The invention discloses an autonomous patrol inspection method of an unmanned aerial vehicle for an alternating-current single-loop tension-resistant tower. The method comprises the following steps ofS1, determining key inspection points of the alternating-current single-circuit tension-resistant tower; S2, selecting a photographing key point and a track key point in a patrol inspection process and setting a patrol inspection route; S3, carrying out manual patrol inspection according to the set patrol inspection route and collecting track key point coordinates, photographing key point coordinates, a photographing key point nose angle and a pan-tilt angle in the patrol inspection process; S4, generating an autonomous flight task and an autonomous photographing task for the unmanned aerialvehicle according to the data acquired in the manual patrol inspection process; S5, uploading a generated patrol inspection task to the unmanned aerial vehicle, controlling the unmanned aerial vehicleto fly automatically according to the task, automatically adjusting the nose course and the tilt-pan angle when the unmanned aerial vehicle reaches a photographing key point, triggering a camera forphotography after the nose course and the tilt-pan angle are adjusted in place, then executing the subsequent tasks after photography until the tasks are finished, and enabling the unmanned aerial vehicle to return to a takeoff point. The method has the advantages of a low patrol inspection risk, high consistency of patrol inspection data results and high patrol inspection efficiency.