High wind environment question

Ecriscit thought this was worth mentioning said Tue, Aug 25th 2015 at 11:07am ET

I have been lurking around here and reading with interest many of these threads. The 3d printer one I found especially interesting as a way to fabricate parts.

Anywho. I have high wind at my home, especially in the winter months. Having said that, is/are drones capable of handling higher wind speeds? I don't want to buy something to only be able to use it 9 times a year. I am automatically cutting out about 4 months of the year, and my avg wind speed is about 9mph, but being on top of a hill/mountain, they often gust much higher. I don't want to have to travel to the valley to use this. I have a little bit of land at my home with some clear field, and would love to fly it around to at least annoy the crows and groundhogs.

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ruouttaurmind said Tue, Aug 25th 2015 at 12:41pm ET:

@Ecriscit, most of the GPS enabled drones should be able to handle windy conditions without much problem. 9mph wouldn't be a challenge for even the lower priced Cheerson CX-20 (about $235) or the slightly more expensive DJI Phantom v1.1.1 (for sale here for $295).

When you start talking about gusting conditions, the smaller, lighter, less powerful models have a bit more of a challenge. If you have a 9mph wind with gusts up to 12-14mph, that's a modest challenge even for the CX-20 or Phantom 1. If you're talking about gusting of 18-20mph, that requires more power and more weight to stay put. Something like a Walkera QR X350 Pro, 3DR Iris or Solo, Phantom 3, Walkera Scout, DJI F450, or stepping up to a hexacopter like the DJI F550 or Walkera Tali H500 (all priced between about $500 to $1000).

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- @Ecriscit, Take a look at this video. It's what appears to be a Phantom 2 in 29mph gusts.
  
  ruouttaurmind said Tue, Aug 25th 2015 at 12:51pm ET
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Ecriscit said Tue, Aug 25th 2015 at 3:45pm ET:

thank you.

I figured it wouldn't handle winter at all, as the wind is commonly around 20 mph daily (which is why I have been considering a wind turbine). Gusts in winter are in excess of 30 regularly.

So, if I understand this correctly, a phantom 1 or 2 should be ok for my standard 5-15 mph days (15 high). And a 2 would be better suited for a 15 day. I'm just saying phantoms, as they seem to be readily available at a discount since the newer models are out (just an observation from some more than mild perusing).

I haven't locked down my decision yet, still seeking information.

THanks for the video, it made me laugh.

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  ruouttaurmind said Tue, Aug 25th 2015 at 10:52pm ET
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djslack said Wed, Aug 26th 2015 at 9:04am ET:

The only thing I can add is that I've flown my Phantom FC40 (equivalent to Phantom 1) in 10-15mph gusty winds and it didn't have any issues at all. The bigger and more powerful the quad, the less wind will affect it.

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