Drone Flight Time Calculator

The duration of a drone survey depends on several factors including site size, required resolution, weather conditions, and the type of drone used. A typical 5-hectare site can be surveyed in approximately 30-45 minutes of flight time, though total project time including setup, ground control placement, and multiple battery changes may be 2-4 hours. Larger sites or those requiring higher resolution imagery will take proportionally longer.

Battery requirements depend on site size and drone type. As a general rule, plan for one battery per 2-4 hectares for multi-rotor drones at standard settings. Fixed-wing and VTOL drones can cover significantly more area per battery. We always recommend having at least one spare battery for contingencies. Our flight time calculator above provides specific estimates based on your project parameters.

Several factors influence drone flight time: payload weight (heavier sensors reduce flight time), wind conditions (flying into wind drains batteries faster), altitude (higher altitudes require more power), temperature (cold weather reduces battery capacity), and flight pattern (frequent turns and stops use more energy than straight-line flight). Weather conditions can reduce effective flight time by 15-30%.

Flight altitude depends on your survey requirements. Higher altitudes (100-120m) allow faster coverage and are suitable for large-area mapping where cm-level resolution is not critical. Lower altitudes (50-80m) provide higher resolution imagery essential for detailed inspections or when sub-centimetre accuracy is required. UK regulations limit drone flights to 120m above ground level for most operations.

For photogrammetry and 3D modelling, we recommend 75% frontal (forward) overlap and 65-75% side overlap as standard. Complex terrain, dense vegetation, or high-accuracy requirements may need 80-85% overlap. Lower overlap (60-65%) can be used for simple orthophoto generation on flat terrain. Higher overlap increases processing time and storage requirements but improves accuracy and model quality.

Professional survey drones can operate in wind speeds up to 10-15 m/s depending on the model. However, wind affects flight efficiency, battery consumption, and image quality. We typically recommend postponing surveys when sustained winds exceed 10 m/s or gusts exceed 15 m/s. Our enterprise drones like the Matrice series have higher wind resistance ratings than consumer models.