Operations · 15 October 2026
Flying Calabar's rainy season
Calabar is one of the wettest cities in the country. Rain can arrive any month, and from May to October it arrives most days. Our flights still happen. This is how we plan.
By Effiong, chief pilot · Issue 11 · November 2026
Part 1
Mornings are gold
Storms in Calabar tend to build in the afternoon. In the rainy season we start flights at first light and aim to be packed by 11am. Most sites under 30 hectares fit in that window.
Part 2
Reading the sky
We check two weather models the night before and the radar at dawn. Wind over 30 kilometres an hour, rain, or low cloud below our flight height means we wait. Light drizzle that stops quickly is fine once the lens is dry.
When we move a flight, we tell you by 6am and offer the next clear morning. There is never a charge for a weather day.
The safest flight is the one you postpone by a day.
Part 3
Protecting the kit and the data
Drones and batteries hate damp. They travel in sealed cases with silica gel, and batteries are kept cool in the car. We back up images on site to two cards before leaving.
Cloud shadows can make a map patchy, so on mixed days we fly lower and faster, or split the site over two mornings.
