April 17, 2015 

 Exemption No. 11377 

 Regulatory Docket No. FAA–2015–0066 

Mr. Mark Stefanek 

Owner 

Quad Productions of Chicago 

950 East Crest Avenue 

Addison, IL 60101 

Dear Mr. Stefanek: 

This letter is to inform you that we have granted your request for exemption. It transmits our 

decision, explains its basis, and gives you the conditions and limitations of the exemption, 

including the date it ends. 

The Basis for Our Decision 

By letter dated January 13, 2015, you petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

on behalf of Quad Productions of Chicago (hereinafter petitioner or operator) for an 

exemption. The exemption would allow the petitioner to operate an unmanned aircraft system 

(UAS) to conduct aerial videography and cinematography to enhance academic community 

awareness. 

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. 
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Airworthiness Certification 

The UAS proposed by the petitioner are the DJI Phantom 2, DJI Inspire 1, and DJI Phantom 

S1000+. 

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, and limited operating area associated with the 

aircraft and its operation, the Secretary of Transportation has determined that this aircraft 

meets the conditions of Section 333. Therefore, the FAA finds that the requested 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 data collection. The FAA has issued grants of 

exemption in circumstances similar in all material respects to those presented in your petition. 

In Grants of Exemption Nos. 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 specifications described by the petitioner and carrying no passengers or 

crew, rather than a manned aircraft of significantly greater proportions, carrying crew in 

addition to flammable fuel, gives the FAA good cause to find that the UAS operation enabled 

by this exemption is in the public interest. 

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

 They are similar in all material respects to relief previously requested 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 situation you present; and 

 A grant of exemption is in the public interest. 

Our Decision 

In consideration of the foregoing, I find that a grant 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, Quad Productions of Chicago 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) 
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and (b), to the extent necessary to allow the petitioner to operate a UAS to perform aerial data 

collection. This exemption is subject to the conditions and limitations listed below. 

Conditions and Limitations 

In this grant of exemption, Quad Productions of Chicago is hereafter referred to as 

the operator. 

Failure to comply with any of the conditions and 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 exemption are limited to the DJI Phantom 2, 

DJI Inspire 1, and DJI Phantom S1000+ when weighing less than 55 pounds including 

payload. 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 restriction. 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 PIC 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 permitted 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 ensure 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 
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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 discrepancy exists between the conditions and 

limitations in this exemption and the procedures outlined in the operating documents, 

the conditions and limitations herein take precedence and must be followed. 

Otherwise, the operator must follow the procedures as outlined in its operating 

documents. The operator may update or revise its operating documents. It is the 

operator’s responsibility to track such revisions and present updated and revised 

documents to the Administrator or any law enforcement official upon request. The 

operator must also present updated and revised 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 contacted if questions arise regarding updates or 

revisions to the operating documents. 

8. Any UAS that has undergone maintenance or alterations that affect the UAS operation 

or flight characteristics, e.g. replacement of a flight critical component, must undergo 

a functional test flight prior to conducting further operations 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 functional 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 and 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. The 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 manufacturer’s maintenance, overhaul, 

replacement, inspection, and life limit requirements for the aircraft and aircraft 

components. 

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

bulletins. 

13. Under this grant of exemption, a PIC must hold either an airline transport, 

commercial, private, recreational, or sport pilot 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 
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government. The PIC must also meet the flight review requirements specified in 

14 CFR § 61.56 in an aircraft in which the PIC is rated on his or her pilot certificate. 

14. The operator may not permit any PIC to operate unless the PIC demonstrates the 

ability to safely operate the UAS in a manner consistent with how the UAS will be 

operated under this exemption, including evasive and emergency maneuvers and 

maintaining appropriate distances from persons, vessels, vehicles 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 experience-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 during dedicated training sessions. During 

training, proficiency, and experience-building flights, all persons not essential for 

flight operations are considered nonparticipants, and the PIC must operate the UA 

with appropriate distance from nonparticipants 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 conditions (VMC). Flights 

under special visual flight rules (SVFR) are not authorized. 

16. The UA may not operate within 5 nautical miles of an airport reference point (ARP) as 

denoted in the current FAA Airport/Facility Directory (AFD) or for airports not 

denoted with an ARP, the center of the airport symbol as denoted on the current FAApublished aeronautical chart, unless a letter 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 airport 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 its GPS signal, the UA must return to a predetermined location within the private or controlled-access property. 

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

20. The PIC is prohibited from beginning a flight 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 for at least five minutes or with the reserve 

power recommended by the manufacturer if greater. 

21. Air Traffic Organization (ATO) Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA). All 

operations shall be conducted in accordance with an ATO-issued COA. The 
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exemption holder may apply for a new or amended COA if it intends to conduct 

operations that cannot be conducted under the terms of the attached COA. 

22. All aircraft operated in accordance with this exemption must be identified by serial 

number, registered in accordance with 14 CFR part 47, and have identification (NNumber) markings in accordance with 14 CFR part 45, Subpart C. Markings must be 

as large as practicable. 

23. Documents used by the operator to ensure the 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 the Administrator or any law enforcement 

official upon request. 

24. The UA must remain clear and give way 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 protect 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 structures 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 essential persons are not considered 

nonparticipating persons under this exemption. 

27. All operations shall be conducted over private or controlled-access property with 

permission from the property owner/controller 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 
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reported to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) per instructions 

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

If this exemption permits operations for the purpose of closed-set motion picture and 

television filming and production, the following additional conditions and limitations apply. 

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 over the area of proposed filming. The 3-day 

notification may be waived with 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 responsible for the on-scene operation of 

the UAS; 

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

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

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

and/or local officials to conduct the filming production event; the list of those 

who gave permission must be made available to the inspector upon request; 

g. Signature of exemption holder or representative; and 

h. A description of the flight activity, including maps or diagrams of any area, city, 

town, county, and/or state over which filming will be conducted and the altitudes 

essential to accomplish the operation. 

31. Flight operations may be conducted closer than 500 feet from participating 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 all 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 

Flight Standards Service 
January 13, 2015 

To Officer it may concern.

U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations

West Building Ground Floor, RM W12-140 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 

Washington, DC 20590

Martin Stefanek ( Quad productions of Chicago) is looking the exemption and relief from 

part 21, subpart H; and Sections45.23(b),91.7(a),91.9(b)(2),91.103(b),

91.109,91.119,91.121,91.151(a), 91.203(a) and(b),91.405(a),91.407(a)(1),91.409(a)(2),and 

91.417(a) and(b) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14CFR) to be able to provide 

video and photo services for our clients. 

We seek relief from section 45.23 Marking of the aircraft because our UA will not have a 

cabin, cockpit or pilot station on which to mark certain words or phrases. Two-inch 

lettering is difficult to place on such a small aircraft with dimensions smaller than the 

minimal lettering requirement. Regardless of this, we will mark our UAS in the largest 

possible lettering by placing “Experimental” on its fuselage as required by §45.29(f)

We seek relief from 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(2) and 91.417(a) and(b) Maintenance 

inspections may be required and should be granted since they only apply to aircraft with 

an airworthiness certificate.However, as a safety precaution we will perform a preflight 

inspection of his UAS before each flight as outlined in his operating documents.

UAS Pilot in Command (PIC) - our UAS does not carry any pilots or passengers but we will 

operate under §61.113 Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations:Pilot in command. since our 

operator is a licensed FAA pilot. For UAS training he has flown numerous practice flights in 

remote areas as a hobbyist simulating flights for future commercial use to gain 

familiarization with the characteristics of his UAS’ performance under different temperature 

and weather conditions. He further states that he practices computerized simulated flights 

to maintain adequate skills and response reflex time. 

We seek relief from 1.7(a) which prohibits the operation of an aircraft without an 

airworthiness certificate. There is currently no certificate applicable to our operation, this 

regulation is inapplicable.

MARTIN STEFANEK - QUAD PRODUCTIONS 

950 E. Crest Ave., Addison, Illinois 60101 Office: 847-920-4680 martin@quad-productions.com
We seek relief from 91.151(a) Fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions,our UAS 

doesn't use fuel but in providing extra safety for our operation we will fly under 15 minutes 

per flight when operating time of UAS we use is 25 minutes. We will take off only with full 

battery level and decrease the flight time in cold temperatures below 32 degrees F, and 

we will not operate below 14 degrees F per UAS manufacturer specifications. We will not 

begin a flight unless (considering wind and forecast weather conditions) there is enough 

power to fly at normal cruising speed to the intended landing point and land the UAS with 

30% battery power remaining

We seek relief from 1.121 Altimeter settings is inapplicable since he UAS utilizes electronic 

GPS with a barometric sensor.

We seek relief from 1.9(b)(2) requires an aircraft flight manual in the aircraft, however since 

there are no pilots or passengers on board his aircraft and given its size, this regulation is 

inapplicable. We will provide equivalent level of safety by maintaining a safety/flight 

manual with the UAS ground station. 

Clients we serve are Real Estate Agencies for augment real estate listing videos, 

Independent Movie Studios, Private Clients mostly Property Owners, Governments of 

Villages ( marketing and PR material for Villages around City of Chicago) Historical 

Associations in Illinois and neighboring states for Historical Landmark Movie productions 

for o conducting aerial videography and cinematography to enhance academic 

community awareness for those individuals and companies unfamiliar with the 

geographical layout of the metro Chicago area. 

Granting this exemption to us would allow us to provide this service at a much lower cost. 

Using small UAS we will pose no threat to the public given its small size and lack of 

combustible fuel when compared to larger manned aircraft.Our UAS will minimize 

ecological damage and promote economic growth by providing information to 

companies looking to relocate or build in the Chicago metro area. 

We are looking for the exemption and relief from 14 CFR Section to legally and safely 

provide our service using UAS in Civil Airspace. 

We will provide all levels of safety to our operations using FPV (First Person View) 

autopilot information at the hands of operator who will have life data information sent from 
UAS to Remote Controller as altitude, Ground Speed, Vertical speed, Battery Charge Level, 

for full understanding of UAS attitude in flight and time remaining for safe UAS return to 

take-off point. Our operator is Commercial FAA pilot with Instrument rating, Lic # 2838387 

and current 3rd class medical certificate what provides extra safety for our operations. 

We will operate under 600 feet within 1000 feet from controller, most of the time we will 

operate in space between ground level and 400 feet AGL. 

We will conduct our flight only in Visual Meteorological ConditionsVMC conditions and in 

distance from clouds described in VFR requirements. 

We will operate the UAS for 10-15 minutes per flight

We use the UAS’ global positioning system(GPS) flight safety feature whereby it hovers 

and then slowly lands if communication with the remote control pilot is lost

We conduct all operations under our own personal and flight safety protocols (including 

posting a warning sign reading: “Attention Aerial Photography in Progress –Remain Back 

150 feet”) contained in the operating documents and will actively analyze flight data and 

other sources of information to constantly update and enhance his safety protocols

We will contact respective airports if operations will be within 5 miles to advise them of his 

estimated flight time, flight duration, elevation of flight and other pertinent information

We will always obtain all necessary permissions prior to operation

We have procedures in place to abort flights in the event of safety breaches or potential 

danger.

We have a 2 million dollars liability insurance and we are member of AMA (Academy of 

Model Aeronautics) 

We will only operate in reasonably safe environments that are strictly controlled, are away 

from power lines, elevated lights, airports and actively populated areas; and we will 

conduct extensive preflight inspections and protocols, during which safety carries primary 

importance.

We will use the following UAS : Phantom 2 with Zenmuse H3-3D Gimbal for Photo and 

Video Camera GoPro 4+, Phantom Inspire 1 and Pnatom S1000 + 
We have full understating of required and granted COA ( Certificate of Authorization) 

from FAA to conduct each non model-aircraft flight in Civil Airspace.

Sincerely yours, 

Martin Stefanek - Owner and UAS pilot in command