I flew my classic Mini 2 (not the SE) in Suisun Bay with sustained winds of about 30 mph. I watched the drone drift a bit, but the video looked smooth. I stayed on shore to avoid fighting headwinds and depleting my battery. I wouldn’t fly in heavier winds than that, but I’m impressed that an 8oz aircraft can handle it.
Each drone has a wind resistance rating called the Beaufort Scale. Look up the rating for your drone.
Expect reduced flight times as battery power is used to fight the wind to maintain position or move.
Depends. Smaller drones like the Potensic Atom can handle winds up to 25 mph.
It likely comes down to what size battery you use mostly.
The Potensic Atom (249g) performs well in strong winds. It was blasting in one direction and slow in another in normal mode, so I switched to Sport mode to get it back. It was fun, and the camera remained steady.
I’ve had nasty gusts try to whisk my whoop away, but I’ve managed to overpower the wind with enough stick input.
My DJI Mini 3 can fly in 28 mph winds and performs fantastically, but it significantly cuts your flight time.
I live in Boston, the windiest city in the US, and I can fly my Neo and Mini 4k probably over half the time during fall/winter when it’s windiest.
“Swept away”? “Stand firm”? If you want a non-subjective answer, asking subjective questions makes it hard. I’ve flown a Mini 2 for 3 years. No, it’s not easily swept away by wind.
My Mini 3 has handled gusts of 30 mph, although there was some drift.
I tried flying a heavier drone in still conditions yesterday, and it drifted wherever it felt like. I think it’s a problem with the drone, not me or the wind.
As stated, you can look up the specs. A key point is the wind is often stronger at higher altitudes, which drains the battery faster. It’s recommended to fly into the wind initially to help return when your battery gets low; otherwise, you might exhaust the battery before getting back.
I know the DJI line best, and the Mini series (after the first one) has similar wind resistance ratings to the Air, Mavic, and Phantom lines in normal mode. Smaller drones get buffeted harder in the wind, resulting in less stable video. Sport mode offers better performance to recover the drone in high winds, but you may see props in your video. I’ve been impressed with the Mini 2/3 in Maui, where the wind is typically strong.