Battery weight optimization for hovering aircraft

In situations where slip is zero (road vehicle modeling), the load cycle can be defined rather simply. The system obeys conservation laws and the energy flows are relatively simple to describe. This eventually results in dynamic system equations used for load cycle simulations. In contrast, the case of a hovering aircraft is somehow misleading. The reason for the difference is rooted in the fact that slip is never zero. For this reason, energy is constantly dissipating until there is no more left. In this paper the simplest approach i.e. an energy analysis is followed. The exercise is simple yet, sufficient to answer one of the most important design questions; " How to determine the battery weight in order to maximize performance?". Equally important questions; "What is performance?" and also, "How can we go about measuring the efficiency?" will get addressed in this paper.