A remote pilot's favorite battery is 18 months old with 220 charge cycles. The drone's controller now reports only 22 minutes of flight time from full charge, compared to 28 minutes when the battery was new. A planned survey mission requires 24 minutes of total flight time including return. What is the correct decision?

Why →A 22-minute capacity does not safely cover a 24-minute mission. LiPo battery capacity degrades non-linearly, and the final 10 percent of a battery's life can degrade quickly under load. The PIC is responsible for determining the aircraft is fit for the mission, which includes matching battery capacity to planned flight time with a real margin (typically 20 to 30 percent).

The trap →The answer that plans a short intermediate landing treats mid-mission landings as a legitimate plan, but a survey mission rarely has a good landing zone in the middle. The answer that relies on a built-in rating margin confuses manufacturer ratings with delivered capacity.

Field note →Track cycles and observed full-charge flight time for each battery in a simple spreadsheet. When observed time drops below 80 percent of spec, retire the battery to training or non-commercial use.