Hello again. I currently have about 30 planes of various sorts and over the last 10 years or so I have probably had another 30 or so. To date, I have only had one failure that was traceable to a battery failure and that was simply that I had not checked it for some time and a battery connection was loose and let go in flight.

I have never had a battery fail in flight. To make sure this does not happen I have voltage sensors in all the planes I fly regularly and I keep an eye on them. Planes that I fly less regularly get their battery cycled a couple of days before I fly and I write the capacity on the battery on in the place so I can compare it next time.

Lately I have been using Sanyo Eneloop NiMh batteries when I can get them. They have a very low loss rate in storage and do not loose charge over many weeks though I usually top them up before use and cycle them every couple of months. They really are worth the little extra they cost.

The other problem these days is the huge numbers of cables and connectors coming out of China. Some are fine but many do not fit properly and are either too tight or too loose. Worse, hobby shops are tending to stock the cheap imitation cables and switches because they are cheap and it is becoming harder to get real JR or Futaba or Hitec cables and switches. I am sure this is going to cost people some models.