Hi. I sent the following e-mail to the manager of my local airport where most air traffic in my area originates from:
Hi. I first corresponded with you via e-mail probably about 8 months ago and also have talked with you on the phone. I am a UAV pilot who has a UAV drone which has ADS-B capability. Basically the drone detects any aircraft in its vicinity and alerts the pilot. Quite a safety feature depending on one thing. Can you tell me in your estimation what percentage of aircraft currently using the Yakima Air Terminal have transponders to broadcast their presence? I have really appreciated you taking your time to thoroughly answer questions posed by someone like me that really enjoys flying UAVs. Hope you are well and thanks again for all that you do. uP UP & AWAY…
Attached to this post is a screenshot of the airport manager's reply. I was surprised at the number of aircraft around here which can send out a signal. What do you think?

Its interesting, also in Canada, its nearly non existent so far.  We have a 5 year mandate for all aircraft to install.  There is much controversy about who's footing the bill.

It is my understanding the Mavic Air 2 is ADS-B IN only. The Mavic ADS-B IN alerts the DRONE pilot of aircraft that have ADS-B OUT and are nearby . Pilots in aircraft will not get any indication of nearby drones via ADS-B.

Interesting. Thanks for the report. My local airport is likely about the same.

Also, even in some airspaces where ADS-B is required, the pilot can get a waiver to operate without it. One should never expect to always be alerted of nearby aircraft, it is just a tool to enhance situational awareness but the absence of aircraft on the map should not be interpreted as there not being any.

I wonder if that percentage is that low because that airport has a good few small light aircraft thats offsetting the airlines that will have it.   I know here in the UK I often check to see what as plane or helicopter Ive seen is and its rare for them not to have ads-b even the small training planes.

MisterFrag Posted at 6-3 17:08
Also, even in some airspaces where ADS-B is required, the pilot can get a waiver to operate without it. One should never expect to always be alerted of nearby aircraft, it is just a tool to enhance situational awareness but the absence of aircraft on the map should not be interpreted as there not being any.

This is Correct. My aircraft is not required to have ADS-B. I can fly without having to obtain a waiver due to it's age and lack of electrical system.

They should have a notification in the DJI apps... Apps like "Plane Finder" under Apple iOS are capable of this.

Then, when you're operating your drone, you would get a notification saying something to the effect of "A plane may be approaching your location, use caution!"... I find it unbelivable that drone apps (in general) don't already have this functionality - "flight tracking" apps have been able to do it for years now!

That’s still not foolproof. Apps like Plane Finder, Flightradar24 and Flightaware largely rely on local ADS-B data feeds, as well as radar returns and transponders. Radar can be occluded and is generally not very useful for the low-flying aircraft we are most interested in. Both of those therefore give an incomplete picture of the airspace around you.

Hello there Magicdroner. Thank you for reaching out and for these information you have given on this matter. The DJI AirSense is an alert system that uses ADS-B technology to give drone pilots enhanced situational awareness and help them make responsible decisions while flying. This feature gathers flight data sent automatically from nearby aircraft with ADS-B transmitters, analyzing it to detect potential collision risks and alert users well in advance through the DJI mobile application. In addition I will post a DJI link where in you can read more about the DJI AirSense ( https://www.dji.com/flysafe/airsense ). Thank you.

In europe ADS-B is only required (from this month) on manned civilian aircrft with a MTOM over 5700kg and/or capable of cruise over 250kts.  In the UK Our National Police Air Service and Military don't use ADS-B at all and neither does our coast guard, so the very aircraft likeley to creep up at low level below our 500ft airspace floor won't be alerted or tracked by AirSense.  I guess that's why there's was less fuss re airsense nt being included with the MA2 on europe on first release.  To make a real difference it would need to be able to work out MLAT triangulations but that doesn't work from a single receiver.