Flight Time Calculator — Battery Endurance

Use a watt meter inline between battery and ESC to measure current during flight. Alternatively, fly a timed flight and then check how many mAh the charger puts back in. Divide mAh by flight time in hours to get average amps.

Discharging a LiPo below 3.3V per cell causes permanent damage. Stopping at 80% of capacity keeps the voltage above the safe minimum and dramatically extends battery lifespan. Some pilots use only 70% for maximum battery longevity.

These are indicative rules of thumb, not measured values — adjust to your own watt-meter data. Gentle cruising draws roughly 70% of the sport average; sport (mixed throttle) is the 100% baseline; aggressive aerobatics around 140% from sustained high-throttle manoeuvres; and racing near 180% with throttle almost constantly at maximum. For an accurate figure, log a timed flight and recharge to read the mAh actually used.

Set your timer to 80% of the calculated flight time. This gives you a warning with enough remaining capacity to land safely. For example, if calculated flight time is 10 minutes, set the timer to 8 minutes. Always land with some reserve.