Helios GCS
Open-Source Ground Control
A modern ground control station built for pilots who want more from their flight data. Every flight automatically recorded. Every data point queryable.
Open-Source Ground Control
A modern ground control station built for pilots who want more from their flight data. Every flight automatically recorded. Every data point queryable.
Ground control software hasn't changed much in a decade. Helios is a fresh take - designed for the way pilots actually work today.
Clean, responsive design that works the way you expect. No cluttered toolbars or hidden menus. Just the information you need, when you need it.
Other software treats flight logs as an afterthought. Helios records every telemetry point into a queryable database automatically. Analyse flights with the power of SQL, not just basic graphs.
Native performance on macOS, Windows, and Linux from a single codebase. No emulation layers, no compromises. Same experience everywhere.
GPL 3.0 licensed. No telemetry, no accounts, no cloud dependency. Your data stays on your machine. Inspect, modify, and contribute to the code freely.
Real-time flight instruments, live map tracking, configurable telemetry display, and one-tap emergency controls. Smooth 60fps rendering even at high data rates.
Visual mission editor with drag-and-drop waypoints, area surveys, corridor scans, geofencing, and rally points. Import KML and GPX files from other tools.
Automatic flight recording with powerful post-flight analysis. Browse past flights, compare across sessions, chart any parameter, and export data for external tools.
Works with the hardware you already have. USB, Wi-Fi, or telemetry radio - just plug in and fly. Automatic protocol detection and multi-vehicle support.
Live video streaming with flight data overlay. Record footage with synced telemetry. Full-screen mode for focused monitoring. Hardware-accelerated playback.
Practice without risk. One-click simulation with realistic conditions - choose your vehicle, location, weather, and even inject failures to test your response.
Download the .dmg installer and drag Helios to your Applications folder. Requires macOS 13 or later.
Download .dmgAfter installing, copy native/macos/libduckdb.dylib to /usr/local/lib/ if DuckDB recording doesn't start automatically.
Download and run the installer. Requires Windows 10 or later.
Alpha builds available via TestFlight. USB serial connections are not supported on iOS — use UDP or TCP to connect via a telemetry radio or Wi-Fi bridge.
Download IPAAlpha builds available as direct APK download. USB serial connections are not supported on Android — use UDP or TCP to connect via a telemetry radio or Wi-Fi bridge.
Download APKRequires Flutter 3.38+ and platform toolchain. See the installation guide for full prerequisites.
# clone and run
git clone https://github.com/jamesagarside/helios.git
cd helios
flutter pub get
flutter run -d macos