Altitude not repeating on saved hyperlapse waypoint mission - Air 3

[davidarmenb]

This is concerning. I haven’t yet repeated saved Hyperlapse waypoints with my Air 3 but I assume my Air 3 is going to behave the same way because, for some reason, DJI apparently decided to implement Hyperlapse Waypoints in a hugely different way than the regular Waypoints. I, too, had plans of taking Hyperlapses from the same location at different times of day etc.

I guess the one workaround that I can think of off the top of my head is using the regular Waypoints feature on the Mavic 3 Pro/Mini 4 Pro/Air 3 to set up the shot and then instead of recording a video, putting it in photo mode and using the timer feature to take shots at an interval of you choice.

The issue here is if there are pilots who rely on the built-in Hyperlapse video creation feature, this will not give them a video right out of the drone. They will need to make the video themselves.

However, for those pilots who create their Timelapses/Hyperlapses using dedicated software, it will not be an issue at all. For example, I’ve been using Lightroom Classic for raw photo development and a powerful Timelapse creation tool called LRTimelapse Pro, written by the talented German photographer and programmer Gunther Wegner, to create all my Timelapses and Hyperlapses. It works incredibly well and has tons of features, including smoothing out the exposure of all the photos to create a smoother video (deflicker).

 

[KenG]

This is concerning. I haven’t yet repeated saved Hyperlapse waypoints with my Air 3 but I assume my Air 3 is going to behave the same way because, for some reason, DJI apparently decided to implement Hyperlapse Waypoints in a hugely different way than the regular Waypoints. I, too, had plans of taking Hyperlapses from the same location at different times of day etc.

I guess the one workaround that I can think of off the top of my head is using the regular Waypoints feature on the Mavic 3 Pro/Mini 4 Pro/Air 3 to set up the shot and then instead of recording a video, putting it in photo mode and using the timer feature to take shots at an interval of you choice.

The issue here is if there are pilots who rely on the built-in Hyperlapse video creation feature, this will not give them a video right out of the drone. They will need to make the video themselves.

However, for those pilots who create their Timelapses/Hyperlapses using dedicated software, it will not be an issue at all. For example, I’ve been using Lightroom Classic for raw photo development and a powerful Timelapse creation tool called LRTimelapse Pro, written by the talented German photographer and programmer Gunther Wegner, to create all my Timelapses and Hyperlapses. It works incredibly well and has tons of features, including smoothing out the exposure of all the photos to create a smoother video (deflicker).

I encourage you to contact DJI ([email protected]) and share with them your issues concerning altitude not repeating. As more of us contact them about this issue the more likely they will respond with a fix. What is the point of being able to save a mission if the next time you fly the saved mission it flys 150 feet lower and crashes?

 

[Droning on and on...]

Probably the difference between hyperlapse waypoint and a regular waypoint mission, where the altitude is saved.

Do you have some kind of knowledge of this, or was that just a speculative statement?

 

[davidarmenb]

Do you have some kind of knowledge of this, or was that just a speculative statement?

I believe he may be referring to the fact that when creating regular waypoints, the pilot has much more control over the planning of the flight path, including setting the height above take-off point globally and via individual waypoints, whereas with the hyperlapse waypoints tool, it is a much more simplified waypoint creator and does not include an option for setting the altitude (one also cannot create a flight path before the flight, like with the regular waypoint creation tool).
In addition to not being able to select an altitude, users are reporting that after creating the hyperlapse waypoint path by flying around and adding waypoints, the altitude is not consistent in subsequent flights of that same hyperlapse waypint path.
We need more data but these preliminary reports seem to imply that the hyperlapse waypoint creator is indeed programmed differently than the regular waypoint creator and it implements the height in a different way than regular waypoints. Some users are speculating that perhaps it uses the barometric pressure sensor for setting hyperlapse waypoint height instead of using GNSS. This is still up for debate.

 

[KenG]

Continuing this saga, I managed to overcome my difficulties finding screen recordings ond getting them off of the controller.

After I was able to do that and send all of the evidence of altitude woes to them, DJI asked me to send them the aircraft.

Just received email from DJI. Remember they have my Air 3 they requested I return to them after I sent them video and screen recordings of aircraft not repeating altitudes from saved waypoint hyperlapse. Their findings are a new core board module is needed and they are replacing it under warranty to return to me within the next few days. Once I receive it and try a few flights, I will let everyone know.

 

[KenG]

Continuing this saga, I managed to overcome my difficulties finding screen recordings ond getting them off of the controller.

After I was able to do that and send all of the evidence of altitude woes to them, DJI asked me to send them the aircraft.

Just received email from DJI. Remember they have my Air 3 they requested I return to them after I sent them video and screen recordings of aircraft not repeating altitudes from saved waypoint hyperlapse. Their findings are a new core board module is needed and they are replacing it under warranty to return to me within the next few days. Once I receive it and try a few flights, I will let everyone know.

I promised I would get back to everyone on the outcome of this and at the moment this is leaving a very sour taste in my mouth with DJI. You may want to go back and read my original post (# 1) to see where all this started.

The Air 3 I now have with the new core board or the new Air 3 they sent me does the same thing. The first person I spoke with said they replaced the board and that's what the paperwork says but the second person said they sent a new drone. I really don't care. I just want the altitude to repeat when activating a previously saved mission or what good is or what purpose is having a saved mission?

After continuing to wrestle with DJI over the past weeks, I finally got tired of all of the hoops they were asking me to jump through to recalibrate and change this and change that and asked to speak with a senior engineer or manager about the issue because my Air 2 does not have this problem. Since I discovered the problem in February, I saved a waypoint hyperlapse mission on my Air 2 and have reflown it numerous times and it nails the altitude within 2 to 3 feet every time.

A fellow called me saying he was an engineering manager and told me they were aware of the problem and were working on it but had not yet resolved it. Huh? I asked how they resolved it on the Air 2 and he said the Air 3 was a different animal. He said they were hoping to possibly fix it with a future firmware upgrade. I asked how long for that? He said he didn't know because they hadn't resolved the problem. But I first started complaining about this 4 months ago in February. Did you know about it before that?

Sorry for the long post but this just Pi$$es me off to no end. I like the A3 because of the longer battery life and excellent low light camera for my late evening and night work but it needs to not miss the saved altitude by 100 to 200 feet for heaven's sake.

To me it's like buying a new model car of the one you already have and the manufacturer says it has a lot of new great features but one feature we weren't able to retain was the headlights don't work. We don't know why and we're working on it but they don't work and of course you don't find out about it until you buy it. Grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

I know there are quite a few Air 3 owners out there. If it matters to you and enough people complain to DJI they may just cut the BS and fix their screwup. And then again, maybe not.

 

[rormac]

Well, maybe not. We need to nail down what altitude it uses. If the waypoints don't contain and altitude it stands to reason it flies at whatever altitude its at when you start the Hyperlapse sequence.

Which seems pretty easy to manage... if you don't already keep a notebook and pencil as part of your flight gear, I highly recommend it. You have no idea what may come up on a flight outing that you want to remember at some future time. Here's a perfect example.

Name and save the mission in Fly, keep a table in your notebook with mission names and altitudes. Easy, problem solved.

Nothing fancy, mine's one of those cheap 4x6" ruled, spiral bound from the drugstore. Have had it 6 years when another hobbyist pulled one out and I went,

how does this help answer the problem. i am having same problem with a OG mavic 3

 

[rormac]

Thanks for the tip and I actually have been taking notes (camera settings, ISO, shutter speed, interval if hyperlapse,filter if used, etc ) but not to the extent to include altitude as I hadn't needed that info until now. Additionally I had sent a request to DJI in regard to what I experienced. Their answer:

When saving the task in the Task Library and executing the task, the altitude used is the altitude measured by the barometer, which is easily affected by many factors such as weather and may have a deviation.

Ok, so that told me it saves the altitude the on board barometer measures when the mission is saved and executed. So, I can understand some changes when the barometric pressure changes. However, from my original post, remember I flew 3 missions, back to back to back over a period of one hour only stopping long enough between missions to change the battery. So to start at 300 feet with a saved mission and then fly 3 missions from the saved flight at 282, 252, and then 217 feet makes me think that would've had to be a very rapidly falling barometer.

However, I may have found the problem. I decided to recalibrate the compass (aircraft and controller) and the IMU. Now mind you the controller was tellling me the calibrations were normal i.e. not requiring calibration. Today I took my older Air 2 and the Air 3 (this is the one with the altitude repeat problem) out to see what would happen.

I put up the Air 3 first to 300 feet saved and executed a waypoint hyperlapse and it stayed at 300 feet. Bravo. I landed and did the same with the Air 2 and it gave me the same good results. I flew the Air 3 again using the same original saved mission. From the takeoff point I ascended to 150 feet and hit the red button to execute the mission and she flew to the first waypoint ascending to 300 feet and remained there for the duration of the mission. I did the same thing to the Air 2 and the Air 3 two more times and both nailed 300 feet (within 2 to 3 feet) each time. I also recorded the barometer setting as reported by airports near me so I can see just how much affect changes will have on saved missions. Most airports (towered and non-towered) have phone numbers you can call and listen to recordings to give you that data.

Sorry for the long post. I have learned a lot with this and just wanted to share in the event it helps anyone else.

i really understand DJI's response, but its all relative, it should repeat the same altitude, on different days even if the pressure is different, i can expect a change if in one day all of a sudden a storm appears, but otherwise, differing pressures on different days should not cause the drone to start a waypoint hyperlapse at completely differing altitudes on different days as the barometer gets reset every time you power off and then on again...

i ve saved a hyperlapse flight at a construction site to film the progress of the development of the land and building and every time i start the mission it goes to a incorrect start point and altitude forcing me to save the route every time and fly the mission..

on the day it repeats the mission correctly, but on a different day it does not..

has anyone worked this out yet in 07/2025 please

 

[rormac]

Im having the same issue with a saved Hyperlapse task where I'm taking an orbit of a construction site's work in progress. Yesterday I went to execute the task for the third time and when I hit the startGO on the shutter, the drone went to the start Point and then started diving for the ground! I had to hit the Pause button to avoid a ground collision at the rate it was going! I tried calibrating the compass and the IMU for the second time and then tried to do the task, but the same result. This became embarrassing for me in front of my client.

I'm using the Mavic 3 Pro.

same experience