Notoxytech GCS Pilot for Windows: Fly ArduPilot and PX4 Drones From a Laptop With a Gamepad

Notoxytech GCS Pilot for Windows turns a Windows 10 / 11 laptop into a complete, universal ground control station — connected directly to the radio and flown with a gamepad, with no remote controller in the loop.

Laptop, radio and a gamepad

GCS Pilot runs in Microsoft Edge or Chrome on a Windows 10 / 11 laptop and connects to the drone through a SIYI HM30 ground unit (Wi-Fi / Ethernet), a RadioMaster Ranger / Nomad running ExpressLRS (USB or Wi-Fi), or a telemetry radio on USB.

The vehicle is flown with a USB or Bluetooth gamepad — Xbox, PlayStation, PS2 adapters or generic — whose sticks act as RC override 25 times a second, with camera functions on the buttons. If the gamepad is lost, the vehicle returns home automatically after 3 seconds.

Notoxytech GCS Pilot FLY tab with flight modes, take-off, land and return home — The FLY tab: flight modes, take-off, land and return home.

The full feature set, on a bigger screen

Flight control — take off, land, return home, pause, every flight mode of the vehicle type (LOITER, POSHOLD, GUIDED, AUTO, RTL, SMART RTL, BRAKE, LAND), arm / disarm with confirmation, Fly here and change altitude.
Map and missions — live map with flown path and line to home; Google, Bing, Esri, OpenStreetMap / OpenTopoMap and Mapbox sources; offline maps; waypoint mission planning, survey areas, and Mission Planner / QGroundControl .waypoints files.
Camera, gimbal and video — low-delay H.264 / H.265 video with OSD, map / video split or picture-in-picture, day / thermal switching and palettes, zoom, target tracking and laser rangefinder control.
Targeting and coordinates — target position by laser or flat-ground calculation, captured points, fire correction (left / right, add / drop, also in grid east / north), and Lat/Long, UTM, MGRS, Indian Grid (Everest, zones I–IVa) and DSM (India NSF LCC) formats.
Safety and monitoring — preflight checklist, two-way link quality with a 2-minute graph, battery reserve warning, autopilot messages and instruments.

On the laptop, the gimbal can also be aimed from the keyboard. Photos and videos are saved under Pictures\NotoxytechGCS and Videos\NotoxytechGCS.

Notoxytech GCS Pilot gimbal and laser rangefinder controls — Gimbal and laser rangefinder controls.

Supported hardware

All three versions support ArduPilot (Copter, Plane, QuadPlane / VTOL, Rover, Sub) and PX4; SIYI HM30 and MK-series ground units, ExpressLRS (RadioMaster Ranger / Nomad) in MAVLink mode, SiK telemetry radios and Herelink; and gimbal cameras including Skydroid C11 / C12 / C14, SIYI A8 mini, A2 mini, ZR10, ZR30, ZT30 and ZT6, and Reebot UniPod MT11 — or any camera controlled through the flight controller.

See the Notoxytech GCS Pilot product page or download the function catalogue (PDF).

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a remote controller with Notoxytech GCS Pilot?

No. GCS Pilot for Windows is flown with a USB or Bluetooth gamepad (Xbox, PlayStation or generic), with the screen and keyboard.

How does GCS Pilot connect to the drone?

Through a SIYI HM30 ground unit over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, a RadioMaster Ranger / Nomad running ExpressLRS (USB or Wi-Fi), or a telemetry radio on USB.

What happens if the gamepad disconnects?

The vehicle returns home automatically 3 seconds after the gamepad is lost.

What does GCS Pilot run on?

A Windows 10 or 11 laptop, in Microsoft Edge or Chrome.

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