US Patent 11972691 Autonomous aerial vehicle flight management

A method, apparatus, apparatus, and computer program product for managing an autonomous aerial vehicle. A copy of a mission plan is stored in a mission work queue. The mission plan is located in the autonomous aerial vehicle and comprises mission components that define tasks performed by the autonomous aerial vehicle. A change to the mission components in the copy of the mission plan in the mission work queue is received to form a modified mission component in the copy of the mission plan. A determination is made as to whether the copy of the mission plan including the modified mission component can be executed by the autonomous aerial vehicle. The copy of the mission plan including the modified mission component is synchronized with the mission plan in the autonomous aerial vehicle such that the mission plan includes the modified mission component. The autonomous aerial vehicle executes the mission plan.