Flying drones in congested airspace is a real challenge. Watching and listening for manned aircraft as well as other drone operations can be daunting.
Spatial awareness of power lines, trees, people and cars on the ground to add to the mix can put a real strain on flight operations.
The image below is a screen capture of Wingx app showing the busy operations at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. The blue plane is my project site which is in Class G airspace however manned aircraft fly low through this area on the approach to Falcon Field.
I had at least 10 low flying aircraft fly right overhead during my 15 minute flight. Of those 10, 2 did not have Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) so my first awareness of their approach was hearing them first then visually seeing them.
(By January of 2020 all aircraft operating in controlled airspace must have ADS-B installed.)
To help with the spatial workload, I used a mini-iPad with WingX and an ADS-B receiver to watch for incoming traffic. It really helped with keeping track of most manned aircraft, at least those equipped with ADS-B.
