Robert Hoff

YOU MIGHT ASK: "Why all the flap about batteries? I charge my batteries overnight before I fly, and I haven't had any problems." The "why" is that you might forget to plug the charger in, or it might not be functioning; you might wait a few days after charging to fly; or your battery might have deteriorated so that it did not get a full charge. Any of these can cause battery failure during use; proper battery management can prevent this. Batteries running down during flight is probably the most common cause of crashes, following pilot error. The bad news is that batteries wear out due to chemical action, and this wear is accelerated by overcharging and charging at extreme temperatures. The good news is that the onset of battery failure can usually be detected, so a battery can be replaced before causing an inflight catastrophe.