Journal · Field notes
What happens when it's windy on shoot day?
We check the gusts days ahead, not just on the morning. Around 20 knots we take note and plan around it. At 25 knots we have a proper look at moving the shoot. It's a judgement call on the day, and we only move a job if the drone shots would really suffer.
Both shoots this week had a gale warning on them. Both still happened.
Bonnett Road, Kaitaia
This one was booked for Monday. The forecast had gusts of 54 to 58 km/h, so we moved it to Thursday. Thursday still had a wind flag on it, but it was calm enough to fly. I had the photos edited by 5pm that day.
Wainui Road, Kaeo
Tuesday's job for Raine & Horne. The two forecasts disagreed with each other all week. We kept checking both and ran it as booked. The video was shared Wednesday, approved, up on YouTube with the music licence sorted. The agent asked why typos were showing on her video, and it was just YouTube's auto captions. Turn off CC and they're gone.
How we decide
Here's roughly how we call it:
- We look at gusts, not the average. A steady 15 knots is fine. Gusts are what push a drone around
- Around 20 knots of gust we take note and plan the flight for the calmest part of the day
- Around 25 knots we have a real talk about moving
- It's never an automatic cancel. Some sites are sheltered, and some shots don't need the drone at all
We check a few days out, so if something needs to move the agent hears about it early, not at 7am on the day.
Quarry re-cut in 19 minutes
Bellingham Quarries sent the exact shot list and pacing they wanted for their website video at 9:49 on Wednesday. It was back with them at 10:08. When someone writes down exactly what they want, it's quick. That's why I'll always ask for changes in writing.
Quick answers
Will you cancel my real estate shoot if it's windy?
Not straight away. We look at gusts, not the average wind. Around 20 knots we plan around it, around 25 knots we talk about moving the date. Often the shoot still goes ahead.
Which weather forecast do you use for drone shoots?
We cross-check Open-Meteo and MetService. When they disagree we keep watching both and make the call closer to the day.