RE: retirement time
You're right, someone will disagree, me.
If you have a good preventive maintenance plan in effect, you will not have any trouble with charging issues. I keep a log of all Tx and Rx batteries in my aircraft and note the peak voltage at the end of a charge. I use a couple of Triton chargers which allows me to access that info. By doing this, I can see when a pack starts to deteriorate to a lower charge level. If it is a Nicd I will perform a discharge under load to see how many minutes it will last, down to 1.1 volt per cell. If unsatisfactory, I scrap the pack after an effort to cycle that does not bring the pack back to a comfortable level.
It may seem like a lot of trouble, but it saves aircraft. I have enough trouble with dumb thumbs without adding dead batteries to it. You should also have a meter that produces a load for checking your batteries at the field before flying. Anything suspect should keep you grounded.
Bob