# Helios GCS

> Helios is a free, open-source ground control station (GCS) for MAVLink UAVs. It connects to ArduPilot and PX4 flight controllers over USB, UDP, or TCP and provides real-time telemetry, mission planning, flight recording, and post-flight analytics. Every flight is automatically recorded into a DuckDB database, making post-flight analysis as powerful as the live display.

Helios is part of the Argus Platform. Licensed under GPL 3.0.

## Key Facts

- **Type**: Desktop and mobile ground control station for drones
- **Protocol**: MAVLink v2 (ArduPilot, PX4, iNav, Betaflight, Cleanflight)
- **Platforms**: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS (alpha), Android (alpha), Web (app.heliosgcs.com)
- **Tech Stack**: Flutter 3.38, Dart 3.10, DuckDB, Riverpod
- **License**: GPL 3.0
- **Author**: James Garside
- **Website**: https://heliosgcs.com
- **Repository**: https://github.com/jamesagarside/helios
- **Current Version**: 0.5.2-alpha

## Core Features

- **Fly View**: Real-time primary flight display (PFD) with attitude, speed, altitude tapes, heading compass, and live map tracking. 60fps rendering with 30Hz state batching.
- **Mission Planning**: Visual drag-and-drop waypoint editor, area surveys, corridor scans, geofencing, rally points. KML/GPX import support.
- **Flight Analytics**: Every telemetry point automatically recorded to DuckDB. SQL editor for custom queries, chart builder, Parquet export, cross-flight comparison.
- **Video Streaming**: RTSP video integration with telemetry overlay and hardware-accelerated playback.
- **Connections**: USB serial, UDP (14550), TCP (5760), SiK radio, Holybro telemetry. Auto-detection of protocol and baud rate.
- **Setup & Calibration**: Full parameter editor with search and categories, accelerometer/compass/RC calibration, EKF status monitoring.
- **Simulation**: One-click SITL (Software In The Loop) with on-demand ArduPilot binary download. No Docker required.

## What Makes Helios Different

- **Flight data as a first-class citizen**: DuckDB columnar database gives 10-100x faster analytics than SQLite-based alternatives.
- **Modern UI**: Clean, responsive Flutter interface vs legacy Qt/Java GCS tools.
- **Cross-platform from one codebase**: Native performance on desktop and mobile without emulation layers.
- **No cloud dependency**: No accounts, no telemetry collection, no API keys. Data stays on the user's machine.
- **Open source with no lock-in**: GPL 3.0 licensed, all data in open formats (DuckDB, Parquet).

## Part of the Open-Source GCS Community

Helios joins QGroundControl, Mission Planner, and APM Planner 2 in the open-source ground control station ecosystem. Each has different strengths:
- QGroundControl (Qt/C++) is widely used across ArduPilot and PX4 with broad cross-platform support and a large community.
- Mission Planner (.NET) offers deep ArduPilot integration with advanced configuration and scripting.
- Helios focuses on queryable flight data analytics, a modern Flutter-based UI, and multi-protocol support (MAVLink + MSP).
- Many pilots use more than one GCS depending on the task. They complement each other well.

## Documentation

- [Getting Started](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=getting-started)
- [Installation](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=installation)
- [Connecting to a Drone](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=connection-guide)
- [Fly View Guide](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=fly_view)
- [Mission Planning](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=mission_planning)
- [Data & Analytics](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=analyse-view)
- [Video Streaming](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=video-streaming)
- [SITL Simulator](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=simulate)
- [Building from Source](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=building-from-source)
- [Architecture](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=architecture)
- [Web App Guide](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=web-app-guide)
- [Web App (Developer)](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=webapp)
- [Contributing](https://heliosgcs.com/docs.html?page=contributing)

## Downloads

- macOS (.dmg): https://github.com/jamesagarside/helios/releases/latest
- Windows (.exe): https://github.com/jamesagarside/helios/releases/latest
- Linux (.AppImage): https://github.com/jamesagarside/helios/releases/latest
- Web App: https://app.heliosgcs.com
- Source: https://github.com/jamesagarside/helios

## Optional

- [Full details](https://heliosgcs.com/llms-full.txt)