There are several autopilots able to follow a route untethered with just waypoints. Apm (ardu pilot mega) and pixhawk come to mind. From what I've read it is st

There are several autopilots able to follow a route untethered with just waypoints. Apm (ardu pilot mega) and pixhawk come to mind. From what I've read it is still highly recommendable by the RC community to have telemetry links and if range allows, manual control. These modules are used mostly as flying aides but some companies are building RC planes with autopilot capabilities and market them towards the mapping and surveying industries, charging a hefty premium for it.