### April 17, 2015

Exemption No. 11376 Regulatory Docket No. FAA–2015–0072

Mr. Curtis Youngblood

Texas UAV Professionals

11253 East OSR
Hearne, TX 77859

Dear Mr. Youngblood:

This letter is to inform you that we have gran ted your request for exemption. It transmits our decision, explains its basis, and gives you th e conditions and limitations of the exemption, including the date it ends.

The Basis for Our Decision

By letter dated January 12, 2015, you petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

on behalf of Texas UAV Professiona ls (hereinafter petitioner or operator) for an exemption. The exemption would allow the petitioner to ope rate an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to conduct inspections for utility and construction industries.

See Appendix A for the petition submitted to the FAA describing the proposed operations and the regulations that the petitioner seeks an exemption.

The FAA has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition in the Federal Register because the requested exemption would not set a precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to the petitioner.

Airworthiness Certification

The UAS proposed by the petitioner is a TUP X8-800.

### 2

The petitioner requested relief from 14 CFR part 21, Certification procedures for products and parts, Subpart H—Airworthiness Certificates . In accordance with the statutory criteria provided in Section 333 of Public Law 112

− 95 in reference to 49 U.S.C. § 44704, and in consideration of the size, weight, speed, a nd limited operating area associated with the aircraft and its operation, the S ecretary of Transportation has de termined that this aircraft
meets the conditions of Section 333. Therefore, th e FAA finds that the re quested relief from 14 CFR part 21, Certification procedures for products and parts, Subpart H—Airworthiness Certificates , and any associated noise certification and testing requirements of part 36, is

not necessary.

The Basis for Our Decision

You have requested to use a UAS for aerial da ta collection. The FAA has issued grants of exemption in circumstances similar in all materi al respects to those pr esented in your petition. In Grants of Exemption No s. 11062 to Astraeus Aerial ( see Docket No. FAA

− 2014

− 0352), 11109 to Clayco, Inc. ( see Docket No. FAA

− 2014

− 0507), 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC ( see Docket No. FAA

− 2014

− 0382), and 11213 to Aeryon Labs, Inc. ( see Docket No.

FAA

− 2014

− 0642), the FAA found that the enhanced safety achieved using an unmanned aircraft (UA) with the specifica tions described by the petition er and carrying no passengers or crew, rather than a manned aircraft of signi ficantly greater proporti ons, carrying crew in addition to flammable fuel, gi ves the FAA good cause to find th at the UAS operation enabled by this exemption is in the public interest.

Having reviewed your reasons for re questing an exemption, I find that—

 They are similar in all material respects to relief previously re quested in Grant of Exemption Nos. 11062, 11109, 11112, and 11213;

 The reasons stated by the FAA for granting Exemption Nos. 11062, 11109, 11112, and 11213 also apply to the situ ation you present; and

 A grant of exemption is in the public interest.

Our Decision

In consideration of the foregoing, I find that a gr ant of exemption is in the public interest. Therefore, pursuant to the authority contained in 49 U.S. C. 106(f), 40113, and 44701, delegated to me by the Administrator, Texa s UAV Professionals is granted an exemption from 14 CFR §§ 61.23(a) and (c), 61.101(e )(4) and (5), 61.113( a), 61.315(a), 91.7(a), 91.119(c), 91.121, 91.151(a)(1), 91.405( a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1 ) and (2), and 91.417(a) and (b), to the extent necessary to allow the pe titioner to operate a UAS to perform aerial data collection. This exemption is subject to the conditions and limitati ons listed below.

### 3

Conditions and Limitations

In this grant of exemption, Texas UAV Professionals is hereafter referred to as the operator.

Failure to comply with any of the conditions an d limitations of this grant of exemption will be grounds for the immediate suspension or rescission of this exemption.

1. Operations authorized by this grant of ex emption are limited to the TUP X8-800 when weighing less than 55 pounds including pa yload. Proposed operations of any other aircraft will require a new petition or a petition to amend this exemption.

2. Operations for the purpose of closed-set motion picture and television filming are not permitted.

3. The UA may not be operated at a speed exceeding 87 knots (100 miles per hour). The exemption holder may use either groundspeed or calibrated airspeed to determine compliance with the 87 knot speed restricti on. In no case will the UA be operated at airspeeds greater than the maximum UA operating airspeed recommended by the

aircraft manufacturer.

4. The UA must be operated at an altitude of no more than 400 feet above ground level (AGL). Altitude must be reported in feet AGL.

5. The UA must be operated within visual line of sight (VLOS) of the PIC at all times. This requires the PIC to be able to use human vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, as specified on the PIC’s FAA-issued airman medical certificate or

U.S. driver’s license.

6. All operations must utilize a visual observer (VO). The UA must be operated within the visual line of sight (VLOS) of the PI C and VO at all times. The VO may be used to satisfy the VLOS requirement as long as the PIC always maintains VLOS capability. The VO and PIC must be able to communicate verbally at all times; electronic messaging or texting is not perm itted during flight operations. The PIC must be designated before the flight and cannot transfer his or her designation for the duration of the flight. The PIC must en sure that the VO can perform the duties required of the VO.

7. This exemption and all documents needed to operate the UAS and conduct its operations in accordance with the conditions and limitations stated in this grant of exemption, are hereinafter referred to as the operating documents. The operating documents must be accessible during UAS operations and made available to the Administrator upon request. If a discrepa ncy exists between the conditions and limitations in this exemption and the pro cedures outlined in the operating documents,

the conditions and limitations herein ta ke precedence and must be followed.

### 4

Otherwise, the operator must follow the pr ocedures as outlined in its operating documents. The operator may update or revi se its operating documents. It is the operator’s responsibility to track such revisions and pr esent updated and revised documents to the Administrator or any la w enforcement official upon request. The operator must also present updated and revise d documents if it petitions for extension or amendment to this grant of exemption. If the operator determines that any update or revision would affect the basis upon which the FAA granted this exemption, then the operator must petition for an amendment to its grant of exemption. The FAA’s UAS Integration Office (AFS-80) may be contacte d if questions arise regarding updates or revisions to the operating documents.

8. Any UAS that has undergone maintenance or alterations that aff ect the UAS operation or flight characteristics, e .g. replacement of a flight cr itical component, must undergo a functional test flight prio r to conducting further opera tions under this exemption. Functional test flights may only be conducted by a PIC with a VO and must remain at least 500 feet from other people. The functi onal test flight must be conducted in such a manner so as to not pose an undue hazard to persons and property.

9. The operator is responsible for maintaining a nd inspecting the UAS to ensure that it is in a condition for safe operation.

10. Prior to each flight, the PIC must conduct a pre-flight inspection and determine the UAS is in a condition for safe flight. Th e pre-flight inspection must account for all potential discrepancies, e .g. inoperable components, items, or equipment. If the inspection reveals a condition that affects the safe operation of the UAS, the aircraft is prohibited from operating until the necessary maintenance has been performed and the

UAS is found to be in a condition for safe flight.

11. The operator must follow the UAS manu facturer’s maintenance, overhaul, replacement, inspection, and life limit requ irements for the aircraft and aircraft

components.

12. Each UAS operated under this exemption mu st comply with all manufacturer safety

bulletins.

13. Under this grant of exemption, a PIC mu st hold either an airline transport, commercial, private, recreational, or sport pi lot certificate. The PIC must also hold a

current FAA airman medical certificate or a valid U.S. driver’s license issued by a
state, the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, a territory, a possession, or the Federal government. The PIC must also meet the flight review requirements specified in 14 CFR § 61.56 in an aircraft in which the PI C is rated on his or her pilot certificate.

14. The operator may not permit any PIC to ope rate unless the PIC demonstrates the ability to safely operate the UAS in a ma nner consistent with how the UAS will be

### 5

operated under this exemption, including evasive and emergency maneuvers and maintaining appropriate distan ces from persons, vessels, vehi cles and structures. PIC qualification flight hours and currency must be logged in a manner consistent with 14 CFR § 61.51(b). Flights for the purposes of training the operator’s PICs and VOs (training, proficiency, and e xperience-building) and determining the PIC’s ability to safely operate the UAS in a manner consistent with how the UAS will be operated under this exemption are permitted under the terms of this exemption. However, training operations may only be conducted dur ing dedicated training sessions. During training, proficiency, and expe rience-building flights, al l persons not essential for flight operations are considered nonpartic ipants, and the PIC must operate the UA with appropriate distance from nonparti cipants in accordance with 14 CFR § 91.119.

15. UAS operations may not be conducted during night, as defined in 14 CFR § 1.1. All operations must be conducted under visual meteorological conditi ons (VMC). Flights under special visual flight rule s (SVFR) are not authorized.

16. The UA may not operate within 5 nautical mile s of an airport reference point (ARP) as denoted in the current FAA Airport/Facil ity Directory (AFD) or for airports not
denoted with an ARP, the center of the ai rport symbol as denoted on the current FAApublished aeronautical chart, unless a lett er of agreement with that airport’s management is obtained or otherwise permitted by a COA issued to the exemption holder. The letter of agreement with the ai rport management must be made available to the Administrator or any law enforcement official upon request.

17. The UA may not be operated less than 500 feet below or less than 2,000 feet horizontally from a cloud or when visibility is less than 3 statute miles from the PIC.

18. If the UAS loses communications or loses it s GPS signal, the UA must return to a predetermined location within the priv ate or controlled-access property.

19. The PIC must abort the flight in the even t of unpredicted obstacles or emergencies.

20. The PIC is prohibited from beginning a f light unless (considering wind and forecast weather conditions) there is enough available power for the UA to conduct the intended operation and to operate after that fo r at least five minutes or with the reserve power recommended by the manufacturer if greater.

21. Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Certificate of Waiver or Author ization (COA). All operations shall be conducted in accorda nce with an ATO-issued COA. The exemption holder may apply for a new or amended COA if it intends to conduct operations that cannot be conducted unde r the terms of the attached COA.

22. All aircraft operated in accord ance with this exemption must be identified by serial number, registered in accordance with 14 CFR part 47, and have identification (N-

### 6

Number) markings in accordance with 14 CF R part 45, Subpart C. Markings must be as large as practicable.

23. Documents used by the operator to ensure th e safe operation and flight of the UAS and any documents required under 14 CFR §§ 91.9 and 91.203 must be available to the

PIC at the Ground Control Station of the UAS any time the aircraft is operating. These

documents must be made available to th e Administrator or any law enforcement official upon request.

24. The UA must remain clear and give wa y to all manned aviation operations and

activities at all times.

25. The UAS may not be operated by the PIC from any moving device or vehicle.

26. All Flight operations must be conducted at least 500 feet from all nonparticipating persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures unless:

a. Barriers or structures are present that sufficiently pr otect nonparticipating persons from the UA and/or debris in the event of an accident. The operator must ensure that nonparticipating persons remain under such protection. If a situation arises where nonparticipating persons leave such protection and are within 500 feet of the UA, flight operations must cease immediately in a manner ensuring the safety of nonparticipating persons; and

b. The owner/controller of any vessels, vehicles or struct ures has granted permission for operating closer to those objects and the PIC has made a safety assessment of the risk of operating closer to those objects and determined that it does not present an undue hazard.

The PIC, VO, operator trainees or es sential persons are not considered nonparticipating persons under this exemption.

27. All operations shall be conducted over priv ate or controlled-access property with permission from the property owner/cont roller or authorized representative. Permission from property owner/controller or authorized representative will be obtained for each flight to be conducted.

28. Any incident, accident, or flight operation that transgresses the lateral or vertical boundaries of the operational area as defined by the applicable COA must be reported to the FAA's UAS Integration Office (AFS- 80) within 24 hours. Accidents must be reported to the National Transportation Sa fety Board (NTSB) per instructions

contained on the NTSB Web site: www.ntsb.gov

.

If this exemption permits operations for th e purpose of closed-set motion picture and television filming and production, the following additional conditions and limitations apply.

### 7

29. The operator must have a motion picture and television operations manual (MPTOM)

as documented in this grant of exemption.

30. At least 3 days before aerial filming, the operator of the UAS affected by this exemption must submit a written Plan of Activities to the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) with jurisdiction ove r the area of proposed filming. The 3-day notification may be waived w ith the concurrence of the FSDO. The plan of activities must include at least the following:

a. Dates and times for all flights;

b. Name and phone number of the operator for the UAS aerial filming conducted under this grant of exemption;

c. Name and phone number of the person res ponsible for the on-s cene operation of
the UAS;

d. Make, model, and serial or N- Number of UAS to be used;

e. Name and certificate number of UAS PI Cs involved in the aerial filming;

f. A statement that the operator has obtain ed permission from property owners

and/or local officials to conduct the filming production event; the list of those who gave permission must be made av ailable to the inspector upon request;

g. Signature of exemption holde r or representative; and

h. A description of the flight activity, includi ng maps or diagrams of any area, city, town, county, and/or state over which film ing will be conducted and the altitudes essential to accomplish the operation.

31. Flight operations may be conducted closer th an 500 feet from pa rticipating persons consenting to be involved and necessary for the filming production, as specified in the exemption holder’s MPTOM.

Unless otherwise specified in this grant of exemption, the UAS, the UAS PIC, and the UAS operations must comply with al l applicable parts of 14 CFR including, but not limited to, parts 45, 47, 61, and 91.

This exemption terminates on April 30, 2017, unless sooner superseded or rescinded.

Sincerely,

/s/

John S. Duncan Director, Flight Standards Service

### 1

Jan 12,2015

U

. S

. D epa r t m e n t o f

T r a n s po r t a t i on D o c k e t

M ana g e m en t S y s t em
120 0 N e w J e rs e y A v e

. , S E W as h i ng t on

, D C

20590

R e : E x e m p t i on R e q ue s t S e c ti on 333 o f t he FA A R e f o r m A c t and Pa r t

1 1 of t h e Fede r al A v i a t i on R e g u l a ti ons f r o m 14 C

. F

. R

. 45

. 2 3 ( b ) ; 14 C FR P a rt 21 ; 14 C FR 61

. 113 ( a) & ( b ); 9 1

. 7 ( a ) ; 91

. 9 ( b ) ( 2 ) ; 91

. 10 3 ( b ) ; 9 1

. 109 ; 9 1

. 119; 91

. 12 1 ;
91

. 151 ( a ) ; 9 1

. 203 ( a ) & ( b ) ; 9 1

. 405 ( a ) ; 9 1

. 407 ( a ) ( 1 ); 91

. 409 ( a ) ( 2 ) ; 91

. 417 ( a) & ( b ).

D ea r S i r o r M ada m:

Pu rs uan t t o Se c t i o n 33 3 o f t h e FA A M ode r n i z a t i o n an d R e f o r m A c t o f 20 1 2 ( t h e R e f o r m A c t ) an d 1 4 C

. F

. R

. P a rt 11

, Texas UAV Professionals

, de v e l ope r an d

op e r a t o r o f S m a l l U n m anned A i rcr a f t S y s t e ms (“s U A S s”) e q u i ppe d t o c ondu c t inspections for the utility and construction industries

, he r eb y app li e s f o r a n

e x e m p t i o n f r o m t h e li s t ed Fede r a l A v i a t i o n R e g u l a ti on s (“ FA R s ”) t o a ll o w

c o mm e rc i a l ope r a t i o n o f i t s s U AS s, so l o n g a s s u ch ope r a t i on s a re c o n du c t e d

w i t h i n an d und e r t h e c ond i t i on s ou t li ne d h e r e i n o r a s m a y be e s t ab li s he d b y t h e

FA A a s r e q u i r e d b y Se c t i o n 3 3 3

. 1

The name and address of the applicant is:

Texas UAV Professionals Attn: Curtis Youngblood

PH: 979

- 828

- 4269

Email: cy@curtisyoungblood.com Address: 11253 E OSR Hearne, TX 77859

**The applicant**  **re qu**  **e s**  **t s**  **re li**  **e f**  **f r** 

**om t**  **he f**  **ollo w**  **i n**  **g re**  **gula t**  **ions:**

P ar t 21, C er ti f i ca tion P r o ce du re s f or P r odu c ts a nd P ar ts, p re s cr i b e s, in p er tin e nt

p ar t, the p r o ce d u ra l re qu i re m e nts f or issuing a nd c h a n ging d e s i g n a p p r ov a ls,

p r o du c tion a pp r ov a ls, a i r w o r thin e ss cer ti f i c a t e s, a nd a i r w o r t h in e ss a pp r ov a ls.

S ec tion 45.23 ( b) p re s cr i b e s, in p er tin e nt p ar t, th a t w h e n m ar ks in c lude on l y the

Rom a n ca pit a l l e tt e r “ N ” a nd t h e r e g ist ra tion numb e r is displ a y e d o n limit e d,

re st r i c t e d, or li g ht

- spo r t ca t e g o r y a i r c r af t or e x p er im e nt a l or p r ovision a l l y c e r ti f i ca t e d

a i rcr a f t, the op era tor must a lso displ a y on th a t a i r c r af t n e a r e ac h e nt ra n c e to the

ca bin, c o c kpit, or pilot st a tion, in l e tt er s n o t l e ss th a n 2 in c h e s nor m o r e th a n 6

in c h e s h i g h, t h e w o r ds “ limit e d,” “re st r i c t e d,” “ l i g ht

- spo r t,” “e x p er im e nt a l,” or

“ p r ovision a l,” a s a p pli ca bl e

.

### 2

S ec tion 61.113 (a ) a nd ( b) p re s cr ibe t h a t

-



### (a) N o p er son w ho holds a p r iv a te pilot cer ti f i c a te m a y a c t a s a pilot in c omm a nd ( P I C) o f a n a i r cr a f t th a t is car r y i n g p a s s e n g er s o r p r op er t y f or c omp e ns a ti o n or hi re ; nor m a y th a t p er so n

, f or c omp e n s a tion or hi re

, ac t a s P I C of a n

a i r c ra f t.



### (b) A p r iv a te pilot m a y

, f or c omp e ns a tion or hi re

, a c t a s P I C of a n a i r cr a f t in

c onn ec tion w ith a n y bus i n e ss or e mpl o y m e nt i f

- 

### (1) T he f li g ht is on l y in c id e n t a l to th a t busin e ss or e mpl o y m e nt; a nd



### (2) T he a i r c raf t d o e s not ca rr y p a s s e n g er s o r p r op e r t y f or c omp e ns a tion or

hi r e.

S ec tion 91.7 (a ) p r e s cr ib e s th a t no p er son m a y op e ra te a c ivil a i rc r af t unl e ss it is in a n

a i rw o r t h y c ondition.

S ec tion 91.9 ( b )( 2) p re s cr ib e s, in p er tin e nt p ar t, th a t no p er son m a y op e r a te

U .S.

- r e g ist ere d c ivil a i rc r af t unl e ss th er e is a v a il a b le in the a i rc r af t a c u r r e nt a pp r ov ed

A i r pl a ne or Roto r c raf t F l i g ht M a nu a l, a p p r ov e d m a nu a l m a t er i a l, m a r kin g s, a nd pl acar ds, or a n y c ombin a tion th ere o f

.
S ec tion 91.103 p re s cr ib e s th a t eac h P I C sh a ll, b e f o r e b e g inni n g a f l i g ht, b e c ome fa mili a r w ith a ll a v a il a b l e in f o r m a tion c on c er ni n g th a t f li g ht. T his in f o r m a tion must

in c lud e

-


### (b) F or a n y f li g ht, r u n w a y l e n g ths a t a i r p o r ts of int e n d e d us e

, a nd the f ollo w ing

t a k e o f f a nd l a ndi n g dist a n c e in f o r m a tion:



### (1) F or c ivil a i r cr a f t f or w hi c h a n a pp r ov e d A i r pl a ne o r Roto rcraf t

F li g ht M a n u a l c ont a ini n g t a k e o f f a nd l a ndi n g dist a n c e d a ta is r e qui re d, the

t a k e o f f a nd l a ndi n g dist a n c e d a ta c ont a in e d th e re i n; a nd



### (2) F or c ivil a i r cr a f t oth e r t h a n those sp ec i f i e d in p ar a g r a ph ( b ) ( 1) of this

s ec tion, oth e r re li a b l e in f o r m a tion a pp r op r i a te to t he a i r c raf t, r e l a ting to

a i rc r af t p e r f o r m a n c e un d e r e x p ec t e d v a l u e s of a i r po r t e l e v a tion a nd

r un w a y slop e

, a i rc r af t g r oss we i g ht, a nd w ind a nd t e mp era tu r e

.
S ec tion 91.109 p re s cr ib e s, in p er tin e nt p ar t, th a t n o p er son m a y op e ra te a c ivil

a i rcraf t (e x ce pt a m a nn e d fr e e b a lloon) th a t is b e ing us e d f or f li g ht inst r u c tion

unl e s s th a t a i rc r af t h a s f ul l y f u n c tioning du a l c ont r ols.

S ec tion 91.119 p re s cr ib e s th a t, e x ce pt w h e n n e c e s s a r y f or t a k e o f f o r l a ndi n g , no

p er son m a y op e ra te a n a i rcr a f t b e low the f ollo w i n g a ltitud e s:



### (a) A n y wh e r e

. A n a ltitude a llo w in g , if a p o we r unit f a ils, a n e m e r g e n c y l a ndi n g

w ithout undue h a z ar d to p er sons or p r o p er t y on the su rf a ce

.



### (b) Ove r c on g e st e d ar e as. O v e r a n y c o n g e st e d a re a o f a c i t y , to w n, o r s e ttl e m e nt,

or ov e r a n y o p e n

- a ir a ss e mb l y of p e r sons, a n a ltitude of 1,000 f e e t a bove t h e
hi g h e st obst ac l e w ithin a ho r i z ont a l ra dius of 2,000 fee t of the a i r c raf t.



### (c) Ove r oth e r than c on g e st e d ar e as. A n a ltitude of 5 00 fee t a bo v e the

su r f a ce

, e x ce pt ov e r op e n w a t e r o r sp ar s e l y popul a t e d ar ea s. I n those

ca s e s, t h e a i r c raf t m a y not be o p era t e d c lo s e r th a n 500 f ee t to a n y

p e r son, v e ss e l, v e hi c l e

, or st r u c tu re.



### (d) He li c opt e rs, pow e r e d p a ra c hut e s, and w e ight

- shift

- c ontrol air c raft. I f the

op era tion is c ondu c t e d w ithout h a z ar d to p er sons or p r op er t y on the s u rf ac e

-

### 3

(1) A h e li c opt e r m a y b e op e r a t e d a t l e ss th a n the minimums p re s cr ib e d in

p ar a g r a ph ( b) o r p a ra g r a ph (c ) of this s e c tion, p r ovid e d eac h p er son

op era ti n g the h e li c opt e r c ompli e s w ith a n y r out e s or a ltitud e s sp ec i f i c a l l y

p re s cr ib e d f or h e li c op t er s b y the F AA ; a nd



### (2) A po we r e d p a r ac hute o r we i g ht

- sh i f t

- c ont r ol a i r c r af t m a y be op e ra t e d

at l e ss th a n the minimums p re s cr ib e d in p ar a g ra ph (c ) of this s ec tion.

S ec tion 91.121 p re s cr ib e s, in p er tin e nt p ar t, e a c h p er son op e r a ting a n a i r c r af t to

m a int a in cr uising a ltitude b y r ef e re n c e to a n a ltim e t e r th a t is s e t “ to the e l e v a tion of

the d e p ar tu r e a i r p o r t or a n a pp r op r i a te a ltim e t e r s e tting a v a il a ble b ef o r e d e p ar tu re

. ”

S ec tion 91.151 (a ) p r e s cr i b e s th a t no p er son m a y b e g in a f li g ht in a n a i r pl a n e und e r visu a l f li g ht r ul e s ( V F R) c onditions unl e ss (c onsid er ing w ind a nd f o re c a st wea th e r

c onditions) th er e is e no u g h f u e l to f l y to the f i r st point of int e nd e d l a nding a nd,

a ssuming no r m a l c r uising sp e e d

-



### (1) D u r i n g the d a y , to f l y af t e r th a t f o r a t l ea st 30 minut e s; or



### (2) A t ni g ht, to f l y a f t e r t h a t f or a t l e a st 45 minut e s.

S ec tion 91.203 (a ) p r e s cr i b e s, in p er tin e nt p ar t, th a t no p er son m a y op e ra te a c ivil

a i rc r af t unl e ss it h a s w ithin it

-



### (1) A n a p p r op r i a te a nd c u rre nt a i rw o r thin e ss c e r ti f i ca t e ; a nd



### (2) A n e ff e c tive U .S. r e g i st ra tion cer ti f i ca t e issu e d to its o w n e r o r

, f or o p er a tion

w ithin the U nit e d St a t e s, the s ec ond c o p y o f the A i rcraf t R e g ist r a tion

A ppli ca tion a s p r ovid e d f or in § 47.31 (c)

.
S ec tion 91.203 ( b) p re s cr i b e s, in p er tin e nt p ar t, th a t no p er son m a y op e ra te a

c ivil a i rc r af t unl e ss the a i r w o r thin e ss cer ti f i ca te or a s p ec i a l f l i g ht a utho r i z a tion

issu e d und e r § 91.715 is displ a y e d a t the c a bin or c o c kpit e nt ra n c e so th a t it is

l e g i ble to p a ss e n g er s o r c r ew

.
S ec tion 91.405 (a ) p r e s cr i b e s, in p er tin e nt p ar t, th a t eac h o w n e r of a n a i r cr af t op era tor

or o w n e r s h a ll h a ve th a t a i rc r af t insp ec t e d a s p re s cr ib e d in subp ar t E of th i s p ar t a nd

sh a ll, b e t wee n r e qui re d i nsp ec tions, e x ce pt a s p r o vid e d in p ar a g r a ph ( c ) of this

s ec tion, h a ve dis c r e p a n c i e s re p a i r e d a s p re s cr ib e d in p a r t 43, M a int e n a n ce

, P r e v e nt i ve M a int e n a n ce

, R e building, a nd A lt era tion.

S ec tion 91.407 (a)( 1 ) p re s cr ib e s th a t no p er son m a y op e ra te a n y a i r cr a f t th a t h as und e r g one m a int e n a n ce

, p re v e ntive m a int e n a n ce

, re buildin g , or a lt era tion u nl e ss it

h a s b ee n a pp r o v e d f or re tu r n to s er vi c e b y a p er son a u t ho r i z e d und e r § 43.7 of t his

c h a pt er

.
S ec tion 91.409 (a)( 2 ) p re s cr ib e s, in p er tin e nt p a r t, th a t no p er son m a y op e ra t e a n

a i rc r af t unl e ss, w ithin the p rece di n g 12 ca l e n d a r m onths, it h a s h a d a n insp ec tion

f or the issu a n c e of a n a i rw o r thin e ss cer ti f i ca te in acc o r d a n c e w ith p ar t 21.

S ec tion 91.417 (a ) a nd ( b) p re s cr ib e , in p er tin e nt p a r t, th a t

-



### (a) Eac h re g ist ere d o w n e r or op era tor sh a ll k e e p the f ollo w ing r e c o r ds f o r the p er iods sp ec i f i e d in p ar a g r a ph ( b) o f this s ec tion:



### (1) R ec o r ds of the m a int e n a n ce , p re v e ntive m a int e n a n ce

, a nd a lt era tion

a nd rec o r ds o f the 100

- hou r

, a nnu a l, p r o g r e ssiv e

, a nd oth e r re qui r e d or

a pp r ov e d insp e c tions, a s a pp r op r i a t e

, f or e ac h a i r c raf t ( in c ludi n g the

a i rfra m e ) a nd e a c h e n g i n e , p r op e ll er

, r oto r

, a nd a p pli a n c e of a n

a i r c raf t. T he r e c o r ds must in c lud e

-

### 4

(i) A d e s cr iption ( or re f ere n c e to d a ta ac c e pt a ble to t he A dminist ra to r ) of

the w o r k p e r f o r m e d; a nd



### (ii) T he d a te of c ompl e tion of the w o r k p e rf o r m e d; a n d



### (iii) T he si g n a tu r e a nd c e r ti f i ca te numb e r o f the p e r s o n a pp r ovi n g the a i rc r af t f or re tu r n to s er v i ce.



### (2) R ec o r ds c ont a ini n g the f ollo w ing in f o r m a tion:



### (i) T he tot a l time in s er vi c e of the a i r f ra m e

, eac h e n gin e

, eac h

p r op e ll er

, a nd e a c h r oto r

. 

### (ii) T he c u r r e nt st a tus of li fe

- limit e d p ar ts of eac h a i rf r a m e

, e n g in e,

p r op e ll er

, r oto r

, a nd a pp l i a n ce

. 

### (iii) T he time sin c e l a st ov er h a ul of a ll it e ms inst a ll e d on the a i rc r af t th a t

ar e r e qui re d to be o v er h a ul e d on a sp ec i f i e d time b a sis.



### (iv) T he c u r r e nt insp ec tion st a tus of the a i r c raf t, in c l u ding the time

sin c e the l a st insp ec tion re qui r e d b y t h e insp ec tion p r o g ra m und e r

w h i c h the a i rc r af t a nd its a ppli a n ce s a r e m a int a in e d.



### (v) T he c u r r e nt st a tus of a pp l i ca ble a i rw o r thin e ss di r e c tiv e s (AD ) a nd

s afe t y di r e c tiv e s in c ludin g

, f o r e a c h, the m e thod o f c ompli a n ce

, the A D or s a f e t y di rec tive n u mb e r a nd r e vision d a t e

. I f the A D or

s afe t y di r e c tive involv e s rec u r r ing ac tion, the time a nd d a te w h e n the

n e x t ac tion is re qui re d.



### (vi) Copi e s of the f o r ms p re s cr ib e d b y § 43.9 ( d ) f or e a c h m a jor

a lt e r a tion to the a i rfra m e a nd c u rr e nt l y inst a ll e d e n g in e s, r o t o r s,

p r op e ll er s, a nd a ppli a n ce s.



### (b) T he o w n e r o r op e r a tor s h a ll re t a in the f ollo w i n g r e c o r ds f or the p er iods p re s c r ib e d:



### (1) T he r e c o r ds sp ec i f i e d in p ar a g r a ph ( a )( 1) o f this s ec tion sh a ll be

re t a in e d until the w o r k is re p ea t e d or sup er s e d e d b y oth e r w o r k or f or
1 y ea r af t e r the w o r k is p erf o r m e d.



### (2) T he r e c o r ds sp ec i f i e d in p ar a g r a ph ( a )( 2) o f this s ec tion sh a ll be

re t a in ed a nd t ra ns f e rre d w ith the a i rcraf t a t the time the a i r c raf t is

sold.



### (3) A list of d efec ts f u r nish e d to a r e g ist ere d o w n e r o r op era tor un d e r §

43.11 sh a ll be re t a in e d until the d efec ts ar e re p a i r e d a nd the a i rc r af t is

a pp r o v ed f or re tu r n to s er vi ce

.

**Texas UAV Professionals (TU**  **P) supports i**  **t s**  **re qu**  **e st**  **w i**  **t**

**h t**  **he f**  **ol**

**l o**  **w ing** 

**i n**  **f o**  **r m**  **a t**  **ion:**

The TU P ’s in f o r m a ti o n is organized into f our s ec tions: ( 1) t he U nm a nn e d A i rcr a f t S y st e m ( UA S )

, ( 2) the UA S pilot in c omm a nd ( P I C )

, ( 3) the U A S O p era ti n g P ara m e t er s, a nd ( 4) the

P ublic I nt e re st.

The petitioner prov ides a supplemental proprietary Texas UAV Professionals (TU P) UAS Flight Manual (the Manual) in support of its exemption request.

### 5

U nm a nn e d A i r cr a f t S y st e m (UA S)

TU P ’s UAS are multi r otor aircraft with final assembly b y Texas UAV Professionals, LLC, a Texas

- b a s e d c omp a n y

. TUP ’ s UAS are under 55lbs and fly under 65 knots

. All operations

will be below 400 feet AGL. The UAS will only be flown within 1 mile and Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) of the PIC. All transmissions will be on FCC approved frequencies such as 2.4ghz, 5.8ghz, etc. TUP UAS will only be flown over property that TUP has been given explicit

perm ission to have safe access to.

The UAS carry no explosive materi als or flammable liquid fuels. They operate without any pilots or passengers on board. The crew is on the ground within VLOS at all times for air

traffic avoidance. The UAS, in the event of control signal loss has the ability t o return to a

pre

- determined location within a safe landing area , as detailed in the Manual, and land.

The UAS has the ability to abort a mission in case of emergency. It can land immediately or

return to land automatically or under PIC manual control de pending on the type of

emergency. In the case of emergency incapacitation of the PIC the UAS can return and land safely on its own.

These operations would otherwise be performed by a full size aircraft, likely a helicopter, weighing at least 2000lbs carr ying a pilot, crew and 100 gallons of fuel

. When flown in the

same area and in the same conditions the UAS poses a much smaller risk to the national airspace, pro perty and persons in the area. Additionally the UAS has a much lower noise profile than full s ize operations. TUP requests exemption from § 45.23 ( b) as there is no entrance to the cabin, cockpit, or pi lot station on which the w o r d “E x p er im e nt a l” ca n be pl ace d. T h e p e tition e r st a t e s th a t g iv e n the si z e of the UA , 2

- in c h l e tt er ing w ould b e impossibl e

. T he p e tition e r a ss er ts th a t an e quiv a l e nt l e v e l of s afe t y w ill be p r ovid e d b y h a v i ng the w o r d “E x p er im e n t a l” m ar k e d on t h e f us e l a g e in a cc o r d a n c e w ith § 45.29 (f)

, e n a bli n g t he pilots a nd oth er s w o r k ing w ith the UAs to s e e a nd obs e r ve the a i r craf t ’ s “E x p er im e nt a l” m ar kin g s.

TUP believes the maintenance requirements in §§ 91.405 (a)

, 9 1.407 (a)( 1 ) , 91.409 (a)( 2 )

, 91.417 ( a ) a nd ( b) apply only to aircraft with an airworthiness certificate and are therefore not

app licable to our UAS operations. In place of these requirements TUP will perform r egular maintenance based on logged data as outlined in the manual. TUPs regular maintenance

schedule in addition to the aircrafts limited size, payload and operation al constraints will provide an equivalent level of safety in the maintenance and operation of TUP UAS.

UAS Pilot I n Comm a nd ( P I C)

The UAS is remotely controlled and operates within a limited airspace

. The limited weight and speed in addition to not carrying a pilot or passenger’s significantly reduces the level of risk of flight operations compared to full size operations

. We propose the PIC require a

standard Private Pilo t License and Class 3 medical. We propose the additional requirement of a commercial pilot’s license would provide no additio nal safety to the flight operations of the UAS. In addition to the Private Pilot’s License having the pilots complete a UAS training

service as lis ted in the Manual is proposed. This would give the PIC the needed familiarity with the aircraft they will use in flight.

### 6

UA S O p era ti n g P a r a m e t e r s

All operations will be conducted in accordance with the Manual and any local safety requirements. All standard flight operations will be conducted within 1 mile and visual line of sight of the PIC, in Class G airspace below 400 Feet AGL at l east 5 miles from an airport. If there are any operations that might include flight within 5 miles of an airport TUP will notify the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and airport controller (ATC)

. TUP will follow additional safety related instructions from the FSDO and Tower for operations within 5 miles of the airport. TUP will give a daily briefing, as noted in the Manual, with mandatory attendance by anyone potentially involved in the flight safety a rea.

The UAS in most cases can gain access to the property for inspection without overflying other property or persons, unlike a full size aircraft which often must overfly unrelated property and persons to gain access for inspection. The lack of exposur e to unrelated property and persons improves the safety relative to full size aircraft.

TUP UAS missions are all flown within VLOS with crew available on the ground to assist in keeping persons and property at safe d istances throughout a mission. Being on the ground enables the crew to actively control the inspection area and warn other persons imme diately if an emergency exists. Full

- size operations often do not have crew on the ground to actively control the inspection area or warn persons in the case of an emergency.

TUP asserts the use of UAS during inspections will offer a significant safety increase to operators, personnel, property and the public because of the UAS ability to obtain inspection data using a low weight aircraft staying in Class G airs pace below 400 feet AGL over a controlled inspection area with limited to no exposure to any thing outside the specified inspection area. B e c a u se of th e se f ac to r s, the p e tition e r a ss er ts th a t UA S op era tions w ill

re sult in a si g ni f i c a nt s a f e t y in c rea s e f or p er sonn e l a nd the g e n e r a l public c omp are d to the

use of current insp ec t i on m e thods such as h e li c opt er s, a nd sm a ll a i rc r af t.

TUP requests exemption from § 91.7 (a ) because our UAS do not have airworthiness

certificates. Consequently, there is not applicable regulatory standard availab le to determine

airworthiness. The equivalent level of safety will be provided through adherence to the maintenance and safety checklist usage standards proscribed in the Manual.

TUP asserts that given the size and configuration and unmanned nature of the UA, it is not possible to carry a flight manual on board the aircraft. Additionally, because of the same limiting factors, there is no ability to carry certification and registration docume nts, or display

them on the UA. Therefore we request an exemption from§§ 91.9 ( b )( 2) a nd 91.203 (a ) a nd ( b ). An equivalent level of safety will be provided by storing the flight manual and applicable certification and registration documents at th e ground control point where the UAS pilot will

have immediate access to them.

TUP requests exemption from§ 91.103 because preflight actions for UAS vary from tho se outlined by the regulation. The Manual requires the pilot to take preflight actions prescrib ed by the preflight checklists. Checklists include analysis of weather conditions, checking flight battery requirements and assessment of takeoff and landing distances. TUP asserts tha t these actions will provide an equivalent level of safety.

### 7

TUP reques ts exemption from the requirement to have fully functional dual controls in aircraft used for flight instru ction, prescribed by § 91.109. UAS, by design, do not have fully functional dual controls and are controlled instead through the use of a control box that uses

radio commun ications for aircraft control. The equivalent level of safety is provided because the aircraft are unmanned, can be controlled remotely, are relatively small, and operate at slower speeds than the aircraft envisioned by the regulatio n.

TUP re quests exemption from § 91.119 w hi c h outlin e s minimum s af e a ltitud e s f or a i r c raf t. The UAS operated by TUP operates much as a helicopter in flight with vertical tak eoff and landing capabilities. T he UAS has the ability to hover in one location an d maneuver in any

direction and speed as need ed for safety w ithout loss of control or lift. Purely vertical operations, straight up and straight down, are fully within the capability of these UAS even in windy conditions

. T he UAS operations will be limited to areas where TUP has been given prior authority to operate from land owners, local government or property managing authority

. Inspection areas will be cleared and monitored by TUP on the ground where crew members can give perso ns immediate information and direction about the mission as it is occurring. The UAS can maintain all flight operations entirely inside the inspection areas unlike full size aircraft which require significant overfly of areas unrelated to the inspections

s imply to get to and from the base of operations

. Additionally, UAS operations within city

limits will be limited to 20 knots GS

. T he small size, weight, speed and low altitude operations of UASs mean that vehicles and basic structures provide s ignificant p rotection for persons from UA Ss in the case of an emergency. The lower risk to persons and immediately available ground crew means i n most emergenc ies the UAS can land in the immediate area

, unlike full size operations, removing any further risk to the nat ional airspace. T he totality of

these fact ors results in a more controlled and li mited exposure to the national airspace than is possible with f ull size aircraft inspections. T he ability to operate below 400 feet AGL for inspections will ensure the separat ion with conventional aircraft complying with § 91.119

. In addition to less exposure to the national airspace t he requirement , as listed in the Manual, to stay 500 feet away from any persons in the open maintain s a safe separation between the

UAS and persons

. Full size aircraft performing the same inspections will often have to overfly persons in congested areas

. TUP believes an equivalent level of safety will be achieved because of the limited size, low weight

, low speed, operational separation

, opera tional location and totality of control of inspection area of the UAS compared to flight operations with larger aircraft and/or rotor craft.

TUP requests exemption from the requirements of § 91.121, our UAS may have GPS

altitude read

- outs ins tead of barom etric altimeters. The altitude readout will be verified

relative to the launch site altit ude by the PIC prior to flight. All operations will be AGL relative to the ground level calibrat ed at takeoff. These procedures will result in an equivalent level

of s afety.

TUP requests exemption from t he requirements of § 91.151 (a). O ur UAS are battery powered and are limited to approximately 35 minutes of powered flight. A 30 minute fuel reserve would affectively limit operations to 5 minutes of flight time, negatively impacting efficiency and utility. Additionally with the limited area of operation, size and speed of the UA the level of risk does not rise to the level that the regulation is intended to mitigate. An equivalent level of safety can be achieved b y requiring at least 20% of battery power remaining (as determined by the onboard monitoring system and the PIC) when the UA

lands at a safe landing area.

### 8

Public Interest

TUP believes that given the small size and low speed of the UA involved , limited a irspace

, totality of control of inspection area and removal of unrelated overfly areas , this proposed operation falls directly in the zone of “equivalent level of safety” in which Congress envisioned that the FAA must, by exemption, allow commercial operat ions of UAS to commence immediately. Also because of the size of the UA and t he limite d area of operations of the UAS, approval of the application presents no national security issue. Given

the clear direction in Public Law112

– 95 § 3 3 3 the strong equivalen t level of safety surrounding the proposed operations, and the significant public benefit, including enhanced safety, reduced noise, reduction in costs through more efficient inspection operations, granting the requested exemption s is in the public interes t.