Last week, we reported on DJI quietly removing Waypoints as one of the Intelligent Flight Modes available on the Mavic Air. The original Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro Platinum both have Waypoints available and many drone pilots love and use this feature. The Waypoints feature allows you to have the drone fly itself from waypoint to waypoint so that you can focus on capturing the photos or video footage. We asked DJI why they removed the Waypoints feature and if we can have it back.

DJI’s response on the missing Waypoints on the Mavic Air

This is what DJI had to say:

“In regards to Waypoints. Currently, the Mavic Air does not feature the WayPoints mode. Based on user feedback, we decided to omit this feature for a few reasons, the main one being that Waypoints was not used as frequently as many of the other modes. Removing it allowed for additional functionality while streamlining the overall experience operating the Mavic Air. However, we will continue to listen to our customers and if the request for Waypoints increases, we have the ability to enable it via a firmware update.“

Vote by using the form below

So, if you would like DJI to reinstate the Waypoints feature as well, please use the poll below and we will make sure that DJI gets the results. With enough Mavic Air owners voting in favor of Waypoints, we may be able to get them back.

WHAT ARE WAYPOINTS?

Waypoints are a way to record positions (and elevation) ahead of time. This can be very useful when you are trying to create smooth cinematic footage, and you have no second operator to fly your drone. Waypoints allow you to fly the desired path and record waypoints along the way. Then when you are ready to start shooting you can tell the drone to fly the preset route so you can focus on smoothly panning and tilting the camera to get those amazing shots. The ‘Waypoints’ feature is currently available on the DJI Mavic Pro.

On the DJI Forum, Aeromirage had this to say about the value of Waypoints to his drone flying experience:

“Personally, I find the waypoints feature invaluable. As a lone operator, I can set a course concentrating on exactly where I want the bird to go. Set a lot of points. They only need to be 5m apart, and you can set 99 on a mission. The more dots to connect, the smoother the course. If you want to fly a circle, set plenty of points along the way and the repeat will be more circular. Then, on re-flying the mission, I can concentrate solely on the operation of the camera and gimbal.”

Please share this post with your drone friends

So, if you want Waypoints available on the Mavic Air as well, please be sure to vote in the poll above and share this post with your friends and other drone pilots. Thank you!

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Note II: If you are in the market for the new DJI Mavic Air, check out this article with tips on where you can buy it.

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