ORIGINAL: ChuckW
Even if the useable battery capacity was so high and the self discharge rate so low that you could fly for days without recharging, why chance it? Why not start each day at 100%? I view RC planes as not much different than full scale planes. Any risk that can be minimized or prevented before flying should be. Charging takes almost no effort so I figure why not do it? That's just my approach to the hobby. I've seen a lot of planes crashed and the pilot then saying "I thought it was good enough"
I respectfully disagree. I'm not talking about chancing a flight when my batteries are marginal. By your logic, why wouldn't you have to charge the batteries before every flight? Plus, can't you shorten a battery's life by overcharging it, repeatedly, over and over again, when it doesn't need charging?