Waypoint routes are used to create precise and repeatable flight paths for your drone. They are especially useful for first responders and public safety teams to efficiently scout a large area, as well as for tasks like detailed inspections. A single route can be a simple point-to-point path, a complex survey pattern, or a combination of both.

These routes can be flown semi-autonomously by a pilot in the field using the AirHub Ground Control app, or they can be executed fully automatically by a compatible Ground Station.

1. Understanding Route Components

There are three main components you can use to build your route:

• Take-off Waypoint: This is always the first point in your mission.

  • In a Pilot Mission, the first waypoint you draw on the map defines your take-off location.

  • In a Ground Station Mission, the take-off waypoint is automatically fixed to the location of the Ground Station itself.

• Waypoint: This is the default point used to build custom, point-to-point flight paths.

• Pattern: This is an automatically generated series of waypoints within a defined area. It is used to create efficient grid patterns for tasks like mapping or search and rescue.

2. How to Add and Configure a Take-off Waypoint

For Ground Station Missions: The take-off waypoint is created automatically at the station's location when you select a ground station for the mission. The steps below are for creating a take-off point for a manually flown Pilot Mission.

This is the starting point for any manually drawn route.

1. Open an existing Mission or create a new one.

2. Navigate to your intended flight location on the map or in case.

3. In the action bar, click the waypoint icon and select Waypoints from the menu.

4. Click on the map at your desired take-off location. The first point you place automatically becomes the Take-off Waypoint.

5. To configure it, go to the Waypoints tab in the mission planner and click on the first waypoint in the list.

6. In the settings panel, you can adjust the following:

   • Speed: Sets the initial ascent speed.

   • Take-off Height: The target altitude for the initial vertical ascent.

   • Safe Take-off Altitude: An altitude the drone must reach vertically before it can begin any horizontal movement, used to safely clear nearby obstacles.

   • Lat/Long: The precise coordinates of the take-off point.

3. How to Add and Configure Manual Waypoints

Use these points to build a custom flight path after setting your take-off point.

1. After placing your take-off waypoint, continue clicking on the map to add more waypoints. Each click will create a new point connected to the previous one.

2. To configure a waypoint, go to the Waypoints tab and click on any waypoint in the list (other than the take-off point).

3. In the settings panel, you can adjust the following:

   • Heading Mode: Controls the drone's orientation. Options include Follow Wayline, Smooth Transition, or Fixed.

   • Speed: The speed at which the drone will travel towards this waypoint.

   • Altitude: The altitude the drone will be at when it reaches this waypoint.

   • Lat/Long: The precise coordinates of the waypoint.

   • Waypoint Actions: Add automated actions to occur at the waypoint, such as: Take Photo, Start/Stop Recording, Hold, Rotate Gimbal, and more.

4. How to Add and Configure a Waypoint Pattern

Use this component to automatically generate an efficient grid for scouting missions.

1. Open your Mission and navigate to the intended location on the map.

2. In the action bar, click the waypoint icon and select Pattern from the menu.

3. Draw a polygon on the map to define the boundary of your survey area. A grid pattern will be automatically generated inside.

4. To configure the pattern, go to the Waypoints tab and click on the pattern in the list.

5. In the settings panel, you can adjust the following:

   • Speed: The flight speed for the entire pattern.

   • Altitude: The flight altitude for the entire pattern.

   • Spacing: The distance between each line of the grid.

   • Angle: The orientation of the grid lines.

   • Fly in both directions (Cross-hatch): Enable this to generate a second, perpendicular grid pattern.

   • Actions: Switch the toggle to enable actions. This allows you to add actions like Take Pictures that will be repeated automatically throughout the pattern.

Pro Tip: To record a video of the entire pattern flight, add a manual waypoint just before the pattern with a "Start Recording" action. Then, add another manual waypoint just after the pattern with a "Stop Recording" action.