Method
How we call go or no-go.
No log wind profiles. No paywalled 400 ft chart. Three numbers, your drone's published limit, and a buffer so gusts do not get the last word.
1. You pick the airframe.
Each model stores a max sustained wind in m/s from the manufacturer when they publish one. Pick a Mini 4 Pro, Air 3S, or browse the model database. Holy Stone and a few cinema airframes are class estimates — the calculator labels those so you are not guessing in silence.
2. We pull three heights.
Open-Meteo hourly wind at 10 m, 80 m, and 120 m, plus 10 m gusts. 120 m is about 394 ft — the US recreational ceiling. Gusts at 80 m and 120 m are scaled from the 10 m gust factor. That is conservative, not magic.
3. Peak wind vs the rating.
We take the worse of sustained and gust at each height. Under 65% of the rating: safe to fly. 65–85%: caution. 85% or more, or any gust at the limit: do not fly. That maps to DJI Level 4 vs Level 5 on the wind resistance spec. The extra 15% is for rotor wash, ridge rotors, and the fact that spec sheets are not warranties.
What this is not.
Not LAANC. Not a TFR check. Not a substitute for looking at the trees. If the app says go and the windsock says no, the windsock wins.
Questions
- Why 65% and 85%?
- They are planning buffers on this site, not FAA numbers. 65% of the published limit is caution; 85% or a gust at the limit is no-go. Spec sheets are not warranties.
- Why three heights?
- 10 m is takeoff. 80 m is a typical cruise. 120 m is about the US recreational ceiling. A single surface wind reading misses the top of the flight.