Air Sense ?

[bkushner]

Was wondering exactly how this operates... First it works fine with commercial jets but doesn't seem to go off for Helicopters which I would think would be more relevant then jets...Secondly, does it notify based on location of controller or drone? For example let's say you've flown your drone 4 miles away (I'm aware of VLOS rules) does it report aircraft near the drone or back at the controller?

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I have found the same with the helicopters near the hospital , I have been out over the lake quite far and gotten the Air Sense to work over the lake. So it seems to work off of the air space of the drone and not the controller.

 

[bkushner]

I have found the same with the helicopters near the hospital , I have been out over the lake quite far and gotten the Air Sense to work over the lake. So it seems to work off of the air space of the drone and not the controller.

Yes the Helo's near where I fly are mostly medical. Thanks.

 

[JohnLietzke]

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is what the Mavic Air 2 uses. The Mavic Air 2 it has a receiver but not a transmitter. So aircraft other aircraft can not see it.

Not all aircraft have ADS-B transmitter. I saw a statistic that stated only half of all manned aircraft flying in the U.S. have ADS-B transmitters. The FAA is really push for all aircraft to have ADS-B for safety.

I have had a number of Military helicopters and jets fly well within the range it should be detected and they never appear. This I understand but I do not get why all other aircraft are not required to have it.

There are two types of prompts I have gotten. Aircraft Nearby and Aircraft Very Close.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is what the Mavic Air 2 uses. The Mavic Air 2 it has a receiver but not a transmitter. So aircraft other aircraft can not see it.

Not all aircraft have ADS-B transmitter. I saw a statistic that stated only half of all manned aircraft flying in the U.S. have ADS-B transmitters. The FAA is really push for all aircraft to have ADS-B for safety.

I have had a number of Military helicopters and jets fly well within the range it should be detected and they never appear. This I understand but I do not get why all other aircraft are not required to have it.

There are two types of prompts I have gotten. Aircraft Nearby and Aircraft Very Close.

It has something to do with traditional air craft only so so they dont congest the air waves with other signals being transmitted. Thus the reason why so many air craft do not offer the signal needed.

ADS–B equipment is mandatory for instrument flight rules (IFR) category aircraft in Australian airspace; the United States requires many aircraft (including all commercial passenger carriers and aircraft flying in areas that required a transponder) to be so equipped as of January 2020

 

[JohnLietzke]

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a proximity emitter tied to GPS and works a unique identifier. Based on the number of aircraft and transmitter (ADS-B Out) with separate independent receiver (ADS-B In) it is not an issue of how many aircraft have it or a saturation of the airwaves. It is the Next Generation system operating at 1090 MHz or 978 MHz. Given the range is based on the signal strength of the transmitter and that it is on a designated frequency saturation of the air waves could be correlated to that of the number of cell phones in a rural area.

The ADS-B In receiver is in the drone itself. DJI pledged to include it all new drone designs. The strong advantage to ADS-B is that receivers are separate and do not require connection to a network as the signal is limited range of the transmitter. By placing it in the drone it gives more accurate awareness of nearby aircraft than in the controller.

The issue of slow adoption according to the FAA is the cost and that the aircraft manufacture or third-party has to offer an upgrade system which can be implemented on each model of aircraft. This would also require an antenna retrofit.

This Wikipedia wiki has a lot of information without being overly technical.
Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast

 

[bkushner]

I fly on Class B Philly Airspace and every commercial jet coming in has been detected.. Just no Helo's.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I fly on Class B Philly Airspace and every commercial jet coming in has been detected.. Just no Helo's.

Thanks to John I found this piece of the puzzle:

ADS–B equipment is mandatory for instrument flight rules (IFR) category aircraft in Australian airspace; the United States requires many aircraft (including all commercial passenger carriers and aircraft flying in areas that required a transponder) to be so equipped as of January 2020

So it would make sense that some Helicopters cannot fly at night or use IFR maybe.

So its going to take time for everyone to get on board with DJI which is better than DJI lagging .

The ambitious timetable of DJI is in line with the upcoming requirements of the US Federal Aviation Administration. From January 1, 2020, basically all aircraft and helicopters will be equipped with ADS-B signal transmitters in the controlled airspace.

 

[JohnLietzke]

The vast majority of helicopters are government or private. The private sector is more than likely going to wait until the FAA mandates it. $$$. An aircraft like a commercial or private medi-vac may not be in an area that requires it and for those type of aircraft they are not restricted from flying at night. It is the pilot license conditions, amount of flight time and if the pilot IFR test.

PG&E's helicopter was detected by ADS-B and so was a tour company's in San Diego but not a news chopper in Santa Cruz. Also, I in San Diego I had a low flying small single engine plane flying along the beach that was detected and was very close when it came around side of the cliffs.

The number of small planes and amateur or hobby pilots are steadily increasing. I am in an area where all aircraft are required to have ADS-B so it is nice. But in the Santa Cruz mountains about 45 minutes away there is a small private airport/field and outside of the required transponder area. You have to be really observant of what is behind you because you can not hear them until they are almost over you.

 

[Tentoes]

Out here in the middle of nowhere, the only aircraft that have it are the airliners 6 miles above. The ones I'd be in the way of don't have it. Keep the eyes and ears open!

 

[dawgpilot]

I fly on Class B Philly Airspace and every commercial jet coming in has been detected.. Just no Helo's.

Thats strange. Helicopters are required to have ADS-B enabled if they are flying anywhere near Class B airspace.

 

[Alloy]

I'm in the same boat where medical helicopters are constantly in the area due to a hospital a few miles away. They aren't detected by my Air 2. I also have a group of training props that practice 3 or 4 times a week. I believe they are from the nearby base. They don't transmit ADS-B either. So I typically don't fly around my home area.