ORIGINAL: ger87410
Bring along a volt meter. A good rule of thumb is to not fly if the voltage drops below 5V or so. Assuming you have a 4C Ni-Cad.
Different types of battery packs have different limits, but a volt meter will tell you if the pack should last another flight or needs charging.
Exactly, I have a Digital Volt Meter and I customized the end tips so I can plug it in my Charge Jack in the plane... my radio has a built in Digital Volt Meter. I completely agree with ger87410, with a meter you can determine if you need a good charge.
Moving the controls while looking at your meter is only going to drain your voltage. Sometimes I use the " Light Bulb Battery Dump" to drain my battery ( You have to stand by and watch while you do this with the meter, you don't want to dump too much or you could ruin your battery pack!) so I can re-new a good charge.
The "Timer Method" is the best... we don't have to worry about charging over your peak.
Luftwaffe Oberst
Radio Aero Modelers Club
AMA District II
Pulaski, NY