How Long Can A Drone Stay In The Air?

The flight time performance of a drone usually refers to the maximum flight duration, which includes the maximum hover time in the air and the maximum flight duration in the air. Here let us understand the hover time of the drone.

Whether it is a hobby drone or a commercial drone, it is crucial to understand how long the drone can stay in the air and how long it can fly.

The maximum flight time of a drone depends on a variety of factors, such as battery capacity, weight, aerodynamic design, weather conditions, and the type of flight (hovering vs. moving at a constant speed).

How do drones achieve hovering?

Most drones can quickly take off with one click and will remain hovering in the air when we are not operating the remote control stick.

Hover Drone usually achieve hovering with the help of a combination of inertial measurement units (IMU), barometers and altimeters, visual sensors, global positioning systems (GPS), PID controllers and other technologies. These components will help the flight control system achieve precise attitude. Control and maintain a constant altitude to maintain a stable hover.

How long can a drone last in the air?

Ranging from a few minutes to literal days. Let’s start with drone types.

Toy drones: 5–10 minutes
Hobby drones: 10–20 minutes
Mid-level drones: 22 minutes
High-end consumer drones: 28 minutes
Police drones: 10–30 minutes
Industrial drones: 20–30 minutes for small drones, 30 minutes–1 hour for mid-class drones, and 1–2 hours for top-class drones

High-end drones and fixed-wing aircraft can be used as police drones or other commercial fields, and the flight time may be as long as one hour or more.

In the Autelpilot store, the Autel EVO Lite+ and Autel EVO II Pro V3 are long-range consumer drones with a maximum flight time of up to 40 minutes and a maximum hover time of 38 minutes.

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Autel Robotics EVO II Pro V3 Camera Drone

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How long can a drone fly at a time after being fully charged?

The flight time of a drone depends more on the drone model and battery performance. Most drones use lithium batteries that can be charged and discharged multiple times.

Consumer drones typically have a flight time of around 10 minutes to 30 minutes on a single charge. More advanced and expensive drones can have longer flight times, sometimes exceeding 30 minutes or even up to an hour or more.

Professional-grade drones used for tasks such as aerial photography, surveying or surveillance typically have longer flight times because they are equipped with larger batteries and more efficient propulsion systems. Some of these drones can stay in the air for hours, especially if they are designed for long-endurance missions.

Tips for increasing drone flight time

After we fully understand the hovering and flying of drones, let us think about how to make these high-flying drones stay in the air for longer? Here are some great tips for increasing your drone flight time.

Reduce the burden on

Consumer drones are lightweight and have a short flight time, while industrial drones are heavy and have a long flight time. Weight is a major factor that affects flight time and is also an important indicator that helps a drone hover/fly stably in the air.

One of the easiest ways to increase your drone’s flight time is to lighten its load. An excessive load will increase the work done by the drone against gravity, and the battery will lose power faster.

Fly in optimal conditions

The flying conditions of the drone are crucial to the drone. Wind speed, direction, temperature and altitude all affect the flight time of your drone. Therefore, flying under optimal conditions will result in a better flight experience and photographic images.

Optimum conditions usually mean avoiding high winds, extreme temperatures and high altitudes.

Maintain/service your battery

Most drones use high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries have low self-discharge rate, long cycle life, fast charge and discharge performance, and are relatively environmentally friendly and reliable. Regularly maintain the battery for charge and discharge management, and store it in a dry environment. When lithium-ion batteries are underperforming, purchase drone battery accessories to achieve the best flying experience.

Use efficient flight modes

Consumer drones typically have three gears for drone flight mode, which is reflected in the speed of the drone. In most cases, the drone's default flight mode is selected and the GPS remains hovered, helping to save battery power and increase flight time.

Last but not least, consider using your drone’s efficient flight mode. Many drones have different flight modes designed for different situations. Some of these modes, such as hover or GPS hold, can help save battery power and increase flight time.

How long can a drone stay in the air under extreme conditions?

Drones are eyes in the sky, and will replace us to see some rare sights. If you are an adventure enthusiast, drones are your recording assistants.

Where will you take your drone? Mountain tops thousands of meters high, canyons hundreds of meters deep, and above the clouds with lightning and thunder? These extreme environments fully test the performance of drones. Can drones still maintain a certain speed and altitude in the air to fly or shoot?

If a drone wants to shoot in high-altitude areas, it is necessary to pay attention to the maximum take-off altitude of the drone. It cannot take off if it exceeds the limit. In deep canyons, always be careful about the GPS strength of the drone to prevent the drone from losing the signal and crashing. If shooting above high clouds, please pay attention to the height limit of the drone and the erosion of water vapor and rain.

In general, flying, hovering, and shooting drones under extreme conditions have great risks and danger indexes, and the power of the drone will also increase, and the flight time will be greatly reduced. Don't let the curiosity get the better of you and cause more drone damage.

In conclusion

Here, we explain the factors that affect drone hover time and flight time, help drone enthusiasts fully understand the issues related to drone flight time and provide some tips to increase flight time. Learn about Autel drone news and make every flight smoother.