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feature request: display wind speed and direction
2853 15 2016-3-6
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olo
lvl.2
Spain
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At healthydrones I could see in the flight log what wind speed and direction the P3 was experiencing.I would love to have this information available in real time on the screen while the Phantom is in the air.
I know I can put it on A mode and read the ground movement and direction, but if there was something more easy that would be great and help people bring their drone home before they run out of juice.
thank you

2016-3-6
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labroides
Captain
Flight distance : 9991457 ft
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Australia
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If a flyer can't tell wind direction and have an idea of the strength of the wind, giving them some numbers won't help much.
On the contrary, it would probably be more confusing than genuinely helpful.
2016-3-6
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sidtx
Second Officer
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labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-3-6 07:12
If a flyer can't tell wind direction and have an idea of the strength of the wind, giving them some  ...

The wind speed and direction my be completely different at the altitude where the aircraft is flying.  Especially for those of you that fly at or above 400ft.

Sid
2016-3-6
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davidson_g
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Could be useful or perhaps a warning if the winds at higher elevations are encroaching levels that might prevent RTH from being successful or beyond what the craft can safely handle.
2016-3-6
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gustofusion
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Alternate version.

If a flyer can't tell wind direction and have an idea of the strength of the wind, giving them some numbers may be very helpful.
On the contrary, it would probably be less confusing and genuinely helpful.
2016-3-6
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labroides
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sidtx Posted at 2016-3-7 00:54
The wind speed and direction my be completely different at the altitude where the aircraft is flyi ...

Some flyers have a silly notion that winds are mysterious and unknowable and they need technology to tell them what to do.
But managing wind just takes a tiny bit of common sense and thinking.
Whether you are flying a Cessna, a hot air balloon or a Phantom you have to do some thinking for yourself.
The forums are full of people unrealistically calling for laser altimeters, zoom lenses and wind instruments, things that are all unnecessary, would cost a lot and weigh the Phantom down.

The wind speed above will generally be higher and it doesn't take much effort or thinking to keep an eye on your speed and how it is affected.
If the wind is light there's nothing to worry about.
If it's strong enough to be a concern, you should always check it's strength by flying directly into it.
If you can only make 5 metres/sec, you know that the wind is 10 m/sec and you don't want to fly out any distance downwind because it's going to be a hard slog coming home.
Upstairs the wind will be stronger and at the heights the Phantom flies, it will be near enough to the same direction.

If DJI could mount some sort of wind data package and it was affordable, presenting wind data for the pilot would be complicated.
Making it simple and clear would be difficult and for many pilots, this would just be another thing to get confused over.
We see more than enough confusion with simple concepts like compass calibration and RTH.

2016-3-6
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labroides
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gustofusion Posted at 2016-3-7 01:22
Alternate version.

If a flyer can't tell wind direction and have an idea of the strength of the win ...

If a flyer is so obtuse that they can't tell wind direction and have an idea of the strength, numbers are only going to confuse them.
2016-3-6
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gustofusion
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United States
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Alternate version: If a flyer is not so obtuse that they can tell wind direction and have an idea of the strength, numbers are not going to confuse them.
2016-3-6
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olo
lvl.2
Spain
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Sorry have not been droning for a long while.
Yesterday I was flying in 20 km/h wind ( where the drone took off) and while my p3s was 800 meters away it looked suddenly on the screen as if she had hit a wall and there was no more forward movement. She was on the way back and my signal was strong).  The throttle stick was on full forward. I changed the altitude because there were some tall trees in front but I was well above them. The trees combined with a very high wall must have caused a wind accelleration what nearly maxed the P3s engines. It  would be simple and helpful for me if a combination of throttle position and gps position for ground speed could result in a warning of high wind. Full throttle and half the speed = high wind frontal. Full throttle and much faster than it should = high tail wind. If a drone flies high enough it is hard to see if you having the v max or if the wind is making you go half speed or speeds you up.

To be honest for me that would be helpful since I fly  where much different topographics make for different wind speeds and direction changes.
Here is a picture where it happened. the red arrow inicates the flight path and I was maybe 5 to 10 meters above the trees.
this shot is from a different flight.
mc.jpg
2017-4-27
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Nigel_
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olo Posted at 2017-4-27 10:56
Sorry have not been droning for a long while.
Yesterday I was flying in 20 km/h wind ( where the drone took off) and while my p3s was 800 meters away it looked suddenly on the screen as if she had hit a wall and there was no more forward movement. She was on the way back and my signal was strong).  The throttle stick was on full forward. I changed the altitude because there were some tall trees in front but I was well above them. The trees combined with a very high wall must have caused a wind accelleration what nearly maxed the P3s engines. It  would be simple and helpful for me if a combination of throttle position and gps position for ground speed could result in a warning of high wind. Full throttle and half the speed = high wind frontal. Full throttle and much faster than it should = high tail wind. If a drone flies high enough it is hard to see if you having the v max or if the wind is making you go half speed or speeds you up.

If you enter the Go app, then "enter device", then click the icon in the top right corner of the map, you get a circular display with the aircraft in the centre.  This shows a lot of information, including a compass showing your heading, an aircraft icon showing the aircraft's heading and maybe most importantly in blue the roll and pitch of the aircraft which you can use to judge the wind speed while in GPS mode.  If you are hovering then the blue should be horizontal and half up the circle, if the wind is blowing from the side it will tilt, if the wind is blowing from ahead it will rise etc. You can easily use this to check the wind speed as you change height in GPS mode.  If you are moving then you need to combine it with the horizontal speed since forward movement also pitches the aircraft.

OK, it doesn't sound an alarm if the aircraft gets stuck, or blown backwards, but it does allow you to check what is happening and helps you choose a height with acceptable wind.

If you want your alarm, you can upgrade to a P4, although I'm not sure many are happy with the current P4P wind alarm due to false alerts!
2017-4-27
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Geebax
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I would be interested to know how you measure wind speed from a model aircraft, let alone display it.
2017-4-27
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blackcrusader
First Officer
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Taiwan
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Geebax Posted at 2017-4-27 15:33
I would be interested to know how you measure wind speed from a model aircraft, let alone display it.

Also if you decide to fly downwind then you are asking for trouble when the wind speed may prevent your drone from returning home.  It has to be quite fast.  I fly in mountains and ravines where wind speeds and wind gusts can change very quickly.  It's my duty before I fly to decide whether or not the conditions are suitable for flying.  The drone simply is not equipped to give you what you are asking for.  
2017-4-27
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blackcrusader
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labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-3-6 14:12
If a flyer is so obtuse that they can't tell wind direction and have an idea of the strength, numbers are only going to confuse them.

Maybe not that bad but yes a person needs to use common sense. There are times when I have wanted to fly and just decided not to because of wind speeds at launch site.  
2017-4-27
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Nigel_
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Geebax Posted at 2017-4-27 15:33
I would be interested to know how you measure wind speed from a model aircraft, let alone display it.

If you are hovering then it is easy, you just look at the direction it is tilted to get the wind direction and how much it is tilted to get the wind speed.  

On the Go App it is easiest to use the blue artificial horizon display if you point the aircraft into the wind so that the blue is horizontal, the wind speed is then given by the height of the blue and the direction by the angle of the aircraft icon.
2017-4-28
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blackcrusader
First Officer
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Nigel_ Posted at 2017-4-28 00:49
If you are hovering then it is easy, you just look at the direction it is tilted to get the wind direction and how much it is tilted to get the wind speed.  

On the Go App it is easiest to use the blue artificial horizon display if you point the aircraft into the wind so that the blue is horizontal, the wind speed is then given by the height of the blue and the direction by the angle of the aircraft icon.

Might be hard to do that if your done is at max height and 2 miles distance above the clouds   However I did a fliight this morning after some rains and we had a nice low cloud level
and I could hover and see some mists floating by at a few miles per hour. You should also look at trees along the flight path as they can indicate wind.

2017-4-28
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olo
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Thanks Nigel
and I just found this Mavic video here what shows you a warning in high wind, so seems we are getting there.

mavic wind warning.jpg
2017-4-28
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