Route patterns
- Back-and-forth (boustrophedon) — the default; fastest for rectangles.
- Perimeter-first then fill — cleaner headlands, better for irregular fields.
- Sectioning — split large fields so each block matches a battery/tank pair; you finish blocks, not abandon rows.
Set pass direction perpendicular to the wind where possible so any displacement lands in the next pass, not off-field.
Swath and overlap
Enter your effective swath, not the boom width — edges get less deposit. Most operators run 10–20% overlap; verify with water-sensitive paper (see droplet size & nozzles). Remember: raising overlap narrows effective swath and adds passes, so battery burn goes up.
Terrain following
- Radar/lidar-based: follows the actual surface in real time — including the canopy, which is what you usually want for consistent boom height.
- DEM/map-based: follows a terrain model; predictable and smooth, but blind to new obstacles and canopy differences.
- On unfamiliar rolling ground, fly the first pass slower and watch the height readout before trusting automation.
Height and speed, honestly
Lower height = less drift and better canopy penetration, but more strike risk and narrower swath. Faster speed = more acres/hour, but the controller must raise flow to hold rate — and past a point, droplet placement suffers. Typical ag drone work lives around 8–13 ft AGL and 10–20 mph; tune within the label's constraints.
Refill resume
Modern planners mark a break point so the aircraft returns and resumes exactly where it stopped. Confirm resume behavior before your first big field — the failure mode (restarting the whole block) wastes chemical and can double-apply.
Settings and terminology vary by flight app; ranges are typical operator practice, not label limits.
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