ORIGINAL: unableelephant
the battery has been through maybe 3 sessions and i run it all the way empty
Ran it all the way to empty?.... That battery is junk and will never charge properly. I'll bet the battery is "puffy" looking.
That explains why there is not enough power to hover.
NEVER run your battery low... go 6 minutes MAX time, then wait 30 minutes to re-charge.