Battery Flight Time Calculator
Calculate drone flight time from battery capacity, voltage, and current draw. Estimate hover duration and range for quadcopter builds.
Specialist tool for RC Drones1 documented formula7 real workflowsPrivate in your browser
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Inputs that matter
Battery Capacity, Nominal Voltage, Average Current Draw, Usable Capacity
Output to expect
Battery Flight Time Calculator
How it works
1 documented formula across 1 calculation mode
- Keep 4 bounded inputs within the limits shown beside the fields.
- Confirm that every value uses the unit and time basis shown before comparing scenarios.
- Change one input at a time to see which assumption materially changes the result.
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Reference & details
How it works
Updated July 2026
How it works
Updated July 2026Capacity to Available Energy
Battery stores charge in mAh. Convert to Wh for energy: Wh = (mAh / 1000) × voltage. A 1500 mAh 4S (14.8V nominal) pack holds ~22.2 Wh.
Energy (Wh) = capacity (Ah) × nominal voltage (V)Flight Time from Current Draw
Average flight time equals usable capacity divided by average current. Use 80% of rated capacity for LiPo longevity (20% reserve).
Flight time (min) = (mAh × 0.80) / avg current (mA) × 60Hover Current Estimation
Hover current depends on AUW, prop efficiency, and motor KV. Thrust stand data or manufacturer charts give realistic hover amp values.
Hover time ≈ (mAh × 0.80) / hover amps × 60 minUpdated: July 2026
Example Scenarios
Hover at 18A, aggressive flying averages 35A: hover time (1500×0.8)/18000×60 = 4 min; mixed flying ~3 min; gentle cruise ~5 min.
Heavy lift at 25A hover: (6000×0.8)/25000×60 = 11.5 min hover. With payload and wind, plan 8–9 min safe flight with 3.5V/cell landing voltage.
Indoor whoop drawing 4A average: (300×0.8)/4000×60 = 3.6 min. High throttle indoor racing reduces to 2–2.5 min practical flight.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Calculating flight time at full throttle current
No flight sustains 100% throttle. Use hover or mixed-flight average current — full throttle estimates are 3–5× too pessimistic for duration.
Discharging LiPo to 3.0V/cell for maximum flight time
Landing at 3.5V/cell minimum protects cells. Below 3.3V/cell causes permanent capacity loss and fire risk on charging.
FAQ
Discharging LiPo below 3.5V/cell (20% remaining) damages cells and risks voltage sag cutoff. The 80% usable rule extends battery life and prevents deep discharge.
Use OSD telemetry, Betaflight blackbox, or a watt meter on the bench at hover throttle. Mixed flying averages 1.5–2× hover current for freestyle quads.
C-rating affects maximum discharge, not capacity. A 1500 mAh 100C pack holds the same energy as 1500 mAh 30C — flight time is identical at the same draw.
Heavier AUW increases hover throttle and current draw quadratically in worst cases. Adding 30% weight may reduce flight time 25–40% depending on thrust margin.
Use nominal voltage (3.7V/cell for LiPo) for energy estimates. Actual voltage sags under load — current draw measurement captures this better than voltage-based calculation alone.
About Battery Flight Time Calculator
Flight time depends on battery capacity and average current draw during hover or cruise. This calculator estimates drone flight duration from mAh capacity, voltage, efficiency, and measured or estimated amp draw.