Getting the Most From a 43 Minute Battery

A flight time on a spec sheet is measured hovering in still air. Here is what changes it, and what you can do about each one.

Temperature is the biggest single factor. A cell at five degrees delivers noticeably less than the same cell at twenty, so batteries live in an inside pocket until the moment they go in the aircraft.

Speed is the second. Cruising costs less than hovering, and hovering costs less than fighting a crosswind. A survey flown as long straight legs will outlast the same survey flown as a series of stops.

Storage matters between flights as much as during them. Cells left at full charge age faster than cells rested at storage voltage, and our chargers drop to storage level on their own after three days.