I had my Karma out in rather windy conditions. Don't know exactly how high, but definitely well beyond "mess up your long-ish hair" speed with gusts much higher. From my very long-ago sailing days I'd estimate around 20mph with gusts of ~30mph. Will be looking for more accurate tools to forecast and possibly measure wind speed in the future... I took the Karma up about 10-15 ft in an open section and let the wind and gusts beat on it for a few mins with hands on the controller in-case-of-emergency but allowed it to fight the gusts on it's own. It was working hard and drifted a bit up/down but largely seemed to be ok. I made a short flight for a 4-5 mins (see my Percy Peak video) and landed it manually without incident.
The Karma is rated by GoPro for "up to 22mph" wind speeds and in sport mode has a max air speed of 35mph (which of course should not be assumed is an acceptable wind speed). I want to understand how far I can push the Karma and the risks involved. I will likely try to find future opportunities where I know the wind speeds more accurately and can make short low level test flights in the safest environments.
I expect many will recommend that flying in any winds over the rated 22mph wind speed spec is inherently reckless
Which may be correct. However, in my experience engineers and product developers guard-band specifications. If GoPro quotes 22mph it can likely accommodate more. But unclear if 5% more or 30% more...
Would like to hear from others where they have strong insights about wind speeds and when their Karma's struggled or did not. Appreciate any posts or feedback here.
I expect this is a very subjective request. Who actually knows the specific speed of the constant or gusts? What about wind shear? etc... But would be interested to hear about your experiences.
The Karma is rated by GoPro for "up to 22mph" wind speeds and in sport mode has a max air speed of 35mph (which of course should not be assumed is an acceptable wind speed). I want to understand how far I can push the Karma and the risks involved. I will likely try to find future opportunities where I know the wind speeds more accurately and can make short low level test flights in the safest environments.
I expect many will recommend that flying in any winds over the rated 22mph wind speed spec is inherently reckless
Which may be correct. However, in my experience engineers and product developers guard-band specifications. If GoPro quotes 22mph it can likely accommodate more. But unclear if 5% more or 30% more...
Would like to hear from others where they have strong insights about wind speeds and when their Karma's struggled or did not. Appreciate any posts or feedback here.
I expect this is a very subjective request. Who actually knows the specific speed of the constant or gusts? What about wind shear? etc... But would be interested to hear about your experiences.