Your First Mission

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What You Will Do

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Prerequisites

• Mission Control running and connected to your FC (see Quickstart)
• A drone with GPS lock (3D Fix, 8+ satellites)
• An ArduPilot or PX4 flight controller (mission planning requires MAVLink, not MSP)
• A battery with at least 80% charge
• An open outdoor area for the flight

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Planning the Mission

1

Open the Plan tab

Click the Plan tab in the main navigation. You will see a map view with your current GPS position (if connected to a FC with GPS) or a default location.The left panel shows the mission tools: waypoint list, pattern generators, settings, and import/export.

2

Define the survey area

You have two options:Option A: Draw on the map

1. Click the Draw Polygon tool in the toolbar
2. Click on the map to place polygon vertices around the area you want to survey
3. Close the polygon by clicking the first vertex or double-clicking

Option B: Import a boundary

1. Click Import in the tools panel
2. Load a KML, GeoJSON, or CSV file with your survey boundary
3. The polygon appears on the map

The polygon defines where the drone will fly. Make it slightly larger than your actual area of interest to account for camera overlap at the edges.

3

Generate the survey pattern

With the polygon selected, open the Pattern Generator panel and choose Survey Grid.The survey grid generator creates a lawnmower pattern that covers the entire polygon. Configure these settings:

Setting	What It Controls	Recommended Start
Altitude	Flight height above ground	50m for general mapping, 30m for detail
Speed	Ground speed during survey legs	5-8 m/s
Overlap (front)	Image overlap along the flight direction	75%
Overlap (side)	Image overlap between adjacent legs	65%
Angle	Grid rotation angle	0° (north-south legs) or auto-optimize
Camera trigger	How the camera fires	Distance-based or time-based

Click Generate. The pattern appears on the map as a series of parallel waypoints.

The auto-optimize angle option rotates the grid to minimize the number of turns. This saves battery and flight time. For rectangular fields, the optimal angle usually aligns with the longest edge.

4

Review the mission details

After generating the pattern, the tools panel shows:

• Total waypoints: Number of mission items
• Total distance: Flight path length in meters
• Estimated time: Based on your speed setting
• Leg count: Number of parallel survey legs
• Photo count: Estimated images based on overlap and altitude

Scroll through the waypoint list to inspect individual points. Each waypoint shows:

• Sequence number
• Latitude/longitude
• Altitude (relative to home or terrain)
• Command type (NAV_WAYPOINT, DO_SET_CAM_TRIGG_DIST, etc.)

Click any waypoint in the list to highlight it on the map. Click a waypoint on the map to select it in the list.

5

Add takeoff and return-to-launch

A mission needs a takeoff command at the beginning and a return-to-launch (RTL) at the end.

1. Click Add Takeoff at the top of the waypoint list. Set the takeoff altitude (typically the same as your survey altitude).
2. Click Add RTL at the bottom of the list.

The complete mission sequence is now:

1. TAKEOFF to 50m
2-N. Survey waypoints (NAV_WAYPOINT + camera triggers)
N+1. RTL (return to launch and land)

6

Set geofence (optional but recommended)

A geofence defines a boundary the drone cannot cross. If the drone reaches the fence, the FC triggers a failsafe action (RTL, land, or brake).

1. Click the Geofence tool
2. Draw a polygon larger than your survey area (give 50-100m buffer)
3. Set the maximum altitude (100m is a common default)
4. Set the breach action (RTL recommended)

On ArduPilot, this uses the FENCE_ENABLE, FENCE_TYPE, and FENCE_ACTION parameters. Mission Control handles the parameter mapping automatically.

7

Set rally points (optional)

Rally points are alternate landing locations. If the drone triggers RTL and cannot reach home (wind, obstacles), it goes to the nearest rally point instead.

1. Click the Rally Points tool
2. Click on the map to place rally points at safe landing spots
3. Set the altitude for each point (the drone approaches at this altitude before descending)

8

Validate the mission

Click Validate in the tools panel. The validator checks for:

• Missing takeoff command
• Missing RTL or land command
• Waypoints outside the geofence
• Altitude violations (too low, too high)
• Speed violations
• Duplicate waypoints
• Distance between waypoints (too close or too far)

Errors appear in red. Warnings appear in yellow. Fix any errors before uploading. Warnings are advisory.

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Uploading the Mission

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Executing the Mission

1

Pre-flight checks

Run the same pre-flight checks from the Your First Flight guide:

• GPS 3D Fix, 8+ satellites
• Battery above 80%
• Pre-arm messages clear
• Geofence parameters set if you defined a geofence
• Wind conditions acceptable for your drone

2

Arm in Stabilize or Loiter

Arm the drone in Stabilize or Loiter mode first. Do not arm directly in Auto mode for your first mission. This gives you a chance to take off manually and verify flight behavior before handing over to autonomy.Click Arm and confirm.

3

Take off manually

Take off to a safe hover altitude (3-5 meters). Verify the drone is stable and responsive.

4

Switch to Auto

Click the mode selector and choose Auto. The drone will immediately start flying toward the first waypoint.What happens:

1. The drone climbs to the mission’s first waypoint altitude
2. It flies to waypoint 1 (the takeoff point, already at altitude)
3. It begins the survey pattern, flying leg by leg
4. Camera triggers fire at the configured interval
5. At the last waypoint, it executes the RTL command
6. It flies back to the launch point and lands

5

Monitor the flight

While the mission runs, watch:

• Progress: The active waypoint is highlighted on the map. Completed legs change color.
• Altitude: Verify the drone is holding the target altitude.
• Battery: Watch voltage sag under load. If you see voltage dropping faster than expected, be ready to abort.
• Ground speed: Should be close to your configured speed.
• Camera triggers: The mission item count increments as camera commands execute.

Keep your finger on the mode switch. If anything goes wrong, switch to Loiter to stop, or RTL to bring it home.

6

After landing

The drone will auto-land at the launch point (RTL) and auto-disarm.If you need to abort mid-mission:

• Switch to Loiter: Drone stops and holds position
• Switch to RTL: Drone comes home
• Switch to Land: Drone lands at current position
• Click Disarm (emergency only, cuts motors immediately)

Only use emergency disarm (cutting motors) as an absolute last resort. The drone will fall from whatever altitude it is at. Use RTL or Land for controlled returns.

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Other Pattern Types

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Saving and Loading Missions

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Save to File

• QGC WPL 110: Standard MAVLink waypoint format. Compatible with QGroundControl, Mission Planner, and other GCS tools.
• KML: Google Earth format. Good for sharing with non-drone people.
• CSV: Spreadsheet format. One row per waypoint.

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Load from File

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Mission Library

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Simulation

1. Go to the Simulate tab
2. Select your uploaded mission
3. Click Play

• 3D visualization of the flight path on terrain
• Camera trigger points marked on the map
• Estimated timing for each leg
• Altitude profile along the route
• Terrain clearance warnings if the flight path gets too close to the ground

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Tips for Better Surveys

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Next Steps