ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Review
The Helimax Form500 Utility Drone is an excellent payload carrying option, providing a rugged, durable,
user customizable design. The system’s scores across many of the individual measures indicate it can be
useful in conducting outdoor multirotor operations, ensuring safety, and supporting more advanced
uses, once it has been custom configured by the user. The system scored higher than average for
payload capacity (top scorer), pricing (less-expensive), construction quality, operational ease, and user
support; slightly less than average for maximum speed; and less than average for endurance, camera
quality (no interface provided, even when using separately purchased camera), communication range
(not reported), utility (limited without camera functions), critical metrics, and accuracy and availability
of reported values. The Form500 is less appropriate to a novice operator, unless configured, setup, and
operated under the direct supervision and assistance of an experienced operator. It can provide
advanced functionality and capabilities, through third-party add-ons, which can make the platform
useful for indoor or outdoor operations in support of aerial filming, training, or research.
Strengths
Very robust system with good lifting capability and durability
Use of physical orientation indicators (on front legs) is a good alternative to LEDs (reduces complexity)
Aircraft is highly user serviceable
Extremely quiet in flight, despite size
Weaknesses
No camera, gimbal, or software included; FPV setup requires purchase and configuration of an
aftermarket system
Overly sensitive (indoors) and required calibration with every flight (suggest removal of propellers during
calibration); takeoff required high throttle setting; novice operators will be challenged to operate,
especially in combination with any camera functionality
Low yaw rate, controllability and responsiveness provide a challenge when flying in a pattern
Very flimsy main body cover constructed of thin plastic and battery connector should be reinforced to
maintain longterm durability
Generic hobby-grade controller, lacked labels making advanced operation difficult (assignment appeared
arbitrary and non-intuitive)
Battery placement can be imprecise, causing CG issue (should include a physical stop or mark)
Documentation was minimal, lacking detail of other systems; controller and aircraft information
presented in two separate documents
Maximum Speed was not published, but a speed of 26.07 kts was captured in testing
Communication Range not published, but default geofence is set to a range of 820.21 ft
Manufacturer Details
Webpage: http://www.helimaxrc.com/quadcopters/hmxe0863-form500/index.html
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