DJI announced that they are starting to equip nearly all of their drones with ADS-B In capabilities after January 1, 2020. This is confusing because starting January 1, 2020, all manned aircraft are required by the FAA to have ADS-B Out. The two are unrelated.
Your drone is fine.
You do not have to equip your drone with ADS-B In.
What is ADS-B?
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is the newest generation of aircraft positional awareness, utilizing satellite GPS positioning that has been widely implemented in the manned aviation community to date. There are two types of ADS-B:
ADS-B In (receive ADS-B info)
ADS-B Out (transmit ADS-B info)
ADS-B Out transmits aircraft position to the ground and other aircraft which have ADS-B In (receivers). ADS-B Out will be required in all MANNED aircraft by January 1, 2020.
In other words, all nearby aircraft locations will now show up on the GPS maps that pilots use to navigate in order to increase manned aircraft situational awareness and safety.
What does this mean for me, the drone pilot?
Honestly, not a whole lot, unless you plan to purchase a DJI drone in 2020.
The FAA’s ADS-B Out mandate is ONLY for manned aircraft. Meaning there is NO requirement for drones to be equipped with the technology. Nor would we necessarily want them to be. Could you imagine the chaos if every drone in America showed up on an airliners navigational screens? Sounds absurd.
However, DJI has announced that all of their drones manufactured after January 1, 2020 will be equipped with ADS-B In or as they brand it, AirSense. Picking this date has caused some confusion (and rightfully so) as it is the same as the effective date for equipping your manned aircraft with ADS-B Out, however, the two are completely unrelated from a regulatory standpoint.
All DJI’s drones manufactured after January 1, 2020 will be able to detect all manned aircraft in the vicinity equipped with ADS-B Out and warn the drone operator of their presence. Again, DJI’s drones will NOT have ADS-B Out (transmitters), meaning that they can only receive ADS-B information, not transmit it.
This means peace of mind and increased warning when an aircraft is approaching. Your display will alert you of any aircraft in the vicinity and allow you plenty of time to make the appropriate operational decision when aircraft are in the area. Afterall, manned aircraft have the right of way over UAS.
Even with this added safety net, there is still the possibility that there are aircraft out there NOT equipped with ADS-B. You should always use your eyes and ears as the primary detection system for manned aircraft.
You can check out DJI’s take on their AirSense alert system here: https://www.dji.com/flysafe/airsense
Questions? Contact us anytime at (949) 335-4323, or info@aerotas.com