BetaflightINAV setup guidesUpdated INAV navigation, waypoints and return to home
FlySpark's Navigation tab is the INAV screen for speeds, stick control, position and altitude holds, waypoint checks, and the multirotor or fixed-wing limits that go with the platform. A fixed-wing platform also gets the Launch card. The Advanced nav tab adds a Return home, advanced card for the two-stage climb, the descent on the way home, path retrace, stick override, mission signal loss, motor restart and dead reckoning. Basic return altitude and landing are named by both footers as living on the Failsafe tab. This page stays with the controls on Navigation and on that advanced return card.
INAV calls the automatic return return to home. GPS Rescue is the Betaflight name, documented on the GPS page, and it is a different firmware. Connect an INAV board from the INAV configurator in Chrome or Edge over USB or Bluetooth. The Android app also uses USB OTG or Wi-Fi. The iPhone app uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. An iPhone has no USB host. A browser page cannot open the craft's Wi-Fi. Plan and upload a mission from the mission planner. The Navigation footer says a mission flies when NAV WP mode is switched on.
Free. Hardware connections need Chrome or Edge on a computer; phones use the FlySpark app.
- Free
- Nothing to install
- Demo without hardware
In short
INAV navigation in FlySpark sets speeds, holds, waypoint checks, multirotor or fixed-wing limits, and launch. Advanced return to home is a separate card: two-stage climb, descent on the way, and path retrace. Missions are planned on the Mission tab.
Key facts
- The Navigation tab is INAV only. Return to home on INAV is not Betaflight GPS Rescue.
- Waypoint / RTH speed is 0.1 to 20.0 m/s. The firmware default shown is 3.0 m/s.
- Position stick deadband is 2 to 250 stick points. Altitude throttle deadband is 10 to 250.
- Multirotor, tricopter and helicopter show hover throttle. Airplane, boat, rover and other show the fixed-wing and launch cards.
- A mission flies when NAV WP is on. Plan and upload it on the Mission tab.
- Two-stage climb height 0 hides the first-stage choice. 0 on the climb means that stage is off.
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Fly back home
This is INAV return to home. It is not Betaflight GPS Rescue.
Betaflight
Features
- 01
Speeds in metres per second
Waypoint / RTH speed, maximum auto speed, manual speed in Pos Hold, auto climb rate and manual climb rate in Alt Hold are stored as hundredths and shown in m/s, one decimal, step 0.1. The board range behind them is 10 to 2000, so the fields run from 0.1 to 20.0 m/s.
- 02
Attitude or cruise sticks
Stick control in nav modes is Attitude or Cruise. The hint says attitude means the sticks tilt the craft, and cruise means the sticks set a speed. The firmware default is Attitude.
- 03
Holds in stick points
Position stick deadband and altitude throttle deadband are whole numbers. The holds footer says deadbands are in stick points on the 1000–2000 scale, applied after the receiver deadband and expo. They are not the Betaflight percent deadbands.
- 04
Waypoint gate
Waypoint reached within, the safe distance for waypoint 1, and the altitude margin are on the Waypoint missions card. Restart can start over, resume, or ask with a switch flick. Load saved mission at boot and the planner-reset switch sit beside them.
- 05
Platform cards
Hover throttle, maximum bank and stopping time show for multirotor, tricopter and helicopter. Cruise throttle, angles, loiter, ground speed and the whole Launch card show for airplane, boat, rover and other.
- 06
Throw launch
The Launch footer says to switch on NAV LAUNCH, arm, then throw. The motor starts once a throw is detected and the delay has passed. Idle throttle, wiggle-to-idle, climb angle and the abort stick are all on that card.
- 07
Advanced return
Return home, advanced can climb in two stages, descend on the way home, retrace the path just flown, let full pitch or throttle override the return altitude, and set how long a mission continues after signal loss.
- 08
Rows the board does not have
A number row is omitted when the flight controller has no such setting. INAV 8 renamed the climb-rate settings, so the tab asks for both the older name and the nav_mc_ name and draws whichever the board reports. The advanced return card is omitted when none of its anchor settings exist.
Speeds and stick control
The card is Speeds & stick control. The footer says return-to-home and landing live on the Failsafe tab, so this card does not hold the basic return altitude. Stick control in nav modes is nav_user_control_mode. The choices are Attitude and Cruise. Attitude means the sticks tilt the craft. Cruise means the sticks set a speed. The default index is Attitude.
Waypoint / RTH speed is nav_auto_speed. On this firmware data the stored default is 300, shown as 3.0 m/s, and the stored range 10 to 2000 is shown as 0.1 to 20.0 m/s. RTH in that label is INAV return to home, the same speed used toward a waypoint. Maximum auto speed is nav_max_auto_speed, default 10.0 m/s, same 0.1 to 20.0 m/s range. Manual speed in Pos Hold is nav_manual_speed, default 5.0 m/s, same range. Each field steps by 0.1 m/s.
Holds and GPS loss
The card is Holds & GPS loss. The footer says deadbands are in stick points on the 1000–2000 scale, applied after the receiver deadband and expo, and that surface mode follows the ground with a rangefinder.
Position stick deadband is pos_hold_deadband. The hint says it is the roll and pitch movement needed to nudge the craft in nav modes. The allowed range is 2 to 250, and the default is 10. There is no unit printed on the row. Altitude throttle deadband is alt_hold_deadband. The hint says it is the throttle movement around centre that still holds altitude. The allowed range is 10 to 250, and the default is 50.
Waypoint missions
The card footer says to plan and upload missions on the Mission tab, and that a mission flies when NAV WP mode is switched on. Use the mission planner for the map, and the INAV configurator for the rest of the board. The numbers below only gate how a loaded mission runs.
Multirotor and fixed wing
The Multirotor card appears when platform type is multirotor, tricopter or helicopter. If the board has no platform lookup, the platform cards are shown rather than hidden. The footer says hover throttle must match the quad for altitude hold to work: read it from a hover in Acro or Angle and enter it here. Hover throttle is nav_mc_hover_thr, in microseconds, step 5, range 1000 to 2000, default 1300. Maximum bank angle is nav_mc_bank_angle, 15 to 45 degrees, default 30. Stopping time is nav_mc_pos_deceleration_time, two decimals, step 0.1 s. Stored 0 to 255 is 0 to 2.55 s, and the default 120 is 1.20 s. The hint says the stop point is speed times this time after the sticks centre, and that braking mode overrides it.
Fixed-wing launch
The Launch card uses the same airplane, boat, rover and other platform check. The footer says to switch on NAV LAUNCH, arm, then throw. The motor starts once a throw is detected and the delay has passed. Keep hands clear of the propeller.
Advanced return to home
On Advanced nav the card is titled Return home, advanced. It is drawn when the board has at least one of the two-stage mode, linear descent, trackback mode, altitude override, mission signal-loss delay, or the motor-restart setting. The footer says basic return altitude and landing are on the Failsafe tab. The controls here are the extra return behaviour, still INAV return to home.
Two-stage climb height is nav_rth_climb_first_stage_altitude, shown in whole metres. Stored 0 to 65000 hundredths of a metre is 0 to 650 m, step 1, default 0. The hint says to climb this high, then head home while climbing the rest, and that 0 means off. While the height is 0, First stage height means stays hidden. Once the height is not 0, the choice is At least this high or This much higher (nav_rth_climb_first_stage_mode). The default is At least this high.
Descend on the way home is nav_rth_use_linear_descent, default off. The hint says to glide down gradually instead of descending over home. While it is off, Start descending at stays hidden. When it is on, nav_rth_linear_descent_start_distance is shown in whole metres, step 10, range 0 to 10000, default 0. The hint on that row is 0 = straight away.
At a glance
INAV navigation ranges on these tabs
| Firmware | INAV only. Navigation and Advanced nav are hidden on a Betaflight board. GPS Rescue is a Betaflight name. |
|---|---|
| Auto speeds | Waypoint / RTH, maximum auto and manual Pos Hold speed, and the climb rates that the board reports for the older names: 0.1 to 20.0 m/s. |
| Holds | Position deadband 2 to 250. Altitude deadband 10 to 250. GPS-loss wait 0 to 10 s. Surface and terrain follow 0 to 10.0 m. |
| Waypoints | Reached within 0.1 to 100.0 m. First waypoint 0 to 1500 m. Altitude margin 0 to 20.0 m. Restart: start over, resume, or a switch flick. |
| Multirotor | Hover throttle 1000 to 2000 µs. Bank 15 to 45 degrees. Stopping time 0 to 2.55 s. |
| Fixed wing | Throttles 1000 to 2000 µs. Cruise speed 0 to 655.35 m/s. Bank, climb and dive 5 to 80 degrees. Loiter 0 to 300.0 m. Ground speed 6 to 50 m/s. Landing dive −20 to 20 degrees. |
| Launch | Throw speed 1.0 to 100.0 m/s. Detect 10 to 1000 ms. Accel 10.0 to 200.0 m/s². Climb 5 to 45 degrees. Timeout 0 to 60.0 s. End altitude 0 to 600.0 m. |
| Advanced return | Two-stage height 0 to 650 m. Descent start 0 to 10000 m. Retrace distance 50 to 2000 m. Mission delay −1 to 600 s. Motor restart: Never, Failsafe only, Auto modes only, All nav modes. |
| Connection | Chrome or Edge over USB or Bluetooth. Android: USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. iPhone: Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. iPhone has no USB host. |
Betaflight
How to set INAV navigation and return to home
Open the INAV configurator
Choose INAV in FlySpark. In Chrome or Edge, connect over USB or Bluetooth. On Android you can also use USB OTG or Wi-Fi. On iPhone use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. An iPhone has no USB host, and the browser cannot join the craft's Wi-Fi.
Set speeds and holds
On Speeds & stick control, pick Attitude or Cruise, then set Waypoint / RTH speed inside 0.1 to 20.0 m/s. On Holds & GPS loss, set the stick-point deadbands and Land after GPS loss. Leave 0 on that timer only if you want the wait-forever behaviour the hint describes.
Match the platform
On a multirotor, tricopter or helicopter, enter Hover throttle from a real hover in Acro or Angle, inside 1000 to 2000 µs, and set maximum bank between 15 and 45 degrees. On an airplane, boat, rover or other, set cruise, minimum and maximum throttle, the climb and dive angles, and loiter radius.
Load a mission
Set Waypoint reached within, First waypoint within and the altitude margin. Choose whether NAV WP starts over, resumes, or asks with a switch flick. Plan and upload the points on the Mission tab, from the mission planner. The card says the mission flies when NAV WP is switched on.
Set advanced return
Open Advanced nav. Leave Two-stage climb height at 0 to keep that stage off, or set a height up to 650 m and then choose what the first stage means. Turn on Descend on the way home only if you want the gradual descent, then set Start descending at. Choose Off, On or Failsafe only for Retrace the flight path. Set the mission signal-loss seconds, where −1 finishes the mission and 0 returns straight away.
Launch a fixed wing with care
On the Launch card, switch on NAV LAUNCH, arm, then throw, as the footer says. Confirm throw speed, the motor delay and launch throttle before the propeller can spin. The abort row cancels a launch or autoland past its stick-point deadband.
Troubleshooting
Common problems and fixes
Problem
The multirotor will not hold altitude in navigation
Fix
The Multirotor footer says hover throttle must match the quad: read it from a hover in Acro or Angle and enter it. Hover throttle is 1000 to 2000 µs, step 5, default 1300. Altitude throttle deadband is the stick-point band around centre, 10 to 250, default 50, not a percent.
Problem
A mission will not start
Fix
First waypoint within refuses the start when waypoint 1 is farther from the craft than the limit. The range is 0 to 1500 m and 0 means off. The default is 100 m. NAV WP has to be switched on. The restart choice decides whether that switch starts over, resumes, or waits for a switch flick.
Problem
The craft never lands after GPS is lost
Fix
Land after GPS loss at 0 means never, which is the hint on nav_position_timeout. The allowed range is 0 to 10 seconds and the default is 5. Dead reckoning without GPS is a separate switch on the advanced return card, default off, and estimates position from airspeed and heading.
Problem
Fixed-wing or launch fields are missing
Fix
Those cards follow platform type. Airplane, boat, rover and other show Fixed wing and Launch. Multirotor, tricopter and helicopter show the Multirotor card and the waypoint slowdown switch. Change the platform if the wrong card is on screen.
Problem
First stage height means, the descent distance, or Retrace up to is missing
Fix
Each of those rows is hidden while its parent is zero. Set Two-stage climb height above 0 to show the meaning choice. Turn on Descend on the way home to show Start descending at (0 to 10000 m). Set Retrace the flight path to On or Failsafe only to show Retrace up to (50 to 2000 m, step 50).
Problem
The whole Return home, advanced card is missing
Fix
The card is omitted when the board reports none of the two-stage mode, linear descent, trackback mode, altitude override, mission signal-loss delay, or motor-restart setting. Basic return altitude and landing are still described by the Navigation footer as living on the Failsafe tab.
Problem
A throw never starts the motor
Fix
The Launch footer requires NAV LAUNCH, arm, then a throw. Throw detected above must be reached (1.0 to 100.0 m/s) for Throw must last (10 to 1000 ms). Throw counts only below the max angle, 5 to 180 degrees, default 45. Motor start delay and spin-up then run. Keep hands clear of the propeller.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is INAV return to home the same as GPS Rescue?
GPS Rescue is the Betaflight return path. INAV's Navigation and Advanced nav screens call the behaviour return to home. The speed label Waypoint / RTH speed uses RTH for that INAV return. The Betaflight rescue form is on the GPS page.
Where is the basic return altitude?
The Speeds card footer says return-to-home and landing live on the Failsafe tab. The Return home, advanced footer says basic return altitude and landing are on the Failsafe tab. The advanced card holds the two-stage climb, the on-the-way descent, retrace, stick override, mission delay, motor restart and dead reckoning.
Why do I see two climb-rate rows with the same name?
The tab places Auto climb rate on nav_auto_climb_rate and on nav_mc_auto_climb_rate, and the manual climb label on both the older and the nav_mc_ name. A setting the board does not report is not drawn. INAV 8 renamed the climb-rate settings, so one of the pair is the usual result.
What units are the hold deadbands?
The holds footer says they are stick points on the 1000–2000 scale, applied after the receiver deadband and expo. Position stick deadband runs from 2 to 250, default 10. Altitude throttle deadband runs from 10 to 250, default 50. They are not percent fields.
Which craft gets the Launch card?
Launch, and the Fixed wing card, show when platform type is airplane, boat, rover or other. The Multirotor card, and Slow down for turns at waypoints, show for multirotor, tricopter and helicopter. A missing platform lookup shows the platform cards rather than hiding them.
What does First waypoint within do?
The hint says to refuse to start if waypoint 1 is farther than this from the craft, and that 0 means off. The range is 0 to 1500 m, default 100 m. Waypoint reached within is a different distance: how close counts as arriving, 0.1 to 100.0 m, default 1.0 m.
How do I resume a mission?
When WP mode is switched on again can be Start over, Resume, or Ask with a switch flick. The default is Resume. Load saved mission at boot is a separate switch, default off. The Mission tab is where the points are planned, via the mission planner.
What does a two-stage climb of 0 mean?
The hint says 0 means off: climb this high, then head home while climbing the rest. At 0 the First stage height means choice is hidden. Above 0 you choose At least this high or This much higher. The field runs from 0 to 650 m in whole metres.
Can the sticks change the return altitude?
Stick override of return altitude is a switch, default off. The hint says full pitch or throttle for 1 s skips the climb or changes the altitude. It is on the Return home, advanced card.
What happens if the radio link drops during a mission?
On signal loss in a mission, continue for is a number of seconds from −1 to 600, default 0. The hint says −1 means finish the mission and 0 means return straight away. Retrace the flight path can be Off, On, or Failsafe only when you want the craft to follow the path just flown.
Does the browser connect to INAV over Wi-Fi?
Chrome and Edge connect over USB or Bluetooth. Wi-Fi is the Android and iPhone apps. An iPhone has no USB host, so the iPhone app uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The rest of the INAV tabs are in the INAV configurator.
References
Sources
The official documentation behind the background facts on this page.
- NavigationINAV · github.com
- INAV wikiINAV · github.com
- Position Hold (2025.12)Betaflight · betaflight.com
- Betaflight wikiBetaflight · betaflight.com
