28
I think they're right to be conservative. Having lost a P3P in 15mph gusting to 20+ at ground level in a blow-away I now am! Beaufort level 4 goes up to 18mph but my own personal limit is 15 and only flying into the wind at 10+

Silly me, but when dealing with aircraft operating limits, why do we need to be mudding the waters by using the Beaufort scale for winds and sea state, using a range of wind speeds per level?  When aircraft limits are determined for takeoff/landing it is typically for the actual current conditions not a range, and is recalculated based on any changes.  To me a limit is a set figure, in this case a speed, just as you have for a max range, max altitude, max speed, etc.  

Further, operating a small lightweight aircraft in any kind of gusty wind conditions would never be a good idea.  Due to the aircrafts lightweight, pilot response time, and thrust available all together can easily be exceeded by true gusting winds.  If the max wind speed limit is 25 kts steady state, and you are operating in current conditions of 15 kts steady state with gusts to 25 kts, then it is very likely that you will not be able to compensate for those rapid changes in conditions to the extent that you can avoid loss of control or a crash.  Just operating in 10 kts steady state with gust to 20 can make it an extremely challenging flying environment to avoid crashing the craft on takeoff/landing or in to nearby objects.  Pilot judgement, experience, and aircraft performance capability are key factors in dealing with such challenging environments anyway.  Just because the box, manual, or expert says the bird can fly in 30 kts does not mean you should, unless you have the experience, ability, and you are certain that your aircraft has the performance capability to work in that environment.

i flew in a bit over 20mph, not recommended though.. definitely at that speed, if u r not "up wind" for return trip, it may not be pleasant... and any higher than that or gusty, u may have real issues...  when flying with any gusts above 20, i really noticed that...  mind you, i know this after the flight, based on healthydrones...  during the flight, iit's just a perception,  or letting it drift in atti mode for a few sec....  in general, if the ground level feels too windy, i will just not fly.... but i would take sustained wind over gusty, any time....

In UAV forecast, I set my limit at 15 mph at 300 feet.  That is half it's maximum speed.

DJI-Paladin Posted at 2016-4-8 01:39
The wind speed should not be higher than Level 4

What do you mean level four? I am planning to fly my phantom 3 standard. The wind speed is 8 mph/12.87475 kilometers. Is that a safe wind speed? I use the iPod 6th generation as my screen to view the drone's camera feed.

djilover10 Posted at 2017-8-22 16:45
What do you mean level four? I am planning to fly my phantom 3 standard. The wind speed is 8 mph/12.87475 kilometers. Is that a safe wind speed? I use the iPod 6th generation as my screen to view the drone's camera feed.

Your Phantom won't even notice 8mph.
It can handle much stronger winds than that.
You just have to be careful what you do in strong winds with landing and takeoff and not fly off a great distance downwind.

I would say 12-15mph, then you have enough reserve if you get to far down wind.

When people get onto wind speed etc. - they always get units mixed up ... here we have some talking in MPH ... others talking in KNOTS .... please remember that KNOTS are higher speed number for number than MPH .... :



So those flying in 15 kts are actually flying in strong winds that many will not attempt ....

As a P3 owner who fell foul of wind speed on RTH - i caution flying in strong or increasing wind conditions and be aware of being able to get home !!  Forget all the crap about ATTI mode vs P-GPS etc. - just MAKE SURE you have plenty of battery left to get home !!

Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2017-8-23 02:46
When people get onto wind speed etc. - they always get units mixed up ... here we have some talking in MPH ... others talking in KNOTS .... please remember that KNOTS are higher speed number for number than MPH .... :

[view_image]

Forget everything else and consider the wind direction.
You can easily fly in a strong wind ... as long as you aren't flying away downwind because that will mean a fight against a headwind coming home.

Go out against a headwind and it doesn't matter how much it slows your Phantom, you'll be able to get back easily.

Dangerous? Yes. Fun? Yes. High winds you can really get the MPH up, do the same with my RC planes. Most of the time that's when I get the planes out