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QGroundControl

DEVOPS
Velocity5.0

Ground control station for MAVLink drones and autonomous vehicles

v5.1 is in release-candidate stage, with the HUD pitch direction corrected.

dronesground-controlmavlinkrelease-candidatespx4
Current state
QGroundControl is the cross-platform ground control station for MAVLink vehicles, used with PX4 and ArduPilot. It is currently between stable releases: v5.0 shipped in July 2025 and ran to 5.0.8, and v5.1 has been in release candidates since late July 2026. The most visible v5.1 change flagged so far is a correction to the HUD pitch indicator, which now moves down when the nose pitches down.
Where it's heading
The project releases in long RC chains before each stable - v5.0 took at least five candidates - and the notes for each candidate list only what changed since the previous one. RC2's own delta is documentation and CI: download links, AppImage requirements on Ubuntu 24.04, macOS signed universal build instructions. The substantive v5.1 work is summarised on an external What's New page rather than in the feed, so the tags themselves understate the release.
Prediction
Given the RC1-to-RC2 gap and the docs-only nature of this delta, a v5.1 stable is the likely next tag rather than a third candidate - though the v5.0 chain ran to five, so more candidates would not be out of pattern.

Recent moves

  1. 2d ago

    v5.1 second release candidate: docs and CI only

    The changes since RC1 are entirely documentation and CI - install instructions, download links, a removed weekly workflow. The HUD pitch correction it highlights belongs to v5.1 as a whole, not to this candidate.

    View source ↗
  2. 19d ago

    v5.1 first release candidate

    Opens the v5.1 candidate chain with no changelog of its own, pointing users to the external What's New page. The pattern matches the v5.0 cycle.

    View source ↗
  3. 10mo ago

    Mac bundles signed and notarized; crash fixes

    The last stable patch before the v5.1 cycle began. Signing and notarizing the Mac bundle removes an install-time obstacle, alongside crash fixes on link removal and vehicle shutdown.

    View source ↗
  4. 11mo ago

    Bug-fix patch across analyze view, plan, and gimbal UI

    A dozen small fixes with no new capability - the routine shape of a 5.0.x patch between the major release and the next cycle.

    View source ↗
  5. 1y ago

    v5.0 rebuilds the fly view around in-flight configuration

    ⚡ SPARK

    The release the current RC chain is measured against, and the reference point for everything in this feed: the fly view, instrument selection, and multi-vehicle handling were reworked together.

    View source ↗
  6. 1y ago

    v5.0 fifth release candidate

    One of the five candidates preceding v5.0 stable, carrying leak, layout, and battery-parameter fixes. Its note lists only the delta from the previous candidate.

    View source ↗