Parrot today introduced “Flight Plan,” a feature that lets drone operators easily create autonomous flight plans for the Bebop drone. This feature is available as an in-app purchase from the Parrot FreeFlight 3 piloting app, it displays the flight area on the mobile device and users can then select a departure point and then click on other points on the map to create a flight route that the Bebop drone will then automatically fly.
Pilots can use the feature to control direction, altitude and speed between each individual point. The “Scenario mode” is aimed at those who like to shoot videos via drones, it provides various settings for pre-programmed flight sequences such as filming, taking a picture, taking-off, landing,tilting the camera and rotating the drone.
Users can tune it even further by adding present actions en-route by simply dragging and dropping, and adjust the parameters for each action during the flight sequence. All routes can be saved and used again to get seamless footage every time, this will enable Bebop drone operators to capture a scene multiple times to get the correct take.
The Flight Plan feature leans on Bebop’s GPS and GLONASS data to accurately pinpoint the drone’s location within +/- 6 feet and precisely follow the route set by the operator. On tablets and smartphones the operator can even follow the drone’s progression step by step on a map, and will retain manual control of the drone at all times even when the Flight Plan feature is turned on.
Flight Plan is available as an in-app purchase for $19.99, but for one week this in-app purchase is available at half price.