Page 1 of 8

September 1, 2015

U.S. Depar tm ent of Tra n sportation

Docket Ma n age m ent S y s tem

1200 N e w J e rs e y A ve., S E

Washington, DC 20 5 90

Re: E x emption R e que s t Under Sect i on 333 o f t h e FAA Ref o rm Act a nd Part 11 of t he

Federal Av i ation Re g u l ations

Dear Sir or Mada m :

Pursuant to S ection 333 of the F A A M odernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the “ Reform

Act ” ) and 14 C. F

. R . Part 11, Accent Aerial Photography (her e after “ Petiti o ner ” ), an

ex p erienced operator of Un m anned Aircraft S ystem ( “ UAS ” ), seeks exe m ption from the

Federal Av i ation Regulations ( “ FA Rs ” ) as descri b ed below. The exe m pt i on request w ill permit

Pe t itioner to operate UA S s c o m m erci a lly f or the purpose of aerial data collectio n

.

Petitioner will provide a s ervice that is beneficial to an indust r y t hat is already using, and s eeking

to use, U A S s f

o r these purp o ses with a l e gal and safe option while providing re l evant experience

and infor m ation t o the F A A a nd the U AS com m unit y . This will be n efit the public with the

controlled operation of U A Ss b y Pe t itioner and increased integration into the National A irspace

S y stem ( “ NAS ” ).

All operations b y Petitio n er will strictly a d here to s afety guidel i nes and a n y U A S in ope r ation by

Petitioner will not exceed 55 lbs. weight.

Petitioner will have a Pilot in Com m a n d ( “ PIC ” ) r es ponsible to p roper l y train and m aintain

safe operati o n s

. D uring o perations, t h e PIC will h o ld a Sport Pi l ot ’ s license a s long as that is

required by the F A A.

Petitioner has a thorough understandi n g of the i m p ortance of s a fety guideli n es in the NA S,

and a desire to p r o m ote the a p propriate integration of U ASs for the f urtherance of aviation as

a whole is the foundation u pon which t h is busine s s w ill operate.

The na m e a n d address of the applicant are:

Accent Aerial Photography

Attn: Brent Hall

Ph: 512

- 297

- 1098

E m a i l: Brent@AccentAP.com

Addre s s: 12012 Cascade Caverns Trail

Austin, Texas 78739

The regulations from wh i ch the exe m p tion is reque s ted are as fo l lows:

14 C.F.R. P art 21 ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.7(a) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.9(b)(2) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.109(a ) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.119 ;Page 2 of 8

14 C.F.R. 9 1.105

14 C.F.R. 9 1.151(a) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.203(a) & ( b) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.405(a) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.407(a)( 1 ) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.409(a)( 2 ) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.417(a).

Appendix A discuss e s each rule listed above and e x plains w h y e xe m ptions pursuant to t h e

proposal set forth in this letter are appropriate, pro v ide an equivalent level of safet y

, and a re in

the public interest.

The Appl i cable Legal Standard U nder Sec t i o n 333

Petitioner sub m its that g r ant of this e x e m ption app l ication advances the Congre s sio n al m andate i n

Section 3 3 3 of the Ref

o rm Act to a c celerate the i ntroduction of U A Ss into t h e N A S if it can be

accomplished safe l y . Th i s law d irects the Secretary o f Transportation to consid e r whether ce r tain

UA S s m ay o perate s a fely in the N AS be f ore co m ple t ion of the rule m a k ing required under Secti o n

332 of the Reform Act. In m aking this deter m in a ti o n, the Secretary i s requir e d to deter m i n e which

t y p e s of U A Ss d o not create a hazard to us e rs of the N A S, the public, or pose a th r eat to national

security in light of the following:

● The U AS ’ s size, weight, speed, and o perational capabilit y ;

● Operation of the U AS i n close prox im i ty to airp o rts and popu l ated area s ; and

● Operation of the U AS within visual line of sight of the opera t or.

Reform Act § 333(a ) (1). If the Secretary deter m in e s that such v ehicles “ m ay operate safely in

the national airspace s y s t e m , the Sec r etary s hall establish require m ents for the safe operation of

such airc r aft in the nat i onal airspace s y ste m

. ” Id. § 333(c) (emphasis adde d ). 1

The Federal Aviation Act express l y gr ants the F A A the authority to issue ex e m ptions. Th i s

statutory au t horit y

, b y its ter m s, inclu d es exe m pting civil aircraf t , as the term is defined u n der

§ 40101 of t h e Act, from the require m e nt that all ci v il aircraft m ust have curr e nt airworthi n ess

certificate a n d those regu l ations requiring com m erc i al pilots to operate aircraft in com m er c ial

service:

The Ad m inistrator m ay grant an exe m p tion from a require m ent o f a regulation prescribed

u nder su b section (a) or ( b) of this secti o n or a n y of s ections 4470244 7 16 of this title if the

a d m inistrator finds t he exe m pti o n is in the public interest.

The grant of the requested exe m ption i s in the public interest based on the clear direction in

Section 333 of the Refo r m Act ; the a dditional authority in the Federal Avi a tion Act, as

a m ended ; t h e strong equ i valent level of safe t y s u r r ounding the proposed o p eration s ; and the

significant public benefit, including enhanced safe t y a n d cost s a vings a s sociated with use of

U A Ss f o r ae r ial data coll e ction, the reduction or eli m ina t ion of unregulated operators, a n d the

safe integration of U ASs. Acco rd ingl y , the a p plicant respectfully requ e sts that the FAA grant

the re q uested exemption witho u t dela y

.

1 ) A p p li ca n t submit

s t h at t h i s p r o v i s io n p l aces a d u t y o n t h e Ad m i n i s t ra t o r t

o no t o n l y p r o c ess a

p p li ca n t s

f o r e x e m p ti on s u n d er Sec tio n 3 3 3

, b u t f o r t h e A d m i n i s t ra t o r, i

f h e d ee m s t h e c o n d iti o n s p ro po s ed h e re i n

r e qu i re m od i

f i ca ti o n i n o r

d e r t o a ll o w a p pr ov a l

, t o su pp l y c o n d ition s f

o r t h e s a fe o p era tio n o

f t h e U A S.

Pe titi on e r res

p ec t f u ll y r e qu e s t s t h e o p p o r t un it y t o con s u l t w it h F

A A s t aff i n o r d er t o a d d ress a n y i ss u es o r

c on c er n s t h at t h i s p r o p o sal m ay ra i se t h at t

h ey b e li e v e m ay r e qu i re m od i f i ca ti on.Page 3 of 8

Air w orthiness

Grant of the exe m ption to Petitioner w ill be subject to the following m andato r y

airworthine s s conditions:

● The U AS will never exceed a gross takeoff wei g ht (GTO W ) of 55 lbs., or in excess of the

Operator Handbo o k/

M anufacturer r ecom m enda t ion s

.

● A preflight checklist will be followed prior to each light.

● The aircra f

t registration nu m

ber will be displ a y ed on the aircraft in accordance with current

regu l ations.

● The P O H, registration, copy of ex e m ption, che c klist, and copy of m aint e nance

recor d s will be m an d atory d ocu m ents for ope r ation and m u st be located with or in t h e

base station and accessible to the PIC at all t i m es.

● A n y F A A or m anufacturer required placards are placed and clearly visible on the

base station or c o ntrolling device.

● All equi p m ent insta l l e d on the UA S will be op e rational for flight.

● PIC will be the deter m i ning authority o n the air w orthiness of t he U A S pri o r, during, a n d

after each flight, and will cease operations up o n de e m ing the UAS not airwor t hy

until proper m ain t enance or action has been taken.

Operator R equiremen t s

Petitioner understands a n d upholds t h e stance that necessa r y pr ecautions are required to p rotect

aircraft already op e rating in the N A S, and t h e safety a nd security of t he flight crew m e m bers,

passenge r s as well as the p ublic and pr o pert y

. For th i s reason, Accent Aerial Photography will

require all pilots of the U AS t o hold at least the min i m u m certi f icat i on or license required by the

F A A at the t i m e of the flight.

Further m ore Petitioner will use an ap p ropri ately c e rtified pilot for the t y pe o f operation

b eing conducted as it would fall under 14 C

. F.R. if it we r e a m anned a ircraft.

The PIC and the Visual O bserver will, at all t i m es, be aware that U A Ss cu r r e ntly cannot adhere to

the standard “ s e e and avoid ” require m ents due to the s i ze of the UA S i m pacting t he distance at

which it can be identified by pilots of m anned aircra f t. Petitioner m ain t ains a zero tolerance policy

f o r a n y pilot that fails to give co m plete r i ght of w a y

, a nd wide ber t h to any a i rcraft t hat co m es

within 1 statute m i l e horizontally or 20 0 0 feet vertical l y o f operati o ns.

In the interest of safe t y

, a nd the furth e rance of aviation, Petitioner requires it ’ s operators to adhere to

its “ See and H e ar ” polic y

. T his policy r e quires that any aircr a ft that can be both obs e rved and he a rd

(excludi n g large turbine, turbopr o p, and other aircraft that are heard and s e en but are clearly 2 0 00

f e et above the highest per m itted alt i tude of the U AS) by the PIC or t h e VO will require U A S

o perations to cease unti l the aircraft has passed.

The PIC will adhere to a p propriate F A Rs. The P I C will, while the exe m ption is in place, log

all flights cond u cted for Petitioner, or a n y flight to m e e t the training require m en t s.

U A S Mode l s for E x em p tion

Petitioner seeks exe m pti o n for the fol l owing m odels of U A S pr o ven for their safety a nd e x cellent

design. Plea s e see attach m ents for O p erating Ma n uals.

DJI Phantom 3

DJI I nspire 1

DJI Spreadi n g Wings S 900Page 4 of 8

Privacy

All flights w i ll launch from private or controlled access prop e rty with the pr o perty o wner or owne r ’ s

representative or controlling authorities prior co n s e nt and know l edge.

* * *

In su mm ar y , applicant seeks an exe m ption from the FA R s set fo r th above and in Appendix A

to allow com m erci a l operations of UA Ss con d ucting aerial flights as describ e d.

Approval o f the exe m pti o n allowing c om m erci a l operations of Petitioner ’ s U A Ss will

increase saf

e ty b y per m it t ing an operator to conduct a service sa f ely that is al r eady occ u rr i ng

without F A A knowledge, exe m ption, o r adhering to prescribed s afety guidel i nes. The

exe m ption will also encourage the education of U A S operators a n d the adoption of F AA

guidelines and approval f o r com m ercial U A S operat i ons. It benef i ts the public through a

higher level of safe t y of U A S operat i ons and a s e r vice that benefits the local public and

busines s . It a lso benefits t he public through a s m ooth and well approached i n tegration of

U A Ss into t h e N A S, and c ontinual com m unica t ion with the F A A and the in f or m ation

ga i ned. Having a pi l ot owned b us iness aids in bridging the gap between the advance m ent of

UAS technology a nd the curre n t practices and operations in the N A S a nd with the F AA.

Th i s assists the F A A wi t h its m ission of pro m oting aviation while preserving safety of

av i ators, the p u blic, and proper t y

. The U A Ss o perated by P etitioner sat i sfies the criteria set forth in Section 3 3 3 of the Reform Act

– size, weight, speed, opera t ing capabilit i es, operation within visu a l line of sight, and national

security

– and showi n g an equivalent level of safe t y to m anned a i rcraft flights through app r opriate

pilot certification and safe t y f o cused stand a rds of o peration, providi n g m ore than a d equate

justification for the grant of the requested e x e m ptions al l owing com m erci a l operations.

Sincerel y

, Brent Hall

Owner & C h ief Pilot

Accent Aerial PhotographyPage 5 of 8

APPE N D I X A

E X EMP TI ON RE Q U E ST A ND E Q U I VA L ENT LEVEL OF SAFE T Y S HOWIN G S

U N D E R APPL I CA B LE R ULES SUBJ E CT TO E X EM P TION

Due to the flight characteristics, such a s the ability t o hover, ver t ical takeoff and landing, a nd

the t y pe of o perations pe r for m ed by t h e U A Ss op er ated by Petitioner, Petitioner respectfully

r equest that w here a regulation differentiates according to class t h at it be per m i t ted to operate

und e r those regu l ations pertaining to helicopters.

Petitioner requests an ex e m ption fr o m the following regulations as well as a n y additional

regulations that m ay technically app l y t o the operation of its UA Ss:

14 C.F

. R. P art 21, S u bp art H: Air w orthine s s C e rtificates

14 C F R § 91 .203(a)( 1 )

Section 91. 2 03(a)( 1 ) re q uires a ll civ i l a i rcra f t to have a c e rti f

ica t e of air w orthi n ess. P a rt 21,

Subpart H, e nti t led Air w orthi n ess C e rti f i c ates, es t ablis h es the procedu r al r equire m ents f or

the issuance of airwort h ine s s cer t i f ic a tes as requ i red by F A R § 9 1.203(a)( 1 ). Given the si ze

of the air c ra f

t and t he li m ited o pera t ing a re a assoc i ated with its u t i l i zation, it is unnecess a ry

to go through t he ce r ti f

ic at e of airwor t hiness pr o c e ss under Pa r t 21 Subpart H to achie v e or

exceed c u rr e nt sa f

ety l e v els.

Such an ex em ption m eets the req u i re m ents of an equiva l ent l evel of sa f e t y under Part 11 and

Section 333 of the Re f

orm Act. The Federal Av i ation Act a n d Section 3 3 3 of the Reform Act

both auth o r i ze the FAA to exe m pt aircra f t f rom the requ i re m ent f

or an a i rworthin e ss

cer t i f ica t e, upon consi d era t ion of t h e size, w e i g ht, speed, o p era t ional c a pabi l ity, and

proxi m ity t o airpo r ts and popula t ed are a s of the UAS involved.

In this case, an analy s is of these c r i t eria d e m on s tr a tes t h at t h e Pet i tion e r UASs operated

without an a irwort h iness cer t i f ica t e, under the c o nditions p r o posed her e i n , will be a t l east as

sa f e, or sa f er, t ha n a conven ti onal a i rc r a f t ( f ixed wing or rot o rc r a f

t) with an a i r worthiness

c er t i f icate. The UASs will r e m ain less than 55 l bs. GT O W

. W ill not car r y a pil o t or p assenger,

w i ll not ca rry f

la mm able fuel, and wi l l opera t e exc l usively w i t h in an a r ea p r edis c losed a nd in

co m pliance with condi t ions s et f orth h e r e in. Opera t i o ns under t h is exe m ption will be tigh tl y

contr o lled and m onitored b y both the o perat o r, pur s uant to the c onditions set f orth abov e, and

by loc a l publ i c sa f

ety req u i r e m ents. Receipt of the p rior p e r m iss i on of the la n d owner, or

contr o lling a uthor i ty, the s i ze of t he ai r cra f t, t he lack of f

la mm able f

u el, and t h e f

act t h at t h e

a irc r a f t is c a r ried to the loca t ion and not f lown there a ll e s t a blish t h e eq u ivale n t le v el of sa f ety.

The UASs constru c tion with absor b ent m ateri a l provides a t l east an equ i valent lev e l of sa f ety to

t hat of such opera t ions being cond u cted with c o nvention a l a irc r a f t th a t would be o r ders of

m a g nitude larg e r and would be ca rrying passenge r s, cargo, and fl a mm able f u el.

14 C.F.R. § 91.7(a): Ci v il a i rcra f t a i r w orthiness.

This reg u la ti on requi r es t hat no pers o n m ay oper a te a c ivil a ir cra f t unl e ss i t is in a i rwo r thy

condi t ion. Should the e x e mption be granted all o wing co m merc i al op e ra t ion of the UASs

without an airwo r th i ness ce r ti f i c ate, no s tan d ard wi l l exi s t f or airwo rt hiness of the UASs.

Giv e n the s i ze of the air c r af t and the r e quire m ents t hat have p r e su m ably already been m et in

the ap p roved standard o pe ra t ing proc e dures ( f or i n stance, the Main t enan c e & Insp e c ti on

Manual a nd Sa f

ety Checkli s t), a n equiva l ent level of sa f ety wi l l be a chieved by e nsuring

co m plian c e with the opera t ing m anuals p r ior to each f lig h t.Page 6 of 8

14 C.F.R. § 91.9(b)(2 ) : Civil Air cr aft F l ight Manual in t he Aircra f t.

The regul a t i on provide s :

No person m ay operate a U.S.regis t ered c ivil ai r cra f t

... (2) For whi c h an Airpla n e or Rotor cr a f t Flight M anual i s not requi r ed by § 21.5 of this

chap t er, unle s s t h ere is ava i l a ble in the a ir cra f t a c u rr e nt app r oved air p lane or Rotorcra f t

F light M anu a l, approved m anual m a t eri a l, m arkings, and plac a rds, or any co m bi n ation

thereo f

. The equiva l ent le v el of sa f ety will b e achie v ed b y keeping t h e f light m anual at the g r ound

contr o l poi n t where t h e pilot f l y ing t he UAS will have i m m e diate acce s s to it. The F AA has

issued to o t h ers the f

o l l o wing exe m

p tions to th i s regul a tio n : Exe mption Nos. 8607, 8737,

8738, 9299, 9299A, 9565, 9565B, 10167, 10167A, 10602, 32827, and 10700.

14 C.F.R. § 91.109(2)

This reg u la ti on provides that f lig h t c r e w m e m

bers m ust keep a sa f

ety be l t f astened wh il e at a

crew m e m b e r st a tion. P et itio n er ’ s UASs are by d ef inition n o t m anned and there f ore m aintain a

e quivale n t l e vel of sa f

ety without t h e use of sa f ety belt s ince n o danger is posed due to no

perso n s being abo a rd the a ir c r af t.

14 C.F.R. § 91.121(a)

This reg u la ti on requi r es t hat a i rc r a f t be oper a ted at al t itude in r e f erence to a n al t i m eter set to

appli c able b aro m etric p r essure. Acc o rding to the Flight M a n u als and in f or m ation incl u ded

with this e x e mption request t he UASs o p era t ed by P e ti t ioner u ses GPS positi o ning

This, in ad di tion to all fli ghts being c onducted by VLOS, ass u res a l t i tude r est r ic t ions w ill b e

m aintained by the p i lot. Given the n a ture of the fl ight b e ing l i m ited to an upper a l t i tu d e li m it,

the li m ited ar e a of operatio n s, the See a n d Avoid procedures s et f orth by Pe t i t ioner, and in light

of the UASs not being op er ated a t VFR or IFR crui si ng al t itudes an equiv a le n t lev e l of sa f ety

wi l l be achie v ed.

14 C.F.R. § 91.109(a) & 91.319(a)( 1 ): F l ight In s truction

These reg ul ations p rov i de that no p erson m ay o pera t e a ci vi l a i rcra f t (e x cept a m anned f

ree

balloo n ) th a t is being u se d f or f light i nstru c tion u nless t h at a i r cra f t has f ul l y f unctioni n g dual

contr o ls. UASs are a r em otely pil ot ed ai r cra f t a nd by desig n , do not ha v e f ully f unc t ional du a l

contr o ls. Fl i ght con t rol i s acco m plished through the use of a contr o l box t hat co m m u n ica t es

with the a i rc r a f

t via ra d io co mm unication s . If instru c t i on is acco mplished thr o ugh a tr a ini n g

progra m , as set f

orth i n an equiv al ent le v el of sa f ety will b e assured. T he FAA has app r oved

e x e m ptions f or f light t ra ining witho u t f

ully f unct i onal dual c o ntrols f

or a n u m ber of aircra f

t

and fo r f light instr u c t ion i n experi m ental a ir c ra f t. See Exe mption Nos. 5778K & 9862A. The

equivalent lev e l of sa f

ety will be ac h iev e d by the Pe ti tion e r prov i ding the tr ai ning as ou t l i ned.

14 CFR § 9 1.119: Min i mum Safe Altitudes

Section 91. 1 19 esta b lis h es sa f e a l tit u des f

or ope r ation of ci v il air c ra f t. Due to the fl ig h t

chara c te r is ti cs of Peti t i o ner ’ s UASs (ver t ic a l ta k eo f f and landing, and a b il i ty to hov e r) as

well as the n ature of the t ype of f lights conducted by UASs a n d the si m ila r ity to

h el i c o pters Peti t ioner r e quests to o p era t e in a c c o rdance w i th sec t ion 91. 1 19(d). The

e quivale n t l e vel of sa f

ety will be ac h iev e d given the s ize, weig h t, speed, and m aterial wi t hPage 7 of 8

which the UASs are built. Fu r th e r m ore ; no f light will b e t aken witho u t the p e r m ission of

the l a nd owner or those who contr o l the l and. Becau s e of the ad v ance no t ice t o the

land o wner, all a f

fected indiv i duals wi l l be noti f ied of t he f

lights. C o m

pared to aer i al

phot o graphy or v i deography o pera t ions c o nducted with a i rcra f t or rot o rc r a f

t weighing f

ar

m ore than the UAS and carr y ing fl a mm able f u el, any r isk associ a ted w ith t h ese op e ra t ions

wi l l be f ar less t h an those c ur

ren t ly a l lo w ed with co n vention a l air c ra f t ope r ating a t or

b elow 500 f

eet AGL. Indeed, the low al t itude op er ations of the UAS will m aintain

se p ara t ion bet w een the s e s m allU A S ope r ations and t h e oper a tions of conventi o nal air c ra f t

th a t m ust co mp l y with Sec ti on 91.119, give r ight of way to all m anned a i rcr af t, and

adhere to P e ti t ioner ’ s S e e and Hear p olicy.

14 C.F.R. § 91.151(a): F uel Requir e ments f o r Flight in V F R Conditions

This reg u la ti on prohib i ts an indi v idu a l f rom begi n ning “ a f

lig h t in a roto r c r a f

t under VFR

condi t ions u nless ( cons i dering wind and f orecast weather co n dition s ) t h e r e is enough f uel to f ly

to the f i r st p oint of inte n ded landing and, assu m ing nor m al cruising sp e ed

– (1) Du r i n g the day,

to f ly a f ter t hat f or at le a st 30 m inutes ; or ( 2 ) At night, to f ly a f ter th a t f or at l e ast 20 m inutes. ”

Given the li m itations on its prop o sed opera t ions a nd the lo c at i on of those proposed o p era t ions,

a longer ti m e f

ra m e f or flight in day li ght VFR conditions is r easonab l e. Pet i tion e r belie v es th a t

an exe m ption f r o m 14 CFR § 91. 1 51(b) is sa f e and within t he scope of a prior e x e m p tion. See

E x e m ption 10673 (a l lowing Lockheed Mar t in Cor p ora t ion to o p era t e without co mplian c e with

91.151(a)). Operating t h e s m all UA S , without 20 m inutes of reserve f uel does not engend e r t he

type of r i sks that S e c t ion 91.151( b ) was m eant to preve n t g i ven the size and s pe ed at which the

UAS opera t es. The f

act t h at i t c a rri e s no p i lo t , passenger, or cargo also enha nc es its sa f ety.

Addition a l l y, li m iting f

lights to a 20 m inute re se rve would g r eatly reduce the i r uti l ity. In t h e

unlik e ly e vent th a t the UAS should run out of f uel, it wou l d si mply land. Given its weig h t a n d

constru c t i on m ateri a l, the r isks a r e less t h an c o nte mplated by the curre n t reg u la t ion.

Peti t ioner be liev e s th a t a n equiva l ent level of sa f ety can be a chieved by m aintaining 25%

batt e ry power, or 10% o f ti m e (whichever is lo n ger) would b e m ore than adequate to return

the UAS to its planned l and i ng zone f rom anywhere in its o p er at ing ar e a.

14 C.F.R. § 91.203 (a) & (b): Car r ying Civil A ircr a ft Cer t if i cation a n d Registra ti on

This reg u la ti on provides as f ollows:

(a) . . . no p e rson m ay o p era t e a ci v il air c ra f t unl e ss it h a s . . . an

a pprop r i a te and cur r ent airwort h ine s s cer t i f ic a te.

(b) No pers o n m ay oper a te a c ivil a ir cra f t unl e ss the airwo r th i ness ce r ti f i c ate R equi r ed by

parag r aph ( a ) of this se ct ion or a sp ec ial f lig h t au t horiz a tion i s sued under § 91. 7 15 is dis p la y ed

at t h e ca b in or cockp it entra n ce so that it i s le gi ble to passenge r s o r crew.

Peti t ioner ’ s UASs have no cockpit o r cabin to p l ace or c arry cer t i f ica t ion. As such, t h e

exe m ption and any other cer t i f ying d ocu m ent f

r o m the FAA will be m aintained w i th t he

ground sta t ion, and placed in a m anner as to be cle a rly v isib l e to any govern m ent o ff icial or

p erson autho r ized i n the con t ro l led ope r ati o ns environ m ent.

An equival e nt lev e l of sa f ety will be achieved by keeping t he se docu m ents at t h e gro u nd

contr o l point where the p i lot f ly i ng the UAS will have i m m ediate ac c ess to t h e m

. The F A A h a s

issued n u m erous exe m ptions to this r egul a tion. A rep re sent a tive sam ple of other exce p tions

includ e s Exe mption Nos. 9565, 9665, 9789, 9789A, 9797, 9797A, 9816A, and 10700.Page 8 of 8

14 C.F.R. § 91.405(a) ; 4 07(a)( 1 ) ; 409(a)( 2 ) ; 417(a): M a int e nance Inspections

Section 91. 4 05(a) r equ ir es th a t an a ir cra f t ope r at o r or owner “ shall h ave t h at a i rc r a f t

i n spected as pres c ri be d in subpa r t E of this pa r t and sh a ll b etween req u ired inspe c t i ons,

except as provided in parag r aph ( c ) of this se ct ion, have d is crepan c ies r epai r ed as p r escri b ed

in p art 43 of this c h apt e r

. . . . ” Secti o n 91.407 s i m ilarly m a k es re f ere n ce to req u ire m ents in

Pa r t 4 3 ; Sec t ion 91.409(a)( 2 ) requi r es an annual i n sp e ction f or t h e issuance of an

airwo r th i ness ce r ti f

i c ate. Section 91. 4 17(a) r equ ir es the owner or oper a tor to keep r ec o rds

showing cer t ain m aintenance work that h a s been acc om plished by cer t i f ica t ed m echanics,

under Part 4 3, or l i cens e d pilots and rec o rds of approval of the air c r af t f or return to ser v ice.

Main t enan c e on Pet i tio n er ’ s a ir c ra f t will be a cc om plished by the owner/ o perat o r pur s uant

to the m anuals, pro v id e d by Peti t io n er, and t h e m an u f actur e r. An equiv a lent level of sa f ety will

b e achie v ed b ecause the UAS is s m all in si z e, will opera t e only in re s t r icted prede t er m ined are a s

and is not a co m plex m echanical d evice. As prov i ded in the a tt ac hed Main t enan c e Manual a n d

the Sa f ety Checkli s t, which were r e viewed as p art of the a p plic a tion, the ope r ator of the UAS

will ens u re t hat i t is in working ord e r prior to i n it i ating f lig h t, per f orm requi r ed m aintenance,

a n d keep a log of any m aintenance t h at i s per f or m ed. Moreover, t he Peti t ioner ’ s Chief Pilot i s

f a m iliar w i th the a ir c ra f

t, has e x ten s ive exp e rie n ce with UAS m aintenance, and has th o usands of

hours of helic o pter a ir f

ra m e and powe rplant m aint e nance, and is be s t s uited to m aintain the

a ir cra f t in an a i rworthy co n dition and to ensure an e quivale n t level of sa fe ty.

The Peti t io n er ’ s M a inte n ance Manu a l provi d es f or a 30 day/ 1 00 hour and Annual

inspe c tion o f the air f

ra m e and co m

p o nents si m il a r in scope to inspe c tions on m anned airc r a f t.

This will e n sure an eq ui valent lev e l of sa f ety to t he m aintenance req u ir e m ents in Part 91.

In add i tion, between su c h inspe c tio n s, should a m echanical i ssue a r ise, t he ai r cra f t

will e ith e r r e turn to its l a

unch si t e or i m m ediately land.

APP E ND I X B

SUMMA R Y OF ACCENT AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY S E CT I ON 333 E X EMPTION

REQUE S T

Peti t ioner he reby provi de s pursuant to Part 11 a s umm ary of its exe m ption appli c ation t o

allow co mm erc i al op e ra t ion of its UASs in aeri a l photog r ap h y/video g ra p hy. An exe m ption is

reques t ed fr o m the f

ollowing regul at ions:

14 C.F.R. P art 21 ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.7(a) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.9(b)(2) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.109(a) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.119 ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.105

14 C.F.R. 9 1.151(a) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.203(a) & ( b) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.405(a) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.407(a)( 1 ) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.409(a)( 2 ) ;

14 C.F.R. 9 1.417(a).