I use a combination of Ventusky (pretty accurate and 14 days ahead but clunky to open for the information I want) and UAV Forecast, (week ahead but when it disagrees with Ventusky I believe Ventusky, and instantly visual ‘good to fly’ information). If they disagree, I usually x-ref with Windy, or the Met. Office site.
UAV Forecast gives visibility, dew point, wind chill. , satellite, and kp predictions which Ventusky doesn’t. Ventusky does tides but with hopelessly inaccurate heights, so I use a tide app for anything coastal.
Hi, i hope I’m not wasting any bodies time but a prog I’ve used for flying and astro for years is CLEAR OUTSIDE for good air, cloud,wind, visibility etc conditions.
Cheers, Eb
Interesting for different cloud heights, but in general doesn’t seem to do anything that UAV Forecast doesn’t, while UAV Forecast does things that Clear Outside doesn’t, such as gusts, solar, and sats. CO is intended for use as an astronomers’ visibility forecast, and is probably very effective in that role, but I would say there are better forecasts for drone-flying and UAVF, despite the concerns raised in this topic, is one of them…
I particularly like the tabular forecast and graph 3-day in UAVF; a lot of information instantly available on one page. For longer period forecasts Ventusky is pretty good, but does not have solar or satellite data and is a little less convenient to use. Airdata forecasting seems very flaky in comparison to both these, and is indeed not (to my mind) the main purpose of this app.
Backed by data from Windy, Weather Radar, and the Met. Office app, these are what I use for flying purposes and do not feel I need any more.
I’m looking at the £6.49 annual version of UAV Forecast, but confused about the 1 favourite location. Does this mean I can only get information for one location, or that I can only specify one favourite? Any help needed, as I found this useful for whether to fly on the day…
A lot of companies start out free to build a user base, or get free data from the community, then lock it behind a paywall to monetize what they gained for free under the auspices of a shared and open resource.
I know some of youse guys are scornful of the effects of the Kp index, solar storms &c. Did anyone experience any untoward effect in last week’s ‘event’. or am I still being overcautious in not flying when UAVF tells me not to because of red Kp?
And what about Dew Point? Hasn’t really reared it’s ugly until now, so what does The Collective make of damp weather and soggy drones; do you just fly anyway and get away with it or is this a no-no? Do you get a warning in DJI Fly like the high wind warning if condensation starts to form on your drone, and is it timely enough to land safely?
I notice a disparity between ‘good to fly’ conditions between UAVF, Ventusky, and Airdata, which seems to stem from the different parameters contained in each. Ventusky wouldn’t give you a ‘not good to fly’ reading based on dew point because it doesn’t have that information, but it does show icon information for fog & mist, which would suggest this could be an issue.
I’m trying to wean myself off UAVF, I’ll keep it for now because I’ve paid for it but intend not to re-subscribe when the time is up.
Nobody on the face of this planet has ever lost a drone because of a KP value, a dew point value or any other meaningless value that a drone weather app has told them.
The more you fly the more experience you’ll get and you’ll soon have the instincts to determine if you can fly or not.
At which point you’ll then delete all those pointless weather apps
Just to add, if the Met Office can’t get the forecast right for the next four hours using five decades of experience and tens of millions of pounds of investment in super-computers, what chance does a £5 quid app have?
Are you sending that from the 1990s? The forecast from about 3 days out is now pretty solid and on the day is uncannily good. It’s never going to be perfect.
(Vicky Pollard voice) Yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah…
Kp is a bit of a mystery to most of us; invisible, undetectable by human senses, it may as well not exist. If nobody’s had a fried drone or lost one because of interference with siganl, I’ll ignore it for the most part, and be ‘aware’ of it when it’s in the red and double figures.
But condensation is more obvious, and my drones, like most, are a bit exposed to the weather presumably to prevent them from overheating. I can see how mist or fog, or dew, water droplets/condensate in general, could get in there and short stuff out, and how I might lose the drone before I can get it home. So I worry about it; I’m a worrier, and if I don’t have something to worry about, I worry. It makes no difference to anything but it’s how I am!
Ok, I’ll get out there and fly. I’ll stay home if it’s too windy or there’s rain, and probably if it’s dull if I want to flim anything, but apart from that, if I haven’t anything else on, I’ll get out there and fly. I’ve build enough confidence now to realise that the more flying experience I have the better I’ll be at it, and the less likely it is that I’ll get into trouble (seagulls willing).
Yeh, you dont have to film or take pictures continously either. Sometimes its just good to get up and fly your drone and get your hours up, practice your skills etc…
The weather report I received yesterday, windy in that direction. And the sky wasnt too dark so it wasnt going to rain any time soon either
