Drone Flight Time Calculator
Estimate flight duration from battery capacity, payload weight, and wind conditions. Plan safe mission endurance.
Inputs
Results
Estimated Flight Time
12.7 min
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter battery capacity (mAh), battery voltage, and hover current draw from your drone's specification.
- Set drone weight without payload and payload weight for the planned mission.
- Enter current wind speed to account for increased power in headwind conditions.
- Review estimated flight time (min), maximum no-load flight time, and total power consumption (W).
- Reserve at least 20–25% battery for emergency return — plan missions to land at 30% remaining.
How the result changes with Battery Capacity
| Battery Capacity | Estimated Flight Time |
|---|---|
| 5,900 | 14.4 min |
| 18,150 | 44.4 min |
| 32,850 | 80.4 min |
| 45,100 | 110.3 min |
What each input means
- Battery Capacity
- Battery capacity in milliamp-hours.
- Battery Voltage
- Nominal battery voltage (e.g., 6S LiPo = 22.2V).
- Hover Current Draw
- Current draw while hovering with no payload.
- Drone Weight (no payload)
- All-up weight of the drone without payload, including battery.
- Payload Weight
- Weight of camera, sensor, or cargo payload.
- Wind Speed
- Average wind speed during the flight.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersBattery Capacity = 5200, Battery Voltage = 22.2, Hover Current Draw = 15, Drone Weight (no payload) = 2500 = 6 input(s) provided
- Calculate Estimated Flight TimeEstimated Flight Time12.7 = 12.7
- Calculate Max Flight TimeMax Flight Time16.6 = 16.6
- Calculate Adjusted Current DrawAdjusted Current Draw19.62 = 19.62
Engine last updated . Checked against 1 independently-derived test — how we verify calculators.
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