DJI recommendations to prevent droplet drift

56th minute of webinar

In this section we will discuss the effects of weather conditions on drone operations. On top of that, we will see why do we need anti-drift agents.

Here is a graphical presentation of the effects of weather conditions on spraying operations.

This is generic overview and you have ask your drone dealer for specific parameters of your drone model.

Yes, the wind speed has negative influence on the following parameters : flight height, flight speed, spread and overall productivity. All of them have to be reduced to some extent depending on the actual wind speed.

 Wind speed also will have influence on the droplet size and spraying rates, which have to increase depending on the actual wind speed.

As you can see, depending on the wind speed the drone is flying at different heights from 2 to 5 meters and spraying different droplet size from 150 to 200 microns.

Spread, which is basically the width of sprayed area, depends on the drone height and varies from 4 to 10 meters.

Minimum height of 2 meters is recommended when the wind speed is close to 4 m/s and maximum height 4 to 5 meters during windless conditions.

Needless to say, with wider spread you will get much better work efficiency.
As you can see, if you decide to fly during windy conditions, your total daily productivity will be 40-50% lower.

So, what is the main conclusion?

Your work efficiency depends on weather conditions as well as on planning. 

When you look at the weather forecast for various locations, you can chose to fly where the wind speed is lowest and that is where your drone will be most efficient. 

Or, you might postpone the flights until the later time, when the wind speed is lower.

In any case, make sure you do a proper planning and utilize drones in most efficient manner.

You might ask me, so when is the best time of the day for spraying? 

Generally, night and early morning is the time when the wind speed is lowest and midday or after midday, on opposite, is the time when wind speed is highest.

Of course, the wind pattern might be influenced by warm and cold air masses passing by your region.

Few words of caution - you should never fly above 5 meters and make to check the product label or country guidelines for choosing the droplet size.