An automatic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight control system for 3D aerial mapping includes a UAV with an onboard camera, and a controller capable of communication with a flight control module of the UAV. The controller is configured to determine an area mapping flight path based on terrain characteristics of an area to be mapped. The controller also can determine a structure mapping flight path based on the existence and location of vertical structures within the area to be mapped. The area mapping flight path can be appended with the structure mapping flight path, thus providing an integrated and optimized UAV flight path for 3D mapping and modeling.