Patent ID: 8571729

Claim:
A method for operating an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method comprising: flying the unmanned aerial vehicle at a constant bank angle in which the unmanned aerial vehicle crosses an intended ground track for the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the constant bank angle is a first constant bank angle and wherein flying the unmanned aerial vehicle at the constant bank angle in which the unmanned aerial vehicle crosses the intended ground track for the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises: flying the unmanned aerial vehicle in a first turn at the first constant bank angle in which the unmanned aerial vehicle crosses the intended ground track for the unmanned aerial vehicle, and flying the unmanned aerial vehicle in a second turn at a second constant bank angle in which the unmanned aerial vehicle crosses the intended ground track for the unmanned aerial vehicle from an opposite direction of the intended ground track; identifying information about a wind using positions of the unmanned aerial vehicle flying at the constant bank angle, wherein identifying the information about the wind using the positions of the unmanned aerial vehicle flying at the constant bank angle comprises identifying the information about the wind using the positions of the unmanned aerial vehicle flying at the first constant bank angle and the second constant bank angle; and adjusting flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle to fly on the intended ground track based on the wind identified by identifying a wind correction angle using the information about the wind identified and adjusting a heading of the unmanned aerial vehicle such that the unmanned aerial vehicle flies on the intended ground track.