P3P does VERY well in strong winds

[AndyS]

I took my quad out along the River Thames in Kent at the weekend to try out the new Autopilot app. Had to walk across fields for a few miles to get where I wanted to with the wind increasing in strength as I got close to the river as you would expect near the English coastline. When we got to Shornemead Fort it was easily blowing 25mph+ gusts constantly and I was unsure about flying, especially as the wind was blowing out towards the water but I couldn't resist.

Pardon the pun but I was blown away how steady and manoeuvrable the bird was in the wind. Orbit on Autoflight worked really well except for a few seconds where the landing gear was in the shot because of the severe pitch(?) on the quad but the shots I got came out really good considering.

What's the strongest wind speed you feel comfortable flying in?

Check it out (you can see trees moving a lot in one of the shots due to the wind)

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Wibble]

Living in Wales it is always windy. The P3 is very very stable. Even in nasty gusting winds that swirl around. The problem is then 5mph over ground it takes a LONG time to come home!

 

[RoyVa]

You could hardly tell there was any wind. Nice shooting.

 

[SpunOne69]

The P3P is by far the most stable platform...I have 3 quads (350QX3, Q5004K and P3P) and the P3P is the only one that can handle wind in a decent fashion. The Q500 physically spun around in the air when it caught a bit of wind, and the 350QX3 is apt to just "fly away" if the wind gets too strong (had it happen once)...the P3P barely wobbles unless the wind is over 15-20mph.

 

[Great Pumpkin]

I would like to see your P3P's stability in a strong wind when it is just in hover mode.

Tell us about that fort. When was it used, how, and for what?

 

[Julius717]

I flew in 30+ mph winds in Maui at the peak of the volcano. Loudest I have ever heard my p3 while hovering but it held ground lol.

Also flew in about the same winds at treasure island , flew the bay bridge. P3 is a lot stronger then most believe , it's having the balls to fly it. I treat each flight as my last now. Eventually something will happen and you won't be able to stop it so GO FLY!!!

 

[BigKenny]

One word of caution. If the wind is too high on the ground...phantom can flip just from idling.

Found this out the hard way, but only damage was paint scrapes on the color coded sections of the props.

If you need to take off in high winds, do so with authority and remember the conditions when landing!

 

[Prometric]

Nice video. [emoji106]

 

[cdronefly]

It does do well - but don't be surprised if one day the winds are just a bit too strong and it doesn't come back! Mine almost went bye-bye once.

Best to use their specs which I think are 22MPH max. It's another thing if you are close to the ground and close by but winds at 300 feet can be double what they are at the ground. Beware...

 

[AndyS]

I would like to see your P3P's stability in a strong wind when it is just in hover mode.

Tell us about that fort. When was it used, how, and for what?

It was definitely having to fight the wind while hovering but it was staying exactly where I wanted it to, very impressive.

Don't know much about the fort to be honest, I just found it while looking at google maps and thought it might be a good spot as it's fairly remote with farmland all around.

Wikipedia says Shornemead Fort is a now-disused artillery fort that was built in the 1860s to guard the entrance of the Thames from seaborne attack. Because it was built on marshy ground it was subject to subsidence though and because of this it became unsafe for firing guns from it.
Shornemead Fort was in use from its completion in 1870 to its abandonment in the 1950s. Much of it was demolished by the Army Demolition School of the Royal Engineers in the 1960s <-- COOL JOB!!