NIST Internal Report 8033 

Deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to 

Texas under an Emergency Certificate of 

Authorization 

Alexander Maranghides 

Michael Hennig 

Gene Robinson 

Karen Jackson 

This publication is available free of charge from:

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8033
NIST Internal Report 8033

Deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to 

Texas under an Emergency Certificate of 

Authorization 

Alexander Maranghides 

Fire Research Division 

Engineering Laboratory 

Mike Hennig 

Colorado State University 

Fort Collins, CO 

Gene Robinson 

Karen Jackson 

EXCET, Inc. 

Springfield, VA 

This publication is available free of charge from: 

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8033

December 2014 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Penny Pritzker, Secretary 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Willie May, Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology 

and Acting Director
i 

Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this 

 document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such 

identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the 

entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. 

National Institute of Standards and Technology Internal Report 8033 

Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Internal Report 8033, 25 pages (December 2014) 

Coden: NTNOEF 

This publication is available free of charge from: 

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8033

Cover Page Photo: NIST 
ii

Table of Contents 

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ ii

List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 1

1.0 Background ............................................................................................................................... 2

2.0 E-COA Process and Timeline ................................................................................................... 2

3.0 Mobilization and Integration into Incident Command.............................................................. 3

4.0 Mission Parameters ................................................................................................................... 4

5.0 Missions Flown and Deliverables ............................................................................................. 5

6.0 Mission Summary ................................................................................................................... 11

7.0 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 11

8.0 Acknowledgments................................................................................................................... 11

Appendix A Class G Airspace .................................................................................................. 12

Appendix B Addendum Letter Plano COA 2013 CSA- 15 ...................................................... 13

Appendix C Statement of Need Plano ...................................................................................... 15

Appendix D Instrumentation: SUPER BAT ............................................................................. 16

Appendix E NIST Flight Profile Information ........................................................................... 18

Appendix F Certificates of Waiver of Authorization -COA ..................................................... 19

 
iii

List of Figures 

Figure 1: FAA provided area of operations covering a 2.6 nautical mile radius. ......................... 5

Figure 2: Areas of interest for search are indicated in green on map. "Map data Google ©2014"

 ........................................................................................................................................ 6

Figure 3: Flight conducted in this search area on September 11, 2014. "Map data Google© 

2014" .............................................................................................................................. 7

Figure 4: Flight 1 conducted in this search area on September 13, 2014. "Map data Google© 

2014" .............................................................................................................................. 8

Figure 5: Flight 2 conducted in this search area on September 13, 2014. "Map data Google© 

2014" .............................................................................................................................. 9

Figure 6: Flight conducted in this search area on September 14, 2014. "Map data Google© 

2014" ............................................................................................................................ 10
1 

Deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to 

Texas under an Emergency Certificate of 

Authorization 

by

Alexander Maranghides, Mike Hennig, Gene Robinson, and 

Karen Jackson 

Abstract 

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) enable the development of reliable fire behavior prediction 

tools and the evaluation of hazard mitigation solutions such as fuel treatments in the wildlands 

and the hardening of structures within a community. 

This paper documents the emergency deployment of National Institute of Standards and 

Technology (NIST) UAV assets to address a specific request by a local government in Texas. 

On Wednesday, 10 September 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted 

an Emergency Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (E-COA) to NIST to utilize an Unmanned 

Aircraft System (UAS) in the search for a missing person near Plano, Texas, just north of Dallas. 

The FAA processed this request and granted the Emergency COA in less than 24 hours. This 

was the first event for which the FAA granted permission for NIST UAVs to be flown for 

purposes other than fire research. 

The primary objectives of this work were to conduct UAV operations providing high-resolution 

digital still imagery for the Plano Texas Police Department, in support of an active search and 

recovery operation for a missing person. The MLB Superbat is a small UAV that can operate 

autonomously and deliver high resolution still and video imagery. A preset flight pattern 

allowed detailed photographic documentation of the area of interest. This paper focuses on the 

coordination and field operations timeline of personnel involved in the deployment. 

KEY WORDS: Certificate of Authorization, COA, fire research, MLB Superbat, Plano Texas Police Department, 

search and recovery, Wildland Urban Interface, WUI
2 

1.0 Background 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) procured five MLB Superbat 

unmanned aerial vehicles in 2011 for the purpose of developing instrumentation to collect fire 

and weather data over prescribed burns. 

NIST applied for and received a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of

Authorization (COA) to conduct operations in the National Air Space in 2012. This was 

necessary in order to conduct the intended research. An aircrew team developed and maintained 

flight proficiency by executing test and training flights approximately every 4 to 6 weeks over a 

three-year period. Total flight time for the airframes was about 38 h during the proficiency 

periods up to, but not including the flight time of the Plano, Texas event. NIST developed data 

collection methods utilizing the airframe’s electro-optical and infrared thermal imaging video 

system payloads, as well as high-resolution digital still imagery and low-resolution digital 

multispectral imagery payloads. The system was utilized for a series of controlled burns at 

Camp Swift, TX in 2014, providing information on fire propagation through vegetative fuels and 

demonstrating the utility of the UAVs for WUI fire research. Additionally, research was initiated 

to collect aerial wind data using instruments mounted on the UAVs. 

A person went missing near Plano, Texas, just north of Dallas in September 2014. In an effort to 

locate this person, the Plano Police Department decided that it would be useful to perform an 

aerial search using UAVs and NIST was contacted regarding this matter. NIST had proficiency 

flights planned for this period and agreed to lend its aircraft to the effort. This event was 

conducted under the auspices of an existing NIST Certification of Authorization (COA) 2013-

CSA-15, with issuance of an Emergency COA by the FAA to the National Institute of Standards 

and Technology on 10 September, 2014. The FAA issues COAs on an emergency basis when: 1) 

a situation exists in which there is distress or urgency and there is an extreme possibility of a loss 

of life; 2) the proponent has determined that manned flight operations cannot be conducted 

efficiently; and 3) the proposed UAS is operating under a current approved COA for a different 

purpose or location. 

Required documentation outlining the Statement of Need from the Plano Police Department was 

submitted to the FAA as part of the request for an Emergency Certification of Authorization 

(E-COA). The FAA issued the Emergency COA on 10 September, 2014 to NIST for use of the 

NIST UAVs to conduct search and rescue in response to the missing person incident. The FAA 

authorization was based on NIST’s pre-existing COA. Pre-event coordination was conducted 

collaboratively among the NIST WUI UAV team. Final team deployment and asset use approval 

was granted by NIST management. 

2.0 E-COA Process and Timeline

Tuesday 9 September, 2014 

1. The original contact was made by Texas Equusearch, a volunteer search and recovery 

group, on behalf of the Plano Police Department for unmanned aerial vehicle utilization. 

This contact was directed to Mr. Gene Robinson at RP Search Services, a 501(c) (3) non-
3 

profit organization, who has supported Texas Equusearch on previous events, unrelated 

to the NIST WUI Project or its assets. 

2. The Director of Texas Equusearch, Mr. Tim Miller, was contacted by Mr. Chris Doherty 

of the FAA Flight Standard District Office in Dallas, Texas, following a press conference 

by Mr. Miller announcing the desire to use UAVs in the search effort. 

3. Gene Robinson, NIST WUI UAV Pilot in Command, contacted NIST WUI Project 

Manager Alexander Maranghides requesting authorization to deploy NIST assets and 

utilize the NIST WUI MLB Superbat UAVs under the existing NIST COA, as part of the 

Emergency COA Application. Mr. Maranghides began the approval process through 

NIST management. The request was to conduct the Search and Recovery (SAR) mission 

in lieu of proficiency flights scheduled for late September 2014. In this manner, the SAR 

response would not result in any additional costs to the NIST WUI Project. 

4. Plano Police Department provided a Statement of Need to begin the E-COA submission 

process. 

5. Per the direction of NIST, the UAV operations staff were notified and necessary travel 

was coordinated. 

Wednesday 10 September, 2014 

1. The NIST WUI UAV Pilot in Command (PIC) coordinated the submission of the 

required Statement of Need documentation, determined the intended search area in the 

Plano Texas area of interest, completed the E-COA checklist, and submitted to Mr. Mark 

Jordan at the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office at 9:30 am. 

2. Search epicenter coordinates were modified at 10:00 am per the Plano Police 

Department. 

3. NIST was notified by the FAA of the E-COA approval at 2:30 pm. The E-COA would 

commence on 10 September 2014, providing four days of UAV operation. 

4. The NIST WUI UAV operational unit was deployed from its base of operations in 

Wimberley, Texas. Equipment deployed included the command and control trailer and 

MLB Superbat UAV systems with the required support equipment. 

5. NIST WUI UAV flight crew and equipment arrived at the search incident command 

center in Plano, Texas by 8:30 pm. 

3.0 Mobilization and Integration into Incident Command 

The arrival of the NIST UAV team occurred after the initial origination of the search and 

recovery with the NIST UAV team integration into the Incident Command occurring on 

Thursday 11 September, 2014. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) protocols 

for Incident Command System (ICS) were followed to integrate the UAV assets. The NIST 

WUI UAV Pilot in Command met with the search coordinator of Texas Equusearch and the 

Plano Police Department Lieutenant, acting incident commander (IC). The Pilot in Command 

briefed the search coordinators on protocols expected with the insertion of the NIST WUI UAV 

team to meet the overall incident objectives for both operational and support activities. It was 

requested that subsequent post event processing could be required in areas of higher interest to 
4 

produce mosaic maps to aid the search. The NIST WUI UAV team coordinated operations with 

Plano Police Department to employ the use of assets of marked units and/or officers for crowd 

control if necessary during flight events. Rally points and alternate emergency landing areas 

were identified for each search area of interest (AOI). 

4.0 Mission Parameters 

Field operations were conducted under the established NIST WUI UAV protocols for field 

deployment established under COA 2013-CSA-15. All particular flight operations were 

governed by the FAA granted Emergency COA supplemented provisions, as follows: 

1) All flights to be conducted within the FAA provided area of operations covering a 4.8 km 

(2.6 nautical miles) radius1

, centered at coordinates provided by the Plano Police 

Department. See Figure 1 – Figure source is FAA E-COA Addendum, map overlay of 

McKinney Airport by NIST.

2) All flights to be conducted at or below 152 m (500 ft) Above Ground Level in Visual 

Flight Rule conditions in Class G Airspace (appendix A). 

a. Designated Class G airspace includes all airspace below flight level 183 m (600

ft) not otherwise classified as controlled. 

b. There are no entry or clearance requirements for Class G airspace, even for 

Instrument Flight Rules operations. Class G airspace is typically the airspace 

very near the ground (366 m (1 200 ft) or less), beneath Class E airspace. 

c. Radio communication is not required in Class G airspace, even for Instrument 

Flight Rules (IFR) operations –when weather precludes flying visually. Class G 

is completely uncontrolled. 

d. Visual Flight Rules visibility requirements in Class G airspace are 1.6 km (1 mile) 

by day, and 5 km (3 miles) by night, for altitudes below 3 050 m ft (10000) Mean 

Sea Level (MSL) but above 366 m (1 200 ft) Above Ground Level (AGL). 

Beginning at 3 050 m (10 000 ft) MSL, 8 km (5 miles) of visibility are required, 

day and night. Cloud clearance requirements are to maintain an altitude that is 

152 m (500 ft) below, 305 m (1 000 ft) above, 610 m (2 000 ft) horizontal; at or 

above 3 050 m (10 000 ft) MSL, they are 305 m (1 000 ft) below, 305 m (1 000 ft) 

above, and 1.6 km (1 mile) laterally. By day at 366 m (1 200 ft) AGL and below, 

aircraft must remain clear of clouds, and there is no minimum lateral distance. 

e. It should be noted that there are certain exceptions where Class G extends above 

366 m (1 200 ft) AGL. This is usually either over mountainous terrain (e.g., some 

areas in the Rocky Mountains), or over very sparsely populated areas (e.g., some 

parts of Montana and Alaska). 

3) Minimum fuel load on aircraft to meet mission requirements, plus 20 minute reserve to 

curb possible fly-away intrusion. 

4) Follow Lost Link Procedures. 

 

1 Only units of the SI and those units recognized for use with the SI are used to express the values of quantities. 

Equivalent values in other units are given in parentheses following values in acceptable units only when deemed 

necessary for the intended audience.
5 

Figure 1: FAA provided area of operations covering a 2.6 nautical mile radius indicated by the red 

circle.

a. In the event of a lost link, the Pilot in Command will immediately notify the 

Addison Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at (972) 628-6420. The PIC must 

provide the location, maximum altitude, programmed lost link maneuvers, state 

pilot intent and comply with the following provisions. 

b. In case of Lost Link the MLB Superbat UAS will land immediately. 

5.0 Missions Flown and Deliverables 

Flight operations were conducted between 11 September and 14 September, 2014. 

Selection of flight zones was determined in coordination with Plano Police Department 

investigators and the activities of the volunteer search and recovery organization Texas 

EquuSearch. Texas EquuSearch provided ground search coordination and resources. 

Areas of interest were reviewed and assessed to determine they were within the E-COA 

designated flight area, and met additional criteria outlined in the E-COA addendum. See 

Figure 2. 

Additional flight zones were requested by the Plano Police Department in coordination with the 

ground search efforts, but were denied by the NIST WUI UAV Pilot in Command due to the 

location and surroundings of the requested zones. The requested areas included sites outside of 
6 

the granted E-COA area of responsibility, sites that provided insufficient launch and recovery 

space, areas that were heavily populated and sites that presented potential incursion into 

McKinney Airport Class D Airspace. 

Thursday 11 September, 2014 

One flight was conducted during this time period; the flight zone is shown in Figure 3. 

Flight preparations commenced at 16:16 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) with aircraft 

autonomously launched at 17:05 UTC per PIC clearance. UTC is also the time standard used 

in aviation, for flight plans and air traffic control clearances to avoid confusion about time 

zones and daylight saving time. Central Standard Time (CST) is 6 h behind UTC. The 

aircraft covered an approximate 463 m (0.25 nautical mile) by 704 m (0.38 nautical mile) 

area of interest during its autonomous 00:37:25 total flight time recorded by a flight timer in 

the following format, hours:minutes:seconds. The aircraft was manually landed by the PIC at 

Figure 2: Areas of interest for search are indicated in green on map. Map data Google ©2014. Map 

overlay of search area by NIST.
7 

17:43 UTC. Airframe was powered down at 18:07 UTC. All flight activity was within 

normal parameters with no general aviation traffic observed during the flight. 

Figure 3: Flight conducted in this search area on 11 September, 2014. Map data Google© 2014. Map overlay 

of search area by NIST.

Friday 12 September, 2014

Inclement weather did not permit flight activities on Friday. 

Saturday 13 September, 2014 

Two flights were conducted during this time period; the flight zones are shown in Figure 4 

and Figure 5. 

 Flight 1 

Flight preparations commenced at 14:56 UTC with aircraft autonomously launched at 16:17 

UTC per PIC clearance. The aircraft covered an approximate 667 m (0.36 nautical mile) by 

952 m (0.50 nautical mile) area of interest during its autonomous 00:14:27 total flight time 

recorded by a flight timer (in the following format: hours:minutes:seconds). The aircraft was 

manually landed by the PIC at 16:31 UTC. The airframe was powered down at 16:42 UTC. 

All flight activity was within normal parameters with no general aviation traffic observed 

during the flight. 
8 

 Flight 2 

Flight preparations commenced at 19:11 UTC with aircraft autonomously launched at 19:33 

UTC per PIC clearance. The aircraft covered an approximate 407 m (0.22 nautical mile) by 

463 m (0.25 nautical mile) area of interest during its autonomous 00:10:37 total flight time 

recorded by a flight timer in the following format, hours:minutes:seconds. The aircraft was 

manually landed by the PIC at 19:44 UTC. Airframe was powered down at 19:57 UTC. All 

flight activity was within normal parameters with no general aviation traffic observed during 

the flight. 

Figure 4: Flight 1 conducted in this search area on 13 September, 2014. Map data Google© 2014.

Map overlay of search area by NIST.
9 

Sunday 14 September, 2014

One flight was conducted during this time period; the flight zone is shown in Figure 6. Flight 

preparations commenced at 17:42 UTC with aircraft autonomously launched at 18:38 UTC per 

PIC clearance. The aircraft covered an approximate 741 m (0.40 nautical mile) by 833 m (0.45 

nautical mile) area of interest during its autonomous 00:20:31 total flight time recorded by a 

flight timer in the following format, hours:minutes:seconds. The aircraft was manually landed 

by the PIC at 18:59 UTC. Airframe was powered down at 19:02 UTC. All flight activity was 

within normal parameters. General aviation traffic was observed, identified and fell within 

sufficient separation requiring no deviation from the flight plan. 

Figure 5: Flight 2 conducted in this search area on 13 September, 2014. Map data Google© 2014. 

Map overlay of search area by NIST.
10

Imagery review process: 

Following flight activity on 11, 12 and 14 September, 2014 and once field operations were 

completed, the UAV crew conducted imagery review. Initial review procedures were for each 

team member to identify imagery with anomalies, those being unnatural ground formations, 

ground disturbances, unusual debris, or visible aspects that matched the missing persons last 

known clothing description. Imagery selected by the above criteria was reviewed by the UAV 

team collectively to assess relevance before geo-locating imagery and providing it to the search 

ground team coordinator. Imagery was not distributed in any manner (copied, electronically 

transferred, or printed) to any parties outside of the UAV team during the review process. Georeferenced imagery of interest was shown, but not distributed to, the Plano Police Department 

investigators and the ground search team coordinator for use in directing ground personnel to 

clear areas of identified interest. 

Figure 6: Flight conducted in this search area on 14 September, 2014. Map data Google© 2014. Map 

overlay of search area by NIST.
11

6.0 Mission Summary 

It is important to stress that the deployment and the operation of NIST unmanned aircraft assets 

was no different than had been accomplished on every other occasion during the NIST WUI 

project time frame. The procedures and protocols developed in the designated training area 

followed by the NIST aircrew required no modification other than following the guidelines set 

forth by the FAA for safety purposes. This situation would be similar to operations under 

Incident Management System under the direction of Air Assets Coordinator. The internal safety 

procedures for the actual field operation of the aircraft were validated in an environment 

different than what would normally be encountered in a fire situation. This reflects a thorough, 

documented understanding of insertion of the assets into varied ICS situations. 

7.0 Conclusions 

The paper documents the emergency deployment of the NIST UAV assets to address a specific 

request by local government in Texas. The NIST COA made the E-COA application possible 

since it is a requirement for E-COA issuance. FAA issued the E-COA in less than 6 hours,

expediting the time sensitive deployment of the aerial resources. The deployment demonstrated

the effective use of the E-COA process.

8.0 Acknowledgments 

On behalf of the NIST UAV team we would like to express our thanks to Plano Police 

Department Lieutenant David Tilley and the Plano Police Department; FAA Unmanned Aircraft 

Systems Integration, Mark Jordan, ATCS NISC Contract Support, Richard Kervin, Dallas Flight 

Standard District Office, Chris Doherty, and the Federal Aviation Administration; and Director 

of Texas Equusearch, Mr. Tim Miller and his entire staff. Finally, a special thanks goes out to 

Christina Morris’s family and friends for the support they provided at every moment to our team 

throughout this difficult time. 
12

Appendix A 

Class G Airspace 
13

Appendix B 

Addendum Letter Plano COA 2013 CSA- 15

September 10, 2014 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 

100 Bureau Drive 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899 

Attn: Alexander Maranghides 

 Gene Robinson 

ADDENDUM TO CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION (COA) 2013-CSA-15. 

ISSUED TO: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 

DESCRIPTION: The Plano Police Department has requested an Emergency COA 

Addendum to COA 2013-CSA-15 for UAS operations within the National Airspace System 

(NAS) for the purpose of local law enforcement mission using a MLB SuperBat Unmanned 

Aircraft System (UAS). The UAS will operate in Class G airspace centered around 33.04. 

42.29 latitude by 96.50.32.53 longitude within the confines of the operational area as 

described in attachment 1 at or below 500 ft. AGL in VFR conditions. The Plano Police 

Department has declared that there is an emergency mission necessity to operate outside the 

Area of Responsibility (AOR) authorized in the primary COA for the purpose of assisting 

law enforcement and this mission meets the requirement of distress or urgency.

DATES OF USE: This addendum is valid September 11, 2014 to sunset, September 15, 

2014. 

PROCEDURES: 

This procedure supplements all provisions contained in the primary COA. 

The proponent is authorized to operate in Class G airspace within the confines of the 

operational area as described in attachment 1 at or below 500 ft. AGL in VFR conditions. 

1. Flight over populated or congested areas is not authorized, including lost link 

procedures. 
14

2. Place only minimum fuel on board UA to meet mission requirements plus 20min for 

reserve to help curb possible fly-away intrusion. 

3. Lost Link (LL) Procedures 

 In the event of a lost link, the PIC will immediately notify the Addison ATCT at (972) 628-

6420, The PIC must provide the location, maximum altitude, programmed lost link maneuvers, 

state pilot intentions, and comply with the following provisions. 

In case of Lost Link the MLB SuperBat UAS will land immediately. 

Sincerely, 

Randy Willis 

Air Traffic Manager, 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office 
15

Appendix C 

Statement of Need Plano 
16

Appendix D 

Instrumentation: SUPER BAT 

TASE 200 Duo -Gimbal System Configuration 

Aircraft Type MLB SuperBat III

Gimbal Mounting Type Nose mounted, fixed environmentally sealed gimbal payload- Goodrich TASE 200 

Duo series camera.

User Interface ViewPoint, Version 2.x.x (to be provided)

Geo Point: Click map or video to autonomously point gimbal at specific GPS location 

on the ground

Moving Map: Interactive map displays location and gimbal sensor footprint on 

ground. Satellite, streets and maps, or any user supplied map supported

SD Video Capture & Display: Analog NTSC or PAL video supported

Record & Replay: NTSC or PAL recording. Playback includes video, GPS time, plus 

gimbal and sensor footprint GPS locations

Make Video Files: Create video file (AVI output or MPEG2 encoded) from digitally 

recorded files

Plug-in Support: Supports CCT plug-ins and 3rd party plug-in architecture

MJPEG Axis Client: Supports IP connection and web serving using MJPEG 

compression

Advanced Software Options Path Track, or breadcrumb trail, can be viewed during flight. ViewPoint based screen 

captures acquired by a manual user interface keystroke during flight. Extracted 

frames are mosaiced over loaded map base layer within Viewpoint.

Developers Kit

Onboard GP/IN

Camera 

Configurations Summary

Camera format: NTSC or PAL capability. Standard used in North America is NTSC 

29.97 frames per second, comprised of 525 individual scan lines.

IR Camera (Long wave): Goodrich TASE Duo 200 series

Image Resolution : 640x480

HFOV : 10.5 degrees

Standard electro-optical Goodrich TASE Duo 200 series

Image Resolution : 1280x720

HFOV : 55.7 to 1.94 degrees

Aircraft altitude 1500 feet above ground level

Aircraft loiter 300 meter loiter radius

Slant range ?

Image resolution (pixels) Reflected in camera specifications of what sensor provides.

Ground sample distance ?
17

 

AutoPilot – Cloudcap Piccolo II

Aircraft Type MLB SuperBat III

AutoPilot Piccolo II 

Radio Frequency 900 MHz for ground control station, telemetry feeds. 2.4ghz for all video transmission

User Interface Piccolo Command Center 

Dockable windows, context menus for common functions

Complete support for all Piccolo controlled vehicles

Primary Flight Display and graphical EFIS with the ability to change airspeed, altitude 

and heading

Real-time flight planning. Flexible drag and drop flight plan generation and updates

Integration with web mapping servers for elevation imagery data

Terrain aware flight planning and warning system. 3-D views, high performance 

mapping with the profile viewer. Terrain database supporting DTED and SRTM

Geo-Fence: Airspace boundary definition and warning system

PCC Software supports a growing number of plug-in applications that can be 

purchased separately

TASE Gimbal plug-in for TASE or servo pan/tilt cameras

Strip Chart displays plug-in adds graphical display of telemetry data

Advanced Software Features Advanced flight planning: updates during flight, drag and drop, lost com and landing 

plans

Supported by full HW in Loop and Software Simulators

Support of TASE stabilized gimbal

Support for DGPS and WAAS corrections for built in GPS

Gimbal stabilization control for servo based pan-tilt cameras

Magnetometer, payload pass-through, etc.

Ground Station Kit Ground control station is secured inside of the command and control trailer. 

Aircraft Integration Accessories
18

Appendix E 

NIST Flight Profile Information 

Aircraft Type MLB SuperBat

 Wing Span (ft) 8.5

 Length (ft) 5.0

 Gross Take Off Weight (lbs) 35 with payload

 Propulsion 26cc internal combustion

 Fuel on Board (lbs) 6.9 lbs (gas/oil mix)

 Duration (typical) 10 hours/ 400 miles

 Take Off Type Catapult launch

 On board electrical 3 X 5Ah Lithium Polymer

 Electrical Duration (typical) 10 hours

 Guidance/Avionics Cloud Cap Piccolo II

 Pilot-In-Loop/Manual Over ride Yes

 Launch Type Catapult

 Landing Type Conventional/Skid

 Failover Recovery Parachute

Aircraft Performance -----------------------------------------------

 Max Climb (fpm) 1000 

 Max Descent (fpm) 800 

 Airspeed (max, kts) 60

 Airspeed (cruise, kts) 39

 Max Altitude (ft) 10,000

Active Frequencies (Transmitted) ----------------------------------------------

 Primary Command & Control Frequency 900 Mhz Spread Spectrum/Microhard

 Telemetry Frequency 900 Mhz Spread Spectrum/Microhard

 Secondary Frequency N/A

 Range (typical) 3-6 miles VLOS

 Payload Frequency 1 watt, 2.4 Ghz (consumer)

 Range (typical) Up to 10 miles VLOS

Passive Frequencies (Received) ----------------------------------------------

 L1 (1575.42 Mhz) and L2 (1227.60 MHz) GPS navigation 

Field safety operations procedures (FSOP) contained in Certificate of Authority issued by the 

Federal Aviation Administration 2011-CSA-63.

Aircraft operations per manufacturers manual (MLB Super Bat) dated 04/29/12 amended 

05/08/2012 

NIST Point of Contact: Alexander Maranghides, alexm@nist.gov

Cell: (301) 252-8747
19

Appendix F 

Certificates of Waiver of Authorization -COA 

ASN 2013-CSA-15-COA

Case Status APPROVED

Date Created 01/16/2013

Date Submitted 01/20/2013

Proponent

Organization

Sponsor NIST

Attn Of Alexander Maranghides

Address 100 Bureau Drive

Address2

City Gaithersburg

State MD

Postal Code 20899

Telephone (301) 252-8747

Email alexander.maranghides@nist.gov

Declaration Declaration(a) Yes

Declaration(b) Yes

Point of Contact Representative Gene Robinson

Address 290 Brunson Lane

Address2

City Wimberley

State TX

Postal Code 78676

Telephone (512) 665-9990

Email texhills@verizon.net

Operational 

Description

Requested 

Effective 

Period

Beginning

End

Light out operation No

VFR operation Yes

IFR operation No

Day operation Yes

Night operation No

Program Executive 

Summary

UA asset to be for utilized fire 

support, research, and in disaster 

mitigation. EO/IR/near-IR 

images will be collected for 

predictive fire/fuel analysis. 

Procedures for UA use under 

NIMS protocols developed 

solely for fire mitigation.
20

Operational 

Summary

Flights are on an "as needed" 

basis dependent upon weather. 

Average duration of flight 30-45 

minutes. Average operational 

altitude in training area will 

average 400' AGL.

Location State TX

County Hays

Nearest Airport WINN RANCH

AOR Texas - Central

Class Of 

Airspace

Class-A

Class-B

Class-C

Class-D

Class-E

Class-G Yes

System Description Aircraft Type 102154739 - Other

Aircraft Type And 

Model Description 

Attachment

1

Control Station 

Attachment

1

Communications 

System Attachment

1

List Certified 

Components (TSO) 

Attachment

1

Other Attachment 0

Performance 

Characteristics

Climb Rate 

(feet/Minute)

Descent Rate 

(feet/Minute)

500

Turn Rate 

(Degrees/Second)

750

Cruise 

Speed

Maximum 5.0

Minimum 62

Approach Speed 34

Operating 

Attributes

Maximum MSL 34

Minimum MSL 400

Gross Takeoff Wt 200

Launch/Recovery 

Attachment

34.0
21

Airworthiness FAA Type 

Certificate

1

If No FAA 

Certificate (Public 

Aircraft Only) 

Attachment

Procedures Lost Link/Mission 

Procedures 

Attachment

1

Lost 

Communications 

Procedures 

Attachment

1

Emergency 

Procedures 

Attachment

1

Avionics/Equipment Equipment Suffix 

Type

1

GPS D

Moving map 

indicator 

(Command Station)

Yes

Tracking capability Yes

TCA/MCAS Yes

ELT No

Transponder Transponder No

On No

Off

Standby

Ident

Mode S

Mode C

Transponder 

Retuneable in 

Flight

Lights Landing

Position/Navigation No

Anti-collision Yes

Infrared (IR) No

Spectrum Analysis 

Approval

Data Link No

Data Link 

Attachment

No

Control Link(s) 0

Control Link No
22

Attachment

Operations utilizing 

Radio Control 

(R/C) frequencies 

as described in 

Title 47 CFR 95

0

NTIA/FCC 

Authorization 

Attachment

No

ATC 

Communications

Transmitter 

VHF Band

VHF Band 0

Quantity Yes

In-Flight Retunable 1

Transmitter 

UHF Band

UHF Band Yes

Quantity No

In-Flight Retunable

Transmitter 

HF band

HF Band No

Quantity No

In-Flight Retunable

Receiver 

VHF Band

VHF Band No

Quantity Yes

In-Flight Retunable 1

Receiver 

UHF Band

UHF Band Yes

Quantity No

In-Flight Retunable

Receiver HF 

band

HF Band No

Quantity No

In-Flight Retunable

Guard 

(Emergency) 

Frequencies 

VHF Band

VHF Band No

Quantity Yes

Guard 

(Emergency) 

Frequencies 

UHF Band

UHF Band 1

Quantity No

Instantaneous 

Two-Way 

Voice

Direct to pilot
23

SATCOM Yes

Relay via aircraft No

Electronic 

Surveillance/Detection 

Capability

EO/IR No

Terrain detection Yes

Weather/icing 

detection

No

Radar No

Other Attachment No

Electronic 

detection systems

0

Electronic 

detection systems 

attachment

No

Radar observation 0

NAS Operational 

Capability 

Attachment

No

Visual 

Surveillance/Detection 

Capability

Maximum 

Distance 

from UA

Vertical 0

Horizontal 400 Feet

Airborne based 

(Chase Aircraft)

1.0 Nautical Miles

Ground based No

Visual observation 

from one or more 

ground sites

Yes

Forward or side 

looking cameras

Yes

Attachment for All Yes

Aircraft Performance 

Recording

Flight data 

recording

2

Control station 

recording

Yes

Voice Recording Yes

Flight Aircrew 

Qualifications

Pilots Private (Written) No

Private (Certified) Yes

Instrument Yes

Commercial No

Air Transport No

Unique Trained 

Pilot

No
24

Unique Trained 

Pilot Description

Yes

DOD 

certified/trained

Pilot shall have unique training 

by manufacturer in respect to UA 

operation and flight 

characteristics. Shall be NIMS 

certified 100, 300, 700

Other Certified 

Training

No

Trained on Part 91 

Requirement

No

Medical 

Certification Class 

(FAA or DOD 

equivalent)

Yes

Currency Status 2

Duty Time 

Restrictions

Pilot in Command (PIC) shall 

maintain a Class II flight 

medical. 

Single UAS 

Control

None

UAS Description Yes

Total Numbers of 

UAS Controlled

No multi-agent flights are 

intended under this COA

Observers Private (Written) 1

Private (Certified) No

Instrument No

Commercial No

Air Transport No

Unique Trained 

Pilot

No

Unique Trained 

Pilot Description

Yes

DOD 

certified/trained

Shall be NIMS certified 100, 

300, 700

Other Certified 

Training

No

Trained on Part 91 

Requirement

No

DOD Certified 

Training 

Attachment

Yes

Medical 

Certification Class 

(FAA or DOD 

equivalent)

0
25

Currency Status 2

Duty Time 

Restrictions

Observers require a class II flight 

medical

Single UAS 

Control

None

UAS Description Yes

Total Numbers of 

UAS Controlled

n/a

Special 

Circumstances

Special 

Circumstances

1

Every circumstance shall be 

considered a special 

circumstance. No operations 

will be conducted without 

briefing and approval by the 

Incident Commander in each 

situation. Observers will be 

required to have a Class II flight 

physical.