Calculators
Drone Flight Time Calculator
Estimate drone flight time from battery capacity, voltage, usable discharge, all-up weight and power per kilogram.
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
The tool
Enter your numbers below. Results update as you type, and nothing leaves your browser.
Everything you enter stays on your own machine. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, which you can confirm in your browser network tab.
What people use it for
- Choosing a battery for a build
- Planning survey or filming missions
- Comparing drone configurations
- Setting safe landing reserves
About this tool
What the Drone Flight Time Calculator does
Flight time is the usable battery charge divided by the average current the motors draw. The current depends mainly on the drone’s all-up weight. This calculator estimates average current from weight and power per kilogram, then converts battery capacity into minutes in the air.
Formula
- Average current = all-up weight × power per kg ÷ voltage
- Flight time (min) = capacity (Ah) × usable share ÷ current × 60
Worked example
Using the starting values in the calculator above:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 5,000 mAh |
| Battery voltage | 14.8 V |
| Usable discharge | 80% |
| All-up weight | 1.4 kg |
| Power to hover per kg | 170 W/kg |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated flight time | 14.9 min |
| Average current draw | 16.1 |
| Average power | 238 |
| Battery energy | 74.0 |
How to read the result
Wind, aggressive flying and cold batteries all raise current draw, so real flights are usually shorter than the hover estimate.
A bigger battery adds weight as well as capacity, so flight time rises less than capacity does.
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Questions
Questions about this tool
The things clients actually want to know — costs, timelines, ownership and what happens after launch.
Divide usable battery capacity in amp-hours by the average current draw in amps, then multiply by 60 for minutes.
Draining lithium polymer batteries fully shortens their life and risks a sudden voltage drop, so pilots keep a reserve.
Efficient multirotors often hover at roughly 150 to 200 watts per kilogram; check your own flight logs.
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