How long can a drone fly? It depends on the conditions.
Flight time depends mainly on battery temperature, wind, and air density. Every figure below comes from the same physics model this calculator uses — select a drone and enter your conditions for a flight-specific estimate. More flight-time questions in the FAQ →
- Cold weather
- At 0 °C (32 °F), a drone's LiPo battery delivers only about 65% of its rated capacity; it reaches 100% only in the 20–25 °C (68–77 °F) range.Temperature impact on drone flight →
- Wind
- A typical 500 g consumer drone (25 mph wind rating) flying in steady 20 mph wind over flat terrain retains about 65% of its calm-air flight time — a 25-minute calm-air estimate drops to roughly 16 minutes.Wind analysis for drone flight →
- Altitude
- At 5,000 ft (1,524 m) above sea level, thinner air cuts a drone's flight time to about 80% of its sea-level value — the rotors need roughly 8% more power to hold the same thrust, because required power rises as the inverse square root of the air-density ratio (ISA standard atmosphere).Drone altitude adjustment guide →