# VOLKERT Volkert, Inc. 3809 Moffett Road (36618)

P.O. Box 7434 Mobile, AL 36670-0434

June 16, 2015 Office 251 .342.1070 Fax 251.342.7962 Federal Aviation Administration volkert@volkert.com 800 Independence Avenue, SW www.volkert.Com Washington DC 20591

Subject: Endorsement by Volkert, Inc. on behalf of Remote Axcess for Section 333 Exemption
Dear Sir or Madam: As a firm engaged in bridge inspection we are entrusted with keeping the public and our crew's safe every day. We are always looking for ways to help promote safety and efficiency. It is evident to us that the use of camera equipped drones will be a major contribution toward this end. With the use of this technology in the trained hands of a commercial pilot, there are many advantages to the use of drones in bridge inspection. 

### Many bridges require special equipment to access hard to reach key structural components. Currently one of the major means to access these remote structural components is by using an under bridge inspection vehicle (UBIV). Typically the use of a UBIV requires closing a lane of traffic on a bridge which restricts the traffic traveling across the bridge during this inspection. These inspections take a fair amount of time and expose our inspection crews to that same traveling public that we are there to protect. Often to reduce impact to the traveling public the UBIV use is restricted to nighttime. Nighttime inspections, even with spot lights, are never as effective as inspections during day light hours. Lane closures also cause delays to the citizens and to the commerce being transported. In many instances, using a drone to allow our inspector to view remote components of a bridge would eliminate or reduce the need for using UBIV and the affiliated reductions in the flow of traffic and promote the safety of the public and our crews. An additional benefit would be the savings, which would be passed directly on to the state or local government, of mobilizing an UBIV and establishing traffic control. Both of these items are rather costly in relation to a routine bridge inspection. Furthermore, using a professionally trained commercial pilot as Remote Axcess, LLC currently employs, provides another layer of safety. Our expertise is bridge and structures, not flying or the regulations attributed to it. Therefore, we would rely heavily on the pilot's knowledge of the current FAA regulations and restrictions. Captain Lehman maintains his piloting skills as a Cobra helicopter pilot in our United States Marine Corps Reserve, and he has demonstrated to us not only his expertise as a pilot, but the regulations and restrictions associated with commercial flight. I hope that Remote Axcess' request for exemption to Section 333 is considered in the overall interest of public safety, roadside worker safety, and the monetary benefits that could be realized by transportation departments across the country. Regards,



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Aaron Immel, PE, CFM, CBI Dan Teal, PE Volkert, Inc. Volkert, Inc. Gulf Region Bridge Inspection Program Manager Florida Region Bridge Inspection Program Manager 3809 Moffett Road 1408 North Westshore Boulevard Mobile, Alabama 36618 Tampa, Florida 33607

Office Locations:
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~ 1 ~ Birmingham, Foley, Mobile, Montgomery, Alabama • Chipley, Ft. Myers, Gainesville, Pensacola, Tampa, Florida • Atlanta, Georgia Coilinsville, Illinois • Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Slidell, Louisiana • Jackson, Mississippi • JefPerson City, Missouri Raleigh, North Carolina • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania • Chattanooga, Nashville, Tennessee • Alexandria, Virginia • Washington, D.C. VOLK

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