Sounds like you're well on your way to becoming an electric expert in your own right
In general, the ~700mAh AAA NiMH cells are good and all, but they're limited to about 7 or 8 Amps, maximum. At that level, the voltage is already starting to drop off under the strain, so you really can't run the battery at full throttle for the whole flight.
Your best bet for finding out the capability of a particular brand/size cell is to check the forums. Manufacturers grossly underrate their cells due to liability concerns, and many vendors don't post the same information for the same reasons. The only way we know, for example, that AAA NiMHs are good for 7-8 Amps is because many generous people are donating their time and money to testing them in very unscientific ways. Sometimes they even ruin a pack. Practical experience is what they call it.
You can definitely burn up your battery by overloading it.