this is maybe a dumb question but ive been flying for about two years now and my maintenance routine is basically just... fix things when they break. i dont have like a regular schedule or anything. clean props, check for loose screws after a rough session, that kind of thing. but ive never proactively replaced motors or ESCs before they actually fail.

talked to someone at a local race meet who said he swaps motors every like 50 packs regardless and i thought that was kind of overkill but then again he never seems to have mid-flight failures which i've had twice this year. both times were motor related, one was a bearing going out and one was a phase wire that wore through at the motor base which i probably couldve caught if i was actually looking.

do people actually have a real maintenance schedule or is everyone just winging it like me

honestly i think most people are winging it, at least the freestyle guys. racers tend to be more systematic about it because a dnf mid-race is way more annoying than just a crash in the field. for me personally i check phase wires and motor screws every maybe 10-15 packs, and i'll spin each motor by hand to feel for any bearing roughness. that phase wire thing you mentioned is super common and totally catchable early if you just flex the wires near the base once in a while and look for any cracking in the insulation.

the 50 packs thing does sound like a lot but i get it if youre flying aggressive race courses. for normal freestyle i think most motors are good way longer than that unless youre crashing constantly. i personally just do a quick once-over before any session ? props tight, no cracked arms, motors spin freely, no obvious damage. takes maybe two minutes. its not a deep inspection but ive caught a couple things before they became actual problems. a loose motor screw that wouldve stripped out eventually, stuff like that.