Chopper4 Patrol Waypoint Generator

Chopper4 route planning tool for DJI Dock 2 + Matrice 3TD. Security-patrol defaults are preloaded: 80 ft AGL, 23 mph, -45° gimbal, coordinated turns, and route-following yaw. Satellite view is the default basemap, with address and coordinate search. Generated routes automatically remove sub-1-meter micro-segments before export to prevent DJI turn-geometry failures.

Find Site

Address or coordinates

Coordinates can be entered as latitude, longitude. Address search uses OpenStreetMap Nominatim and may return multiple possible matches; the best match is centered on the map.

1 · Build Patrol

Existing FlightHub 2 Route

Import a DJI FlightHub 2 waypoint KMZ to load its waypoints into this planner. You can then move, add, or delete waypoints and re-export the adjusted route. If the first and last imported points are the same Dock location, the planner recognizes them as Dock / Start and Return to Dock.

Dock Location Point

Set the Dock 2 / takeoff reference first. Use the same button later to reset the Dock location.

Google Dock Elevation

Uses Google Maps Elevation Service to look up the ground elevation at the Dock coordinate. The API key is kept only in this browser session and is never written into exported files.

Google Maps API key

Automatically look up Dock elevation when Dock location changes

Dock coordinate—

Ground elevation—

Google resolution—

Not connected.

Google elevation is planning data, not survey-grade elevation. Verify the final route altitude in FlightHub 2 before scheduling.

Patrol Area

Close the polygon to save the patrol area. Edit remains available later so the boundary can be reshaped without rebuilding the entire workflow.

Waypoints

Click directly on the map in the order you want the aircraft to fly. Finish to save the waypoint route; saved waypoints remain draggable for editing.

2 · Route Settings

Set the Dock / Start Point first to unlock patrol-area drawing and route settings.

Altitude reference

Flight speed (mph)

Altitude AGL (ft)

Route altitude ASL (ft)

Dock elevation ASL (ft)

Derived height

AGL mode uses FlightHub 2 terrain-aware AGL editing. ASL mode uses EGM96 altitude in template.kml and converts Route ASL − Dock ASL into the relative execution height used by waylines.wpml.

Lane spacing (ft)

Course angle

Edge inset (ft)

Gimbal pitch (°)

Max airtime (min)

Reserve / overhead (min)

Auto-fit lane spacing to stay within airtime budget

The planner targets Max airtime − Reserve. If the route is too long, Auto-fit increases lane spacing and re-generates the sweep until the estimate fits. Reserve is intended to cover takeoff, climb, turns, landing/RTH and other real-world overhead not captured by straight-line distance.

Turn behavior

For DJI compatibility, coordinated-turn missions automatically use a smooth pass-through type at the first and last waypoint; interior waypoints remain coordinated-turn / skips waypoint.

Aircraft heading follows route

Connect Dock and start from nearest route end

Use multiple course-angle zones

0 of 5 course zones used

Choose an angle, draw Zone 1, and close the polygon. The completed zone stays highlighted and the controls for the next zone appear automatically. Zones may touch the main patrol boundary; they are clipped to it. Any unzoned area uses the primary Course angle above.

Course angle follows DJI-style compass convention. Use the four quick presets or choose Custom angle for any site-specific bearing from 0° to 359.9°. Angles 180°–359.9° use the same line orientation as their opposite bearing but reverse the nominal traversal direction. If the Dock-nearest option is enabled, the route may be reversed again to minimize the transit leg.

Generated flight paths can be fine-tuned without redrawing the patrol area. Manual edits remain in place until you deliberately re-generate the patrol.

Versions 2–6 use the saved waypoint route as the master geometry. The generator randomizes traversal of logical route sections without moving your saved waypoint locations or changing altitude, speed, gimbal pitch, or flight settings.

Randomization strength

KMZ export enforces the selected gimbal pitch at every waypoint using DJI gimbal-rotate actions.

3 · Route Summary

Waypoints0

Route length0 mi

Est. route time0 min

Passes0

Airtime budget22.0 min

Budget margin—

No route generated yet.

4 · Export

Route name

FlightHub 2 rejects several punctuation characters in imported route names, including underscores. Use letters, numbers, and spaces only.

Always open the imported route in FlightHub 2 and verify every waypoint, altitude, turn, obstacle clearance, RTH setting, geozone, and dock reference before scheduling an autonomous mission.

Patrol boundary

Course zones

Generated route

Dock / start