Let us plan. Let us C1. Let Us Drone. Gosh, I wish there was a way I could pre-program a flight for my buddies upcoming mountain bike race. I know the race layout and having the drone autonomously fly it so I can focus on getting awesome video and pictures of him tearin' it up would be great! 

Enter Waypoints, an intelligent flight mode that would be perfect for the above scenario. Waypoints allows you to pre-record multiple spots in the sky that make up a flight path for your drone. You can either set them on a previous day/flight, or you can set them just before you would like the drone to execute that flight path. 

What is the Waypoint intelligent flight mode?

As mentioned above, Waypoints is an intelligent flight mode that lets you create a flight mission ahead of time. Other than just being really cool, this flight mode is extremely helpful when you are limited by time. 

By flying around to different areas and recording the desired spots along the way, you are able to create an entire flight path for your drone. Store that mission for an upcoming event, or immediately execute it to watch the drone follow along the path you just created. 

What drones have the Waypoint mode?

I have created a table of the DJI drones that are equipped with the Waypoints intelligent flight mode. Keep in mind that this table displays which drones have Waypoints on the DJI GO and GO 4 app.

Some third-party apps may make Waypoints available for drones that don't have it available as a flight mode on the GO/GO 4 apps. 

For example, Litchi is a third-party app that is available to purchase for Android and Apple devices that enables Mavic Air users to use Waypoints, which is not an option if those users are using the GO 4 app. 

Lastly, please observe when this post was written or updated as DJI may either add or takeaway Waypoints for one or more of their drones with future firmware updates. 

When to use Waypoints

When I use Waypoints, it's generally when I need to get pictures or video of something in various angles but I am limited by time.

I can pre-record my flight path and when it's go-time I simply start the Waypoint mission and the drone autonomously flies along the route so I can focus on getting the pics/vids that I need. 

Maybe you've been hired as a drone photographer at a wedding. The wedding party is going to be hot and sweaty in their fancy outfits, so baking in the summer sun while the drone pilot takes his sweet time to set-up the perfect shot is going to turn a few would-be smiles into a frown-fest. 

Before the wedding takes place, go out there and set-up a Waypoint mission so the perfect shots will be captured before those sweaty groomsmen and bridesmaids even realize there was a drone overhead. 

Maybe you want to get footage of a fluid event, like a parade or mountain bike race. Since you literally can't ask the subjects to stop because so you can set-up the shot, having a quickly accessible Waypoint mission to pull up would be ideal. 

There isn't a rule written in stone for when you should use Waypoints (or any other intelligent flight mode, for that matter). Get creative when using Waypoints, and share your ideas or experiences with us!

How to use Waypoints

The first thing you need to do is launch the drone. Waypoints can-not be used until the drone is airborne. 

Like with any other intelligent flight mode, go ahead and put the drone in P-mode. Intelligent flight modes can only be used when the drone is in P-mode. 

While in camera view of the DJI GO 4 app, go ahead and tap on the little RC icon (drone icon if you're using the GO app) which will bring up the intelligent flight modes. 

Browse through the list until you find Waypoints.

After selecting Waypoints, you will have the option to either start recording a new Waypoints mission or select a previously saved mission under “favorite missions”.

Start recording Waypoints

Record a waypoint by pressing the C1 button on the back of the RC. Press C2 to delete the previously set waypoint. When you choose to start recording Waypoints, you will see a display of how many Waypoints you have set and the total distance of the flight.

Max radius: you cannot be more than 500 meters from the home point when recording a waypoint. 

Max path length: the total Waypoints mission can-not be more than 5000 meters in length.

Go ahead and record the remaining waypoints and press “done” when you have finished.

This will bring up a screen with four pieces of information. 

1. Distance from the starting point. 
2. Head to: Adjustable heading, route-linked heading, or free. 
3. Mission complete: Hover or RTH. 
4. Speed. 

Under this settings menu, we can tell the drone what it's heading should be doing as it flies the mission and also what the drone will do when the mission is complete. Let's take a look at our heading options first. 

Adjustable heading- This means that whatever heading you have the drone at when you record a waypoint, this is the direction the drone will have it's heading at when it flies the mission.

The drone will slowly pan to the next waypoint as it flies in that direction, which makes for some nice cinematic shots. Here is an example of that.

Route-linked heading- By selecting this, the heading will be as it was when you recorded the waypoint mission. If you stop, yaw 90 degrees to the right and record a waypoint, that is exactly what the drone will do as it later flies the mission. Here is what that looks like. 

Free- This is the option that gives you the most control. When in free mode, you will be able to adjust the yaw of the drone as you please while it executes the mission. 

So, what heading option should you choose? Well, it depends on what you're using the Waypoints flight mode for. If you are using it to get particular angles that you know won't change (like of stationary objects), then I'd use the adjustable heading or route-linked heading options so your hands are free to use the camera. If you are trying to get good shots of a quick moving mountain bike race or something, I'd definitely use the “free” mode so you have the ability to adjust the yaw as needed. 

It's important to note that you can adjust the gimbal pan in any of the heading options. 

After you have selected which heading option you want, what you want the drone to do when it completes the mission (hover or RTH), and the speed at which you want the drone to fly at, you're ready to hit “apply”. 

After hitting apply, this will bring up the screen where you can set your desired altitude if the low battery RTH is triggered. Set this in accordance with your environment. Hit apply one more time and the mission will be uploaded. 

Flight during Waypoints mission

The drone will proceed to fly to waypoint #1 and begin the mission. You can adjust the speed at any time during the mission by bringing up the menu in the bottom right-hand corner where the Waypoints icon is.  

In the map view you can see where you have set the waypoints at and what the distance is from each. 

Favorite mission

So say that you would like to set-up a mission for a later date. Go ahead and record your waypoints as instructed above. When you finish setting them, that mission will be stored under favorite missions. Tap the star on the right to save the mission. 

The app will automatically save the last three missions you have created, but don't forget to tap that star to save the mission you have created for a later date. 

How to exit Waypoints

If you're currently flying a waypoint mission and you'd like to cancel it for whatever reason, you have a couple of options. 

You can either tap on the red “x” on the screen or switch the drone out of P-mode. I was under the impression that tapping on the pause button on the RC would cancel the mission as well, but in my recent tests this was not working. 

In my recent tests I was having GPS problems, which really messes up your Waypoint mission. What I mean is that if your drone loses GPS signal (even if it's just for a second), the mission will be cancelled and you will have to start it over from the beginning. 

This was quite frustrating for me, and would definitely be for those that are using the Waypoints intelligent flight mode for commercial purposes where time is of the essence. 

Limitations and other app options

The Waypoints intelligent flight mode is not perfect. Here are some of the limitations I've found when using the DJI GO or GO 4 apps. 

• You can't name the missions. This seems like an easy feature that should be included. Yes, you can see the date and other info about the mission, but being able to name it would be very useful. 
• Max radius of 500m and max flight path of 5000m. I get the DJI is concerned with people setting enormously sized Waypoints missions and having the number of flyaway complaints shoot up there, but these limitations really restrict some applications. 
• DJI makes it difficult to access previously set Waypoint missions. You can not see a list of your missions unless you are airborne. This is ridiculous. You should be able to see your missions while on the ground or offline. 
• If you realize that waypoint number 32 of 55 isn't set right, instead of setting a new location for waypoint 32, you need to start the whole mission over. This is very time-consuming, especially for an intelligent flight mode that is intended to save us time.  
• The fact that I have to start the mission from the beginning if I lose GPS signal for a second is frustrating. Yes, I get that the drone needs GPS to fly the mission, but having the drone just pause (as it waits for a GPS signal) while having the mission still loaded would be nice. 

Ground station pro- This is a free iPad app (with in-app purchase options) that allows you to customize the Waypoint missions. Here is an example of what that looks like. To read more about this option on the DJI website, click here.

Litchi- Some people believe that Litchi is king when it comes to waypoints, and I'd have to agree. Litchi is a paid app that you can use to fly your drone instead of using the DJI GO or GO 4 apps. 

Since this particular post is not about Litchi, I won't be getting into the specifics, but I'd strongly recommend that you check out some of its features if you intend to be using waypoint missions on a regular basis. 

You have far more customization options without the limitations of the GO apps when using Litchi for waypoint missions. Here is an example of someone setting up waypoints on Litchi. 

Let's review

• The Waypoint intelligent flight mode allows you to set up a customized flight path that you can save and fly at a later time. 
• Waypoints is good for situations where time is of the essence where you can have your mission ready to go. 
• You can often get more cinematic shots as your attention isn't split between controlling the camera and flying the drone.  
• Not all DJI drones have the Waypoints flight mode as an option. Some other apps (Litchi) may allow those drones to use waypoints. 
• Record a waypoint by pressing the C1 button. Delete a waypoint by pressing the C2 button. 
• You can record a waypoint up to 500m from the home point, and have a total flight path of not greater than 5000m. 
• Adjustable heading will slowly turn the drone to the direction of where the next waypoint was recorded. 
• Route-linked heading will have the drone fly in the same direction you did when recording the mission. 
• Free heading will allow you to control the yaw of the drone when it is executing the Waypoints mission.
• You can tilt the gimbal up or down in any of the heading modes. 
• You can have the drone hover or RTH when it finishes the Waypoints mission. 
• Adjust the speed at any time during the mission by dragging the speed slider bar left or right. 
• The app will automatically save the last three Waypoint missions.
• Save a mission by tapping on the star in the right-hand corner. 
• Exit a mission by tapping on the red “x” or switching out of P-mode. 
• The mission will automatically be canceled if you lose GPS. 
• Ground station pro and Litchi are other options for setting up waypoint missions. 

Trevor's Take

I have used the Waypoint intelligent flight mode on several occasions. It is a pretty solid flight mode that serves a great purpose. Unlike other intelligent flight mods that you can pull up and master within seconds, Waypoints takes some practice. I wouldn't recommend having your first time using this intelligent flight mode when you're on the job and people are expecting immediate, professional results. Get out there in an open area and experiment a little. 

Have you used the Waypoints flight mode? What was your experience with it? Let us know in the comment section below!