Date: June 5 th 2015

U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t i on

Do c k e t Man a g e ment S y s tem

1200 N e w J e rs e y Av e

., S E W a shin g ton, DC 20590

R e : P e t i t i on of Skies The Limit Productions LLC, for a n E x e mp t ion P u rsu a nt t o S ec t i on 333 of the F AA

Mod e rni z a t i on a nd Re f

o r m A c t of 2012

To W hom i t M a y Con c e r n:

P u r suant to S ec t i on 333 of the F A A Mod e rni z a t i on a nd Re f o r m A c t of 20 1 2 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ) a nd 14

C. F .R. P a rt 1 1, Skies The Limit Productions LLC (" Skies " ) h e r e b y a ppl i e s for a n e x e mp t ion f r om the F e d e r a l

A viation R e gulations ( " F

AR s " ) id e nt if

ied b e low t o a l l ow c om m e r c ial op e r a t i on of small unmann e d ae r i a l

vehi c les ( i.e., " small unm a nn e d a ir c r a f t " or " U A S " ) for the pu rpose o f c ondu c t i n g : ( 1 ) controlled flights for

s c ript e d, c lose d

- s e t film i ng for the mo t ion p i c tur e , tel e vis i on, a nd w e b (internet) production

, a nd; (2)

controlled flights for Hawaiian Islands e nvironme n tal and industrial si t e s mon i toring

, a e ri a l

photogrammetry

, i nspe c t i on of shipping docks, uti l i t y p o w e r

- g e n e r a t i on t r a nsm i ss i on a nd stor a ge f a c i l i t ies,

c onstr u c t i on f

a c i l i t ies a nd p r e c is i on property ae ri a l surv e y s.

This peti t ion for e x e mp t i on is created b a s e d on inf o rm a t i on out l ined in th i s Pe t i t i on f o r E x e mp t ion, as

we ll a s but not limited to t h e se accompanying Skies documents ;

1. Skies’ Motion Picture and Television Flight Operations Manual

2. Skies’ sU A S F l i g ht O p e r a t i ons Man ua l and;

3. Skies ’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls"

4. Skies ’ sU A S Air c raft F l i g ht Manu a l

(c ol le c t i v e l y r e fe r

re d to as " Skies ' Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls" )

5. D J I S 1 0 00 Us e r G uide and;

6. D J I S 1 0 00 Us e r M a nu a l

(c ol lec t i v e l y r e f

e r r e d to as " M a nuf

a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l " )

. 1

The Skies submi t s these as well as other Skies s u pporting mat e ri a ls as c o n fid e nt i a l docum e nts

pur s u a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 11.35 ( b )

, a s the mat e ri a ls contain c onfid e nt i a l c o m m e r c ial a nd/or p r o p ri e t a r y

info r mat i on that the Skies h a s not a nd will not sh a re with o t h e rs. A ddi t ional l y , t h e se do c u m e nts contain

op e r a t i ng c ondi t ions and p r o ce du re s that a r e not g e n e r a l l y a v a i l a ble to the public a nd a re pro t ec ted f rom

r e le a s e und e r the F r ee d o m of I n fo r mation A c t, 5 U.S. C

. § 552 e t seq.

1 T he te r m " Man u f

ac tu r e r 's Man ua l" a lso includ e s a ll r e lev a nt manu f ac tu r e r p ubli ca tions

, in c ludin g , but not

l i m i ted to: op e r a t i ons a n d f li g h t m a nu a ls

, us e r g ui d e s

, c ompon e n t m a int e n a n c e m a n u a ls

, pilo t tr a in i ng

man u a ls, s e rvi c e info r mation l e t t e rs a nd, s a f e t y /se r vi c e bul l e t i ns).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 2

T h is P e t i t i on is o r g a ni z e d a s follows:

I. P e ti t io n e r

II. D e s cr i p tion of P r o p os e d O p er a t io n s

A. Closed

- s e t F i l m m a king a nd C i n e mato g r a p h y

B

. A e ri a l P hotogrammetry

, Property S u r v e y a nd I nsp ec t i on of I ndustri a l / Constr u c t i on S i tes a nd

Uti l i t y P o w e r

- G e n e r a t i on F a c i l i t ies a nd I n f ra str u c ture

II. R e levant Sta t u to r y Au t h o r ity

IV. Skies ’ P r o p osed U A S O p er a t io n s Mee t t h e R e qu ir e m e n ts of S ec ti o n 333 of t h e R e f o r m A c t

A. App r ov a l i s W a r

ra nted B a s e d on the U A S ' s S i z e

, W e i g ht, S p e e d, a nd Op e r a t i on a l C a p a bi l i t y

B

. App r ov a l i s W a r

ra nted B a s e d on the O p e r a t i on a l R e strictions S e t F o r th i n the Op e r a t i ons

Man u a l s

V. R e g u latio n s F r o m W h i c h Ex e m p tion i s Requested

A. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H

– Air w o r th i n e ss C e r t ific a tes a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) ( 1 )

B

. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 A irwo r th i n e ss S tand a rds: No r mal C a te g o r y Rotor c r a ft

C. 14 C. F .R. §§ 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23(b) a nd 45.27 ( a ): Ai r c r a ft M a rki n g a nd I d e nt i fi ca t i on Requir e m e nts

D. 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ), 9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 1) a nd ( 2 ); 91.417 ( a ) a nd ( b ) : Mainten a n c e

I nspe c t i ons

E. 14 C. F .R. P a rt 61, 14 C. F .R. § 61.3, 14 C. F .R. § 61.113: P riv a te P i lot P rivile g e s and L i m i t a t i o n s

F

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ): C i vil Air c r a ft Ai r wo r th i n e ss

G. 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) : C iv i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht Man u a l i n the A ir c r a ft a nd 14 C. F .R. § 91.203 (a )

a nd ( b ) : C a r r y

i n g Civ i l Air c raft Ce r t i fi ca t i on a nd R e g is t r a t i on

H. 14 C. F .R. § 91.103: P r e fli g ht A c t i on

I

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.109 (a ): F l i g ht I nstru c t i on

J

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.11 9 ( c ) : M in i mum S a fe Alt i tudes

K. 14 C. F .R. § 91.121: Al t i met e r Settin g s

L

. 14 C. F .R. § 91.151 (a ): Fuel R e quir e ments for F l i g ht i n V F R Condi t ions

VI. D r u g a n d Al c o h ol P r o g r a m

VII. P ub l i c I n t e re s t

VIII. P r iv a c y

IX. F e de r al R e gis t e r S u mm a r y

X. Concl u sionU.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 3

I. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P ET I T I O NER

B a s e d in Honolulu, Hawaii, Skies is an ae ri a l c in e mato g r a p h y and photogrammetry company d e dic a ted to

p r ovid i ng te c hnol o g i c a l l y d r iven a nd innovative s olu t ions to the f i l m m a ki n g , environmental and inspection

mon i toring indust r ies

. I

ts foun de rs, Richard Pinto a n d Mark Robinson III a re both com m e r c ial l y r a ted

cinematographers

. As p a rt of Skies’ vis i on of pro v id i ng n e w a nd innovative solu t ions t o i t s cli e nt ' s n e e d s

,

a nd bui l ding upon i t s found e rs e x tensive c o m me rc ial film and television production e x p e ri e n c e

, Skies

s ee ks an e x e mp t ion to allow c om m e r c ial op e r a t i ons of sm a ll 55lbs U A S to p r ovide a e ri a l cinematography,

pho t ogr a ph y a nd vi d e o se r vi c e s for t he f i l m and television indust r y

, a s w e ll a s providing photogrammetry

a e ri a l surv e y s, in s p ec t i ons, a nd e nvironme n tal mon i toring of shipping docks, industrial a nd c onst r u c t i on

sites, a nd ut i l i t y po w e r

- g e n e r a t i on f a c i l i t ies a nd inf

ra s t ru c t u r e

.

The c onta c t i n f

o rm a t i on f

o r Petitioner is as f

ol l o w s:

Richard Pinto

P r e sident

Skies The Limit Productions LLC,

1052 Hoa St.

Honolulu, Hawaii, 96825

P hon e : (808 ) 840

- 0004

Email: kela@skiesthelimit.com

II. D E SCRI P T I O N O F P R O P O S E D O P E RAT I O N

Skies s e e ks an e x e mp t ion pursu a nt t o S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t t o op e r a te the D J I S 1000+ U A S

f o r the p r opos e d op e r a t i ons discuss e d b e low. All U AS ope ra t i ons will oc c ur und e r ti g ht l y c ontroll e d

c ondi t ions on priv a te p r op e r t y wh e re Skies h a s r e c e ived p e rmission t o op e r a te f r om t he lando w n e r,

c ontroll e r o r a uthori z e d r e p re s e ntativ e s . The pro p osed U AS op e r a t i ons will be c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e

with the c ondi t ions and lim i ta t ions of this P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t ion and Skies ’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls. As

d e tailed in Skies ' Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls, all U A S op e r a t i ons will be l i m i ted to d a y t i me V F R c ondi t ion s

,

with i n visu a l l i ne

- o f

- s i g ht ( " V L OS " ) o f the op e r a tor, in uncont r ol l e d a irsp a c e

, a nd will o cc ur a t l ea st 5

m i l e s a w a y f

rom a n a irp o rt. Mo re ov e r, Skies’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls inco r por a te r e dund a nt s a f e g u a rds to

a ssu r e that the a ir c r a ft do e s not tr a v e l ou t side the c ontroll e d are a o f U AS op e r a t i ons, in c lud i ng GPS "geo

f e n c i ng" te c hnol o g ies.

A. Clos e d

- s e t F i l m m a k i n g a n d Ci n e m a t og r a ph y

Skies s e e ks to use sm a ll U A S s for the pu r pose of c ondu c t i n g sc r ip t e d, c lose d

- s e t f i l m i ng f or the

mot i on pictu re , tel e vis i on, a nd w e b indust r y

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 4

Skies h a s t a i l o re d i t s op e r a t i ons to m ee t t he re qui r e ments e stablished b y t h e F A A in p r ior g ra nts of

e x e mp t i on s a uthori z ing c om m e r c ial use o f U AS i n the mot i on pictu r e a nd tel e vis i on filmmaking indust r y

,

includi n g :

 Astr ae us A e ri a l ( E x e mp t ion No. 11062)

 A e ri a l M O B

, L L C (E x e mp t ion No. 11066)

 P ictor v is i on, I

n c

. ( E x e m pt i on No. 11067)

 H e l i Vid e o P rodu c t i ons, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11065)

 S n a p r oll Me d ia, L L C ( Ex e mp t ion No. 11063)

 RC P ro Produ c t i ons C o n su l t i n g

, LL C d/b / a V o rt e x A e ri a l (E x e mp t ion No. 11064)

 F l y i n g

- C a m

, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11080)

 A e ro c ine, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11150)

 T ea m 5, L L C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11158)

 Al a n D. Purwin (E x e mp t ion No. 11161)

 H e l i n e t Aviation S e rvi c e s

, LL C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11160)

 P icture F a c to r y

, I n c

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 1117 8 )

 Dronair Solutions ( Exemption No. 11671 )

All UAS film m a king and television film production op e r a t i ons will be conducted on p r i v a te p r op e r t y

in a c ontrol l e d a re a

, a w a y f r om sp ec tators a nd p e r s ons not invo l v e d in t he f i l m and TV production

. All

UAS f i l m ing will be c ondu c ted du r i n g d a y l i g h t hours , V F R c ondi t ions, a t alt i tudes b e low 40 0 ' A G L

. As

s e t fo r th below, Skies’ op e r a t i ons pro v ide a sup e rior l e v e l of sa fe t y and quality compared to p e r f o r m i n g the

s a m e filming wo r k using c onv e nt i on a l fi x e d

- wing a i r c raft or h e l icopt e rs.

B. A er ial Photogrammetry

, Su r v e y a n d I n s pec tion of Environmental, I nd u st r ia l /Co n st r u c tion S it e s

a n d U t i l i ty P o w er

- Gene r a t ion F a c i l i ti e s a n d I n f r ast r u c ture

Skies s e e ks to use sm a ll U A S s for the pu r pose of c ondu c t i n g a e ri a l environmental i m a g i n g and

photogrammetry f

or s a f e t y mon i toring of c ontroll e d ac c e ss i ndustri a l and c o n stru c t i on si t e s, uti l i t y p o w e r

g e n e r a t i on tr a nsm i ss i on a nd distribution f ac i l i t ies a nd inf

ra st r u c tur e . T r a di t ional methods of inspe c t i ng th i s

t y pe of i n f ra str u c tur e , in c lud i ng f

la r e sta c ks, e lev a t e d pipelines a nd pow e r lin e s, tanks, a nd st ee p roo f top s

,

e x pose inspect i ng e n g i n ee rs to uncalled for r isk, physical h a rm, se r ious i nju r y and death

. I n s p ec tors n e e d to

cli m b tow e r or othe r wise p e r f o r m el e v a ted w o r k, whi c h e x poses th e m t o the r isk of d a n g e rous f a l l s

,

electrocution or other work related extremes

. I n a ddi t ion, d e p e nding on t h e n a ture o f the inspe c t i o n

,

p r o x i m i t y to e quip m e nt o f ten involves a r isk of e x posure to ha z a rdous c h e m i ca ls or o x y g e n

- d ef ici e nt

atmosph e r e s, burns f

rom ste a m or hot e quip m e nt, and oth e r m e c h a nic a l h a z a rds a ssoci a t e d with industrial

si t e s and c onstru c t i on f

a c i l i t ies. The use o f s m a ll U A S s m i t i g a tes th e se h a z a rds a nd is ul t i m a te l y a much

s a f e r m e thod of p e r f

o rming the s e and most other t y p e s of insp ec t i ons.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 5

S mall UAS i nspe c t i on is a lso s a f e r t h a n tr a di t ional mann e d a ir c r a ft p e r f o rming the s a me fun c t i on.

Conv e nt i on a l ope ra t i ons us i ng roto rc r a ft a nd fi x e d

- wing a ir c r a ft i n low le v e l op e r a t i ons pr e s e nt risks

a ssoci a ted w i t h v e hicl e s w e i g hi n g thous a nds of po u nds a nd ca r r y i n g la r ge a moun t s of f

u e l. I t is i mport a nt

t o note th a t t he use o f sm a ll U A S in t his a re a will not on l y be sa f e r a nd mo r e c ost e f

f e c t i v e , but t he qu a l i t y

of collected data and in f

o r mation is f

a r sup e rio r

.

S mall U A S inspe c t i on is more r e l i a ble, a nd a l l ows f o r the c ol l ec t i on, diss e m i n a t i on, a nd sto r a g e o f

visual a nd other senso r y d a ta w i t h gr e a t e r p r ec is i o n a nd du ra t i on. S mall UASs are a lso ca p a ble o f

a c ce ss i n g a nd inspe c t ing a re a s that wo u ld o t h e r w ise be in a cce ss i ble to humans or cannot be completed with

c onv e nt i on a l aircr a ft.

III. R ELE V ANT ST ATUT O RY AUT H O RI T Y

This P e t i t i on f

o r E x e mp t i on is submi t ted pu r suant to S ec t i on 333 (a ) th r o u gh ( c ) of the F AA

Mod e rni z a t i on a nd R e fo r m A c t of 2012 ( " R e fo r m A c t " ). Co n g r e ss h a s dir e c ted the F AA " to sa f e l y

a c ce le r a te the i nte g r a t i on of c iv i l un m a n n e d a ir c r a ft s y stems i nto t he n a t i on a l airsp a c e s y stem

. " P u r suant to

S e c t i on 333 of the Re f

o r m A c t, t he F AA Admin i str a tor is t o p e rmit unm a nn e d a ir c r a ft s y st e ms t o op e r a te in

the Na t i on a l Air Sp ac e (" N AS " ) wh e re it is s a f e to do so b a s e d on the f

ol l owi n g c onsid e r a t i ons:

● The U A S ' s s iz e , w e i g ht, spe e d a nd op e r a t i on a l c a p a bi l i t y ;

● Op e r a t i on of the U A S in close pro x i m i t y to ai rp o rts a nd populat e d a r ea s; a n d

● Op e r a t i on of the U A S with i n the visu a l l ine of sight of the op e r a tor.

Addit i on a l l y , the FAA A dm i nis t r a tor h a s ge ne r a l autho r i t y to g r a nt e x e mp t ions f r om t he a g e n c y 's

s a f e t y re g ulations a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds w h e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a r e q u e sted e x e mp t ion i s in the

publ i c in t e r e st. S e e 49 U.S. C . § 106( f ) ( d e fini n g the a u t hori t y of the Admin i str a tor ) ; 49 U. S .C. § 44701 ( f)

( p e rmit t ing e x e mp t ions f

r om §§ 447 0 1 (a ), ( b ) a nd

§§ 44702

– 44716, e t se q

. ). A p a r t y r e qu e st i n g a n e x e mp t ion m ust e x p l a in the rea sons w h y the e x e mp t ion:

( 1) would b e n e fit the publ i c a s a w ho l e

, a nd ( 2 ) would not adv e rs e l y a f f ec t s a f e t y ( or how it would provide

a lev e l of s a f

e t y a t l ea st e q u a l t o the e x is t ing r ules )

. S e e 14 C. F .R. § 11.81 (p e t i t i ons for e x e mp t ion).

IV. SKIES ' P R O P O S E D U AS O P E RAT I O NS M EE T T H E R E Q UIR EME NTS O F SE CTI O N 333

O F T H E R E F O RM ACT

The small U A S op e r a t i ons p r opos e d b y Skies i n th i s P e t i t i on for E x e m p t i on qu a l if y f o r e x p e di t e d

a ppro va l purs u a nt to S ec t i on 333 of the Re f o r m A c t a s e a c h of t h e st a tu t o r y c rite r i a a nd r e lev a nt f ac tors a re

s a t i sfi e d.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 6

A. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d Based on t h e U A S 's S i z e , W e ig h t, S p ee d , a n d O p er a t io n al Ca p a b i l ity

A G r a nt of E x e mp t ion i s ap p rop r iate for op e r a t i o n s co n du c ted usi n g the D J I S 1000+ U A S s due t o its si z e

w e i g ht, sp e e d, a nd op e r a t i on a l ca p a bi l i t y

.

 T he D J I S 1000+ h a s b ee n a ppro ve d for u s e in prior S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of E x e mp t ion f r om t he F A A

. 2

 The D J I S 1000+ w ei g hs l e ss t h a n 25 pounds, in c lud i ng p a y load.

 The D J I S 1000+ will not be f lown a t a g r ound speed in e x ce ss of 50 knots.

 Alt i tude in f

o r mation wi l l be g e n e r a ted b y e quip m e nt onboa r d the U A a s s p ec ified using GPS tria n g u l a t i on,

di g i t a l l y e n c o d e d b a rom e tric a l t i m e te r

, ra dio a l t i m e te r , or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f . This i n f o r mation wi l l

be t ra nsm i t t e d to t he pi l ot v i a tel e metric d a ta f e e d.

 The U A S s will h a ve s y stem r e dund a n c ies a nd in d e p e nd e nt fu n c t i on a l i t y to e nsure the ov e r a ll sa f e t y a n d

p re dict a bi l i t y of the s y stem. I f c onn e c t i on to t he re m ote c ontrol or g round c ontrol station is l ost, f a i l s a fe

s y stems wi l l pe r m i t t he U A S to r e turn to a p r e d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on a nd s a f e l y l a nd without in

j u r y o r

d a m a g e

.

 The ra dio f

r e qu e n c ies u s e d for op e r a t i ons a nd c o n trol of the U A S c omp l y with t he Fe d e r a l

C om m unic a t i ons C om m is s ion ( " F CC " ) a n d other a ppro p ri a te g ov e rnm e nt ove r s i g ht a g e n c y re qu i r e ments.

The op e r a t i n g f

r e qu e n c y for t he D J I S 1000+ is 2.4 G H z

.

I f the s a me o p e r a t i ons w e re c ond u c ted usi n g a h e l i c opte r , the a i r c raf t ' s tak e

- o f f w e i g ht would l i k e l y

e x cee d 6,0 0 0 pounds carrying a pilot, camera operator and VO

- visual observer

- navigator . The dif f e r e n c e

in w e i g ht betw e e n the D J I S 1000+ a nd a h e l i c opt e r si g n ific a nt l y r e du ce s t h e potential h a rm to the

p a r t icip a t i ng a nd no n

- p a rticip a t i ng ind i viduals or pro pe r t y in t he e v e nt o f a n a c c ident or incid e nt. I n

a ddi t ion, t he r isk to t he onbo a rd pilot a nd ca me r a op e r a tor is eli m inat e d.

S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o S hotover C a me r a S y stems L

. P

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 11159 ) ; G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion t o V D OS G l ob a l, LL C ( E x e mp t ion No. 11112 ) ; Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o L ow Count r y RC, Corp.

( E x e mp t ion No. 11184 ) ; G ra nt of E x e mp t ion t o Al a n P u r win ( E x e mp t ion No. 11161 ) ; Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion

t o H e l i n e t Aviation S e rvi ce s ( E x e mp t i on No. 11160 ) ; Gr a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Total S a f e ty U.S., I n c

. ( E x e mp t ion No. 11156 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 7

B. Ap p r oval i s Wa rr a n t e d B a s e d on t h e O p er a t io n al R e st r ic t io n s S e t F o r th in Skies’ O p er a t io n s

M a nu a l s

Skies’ O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s a nd the M a nu f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l f

o r the sel e c t e d U A S s will c ontain a ll the

p r o c e dures and l i m i tations n ece ss a r y to s a f e l y a nd s u cce s s f

ul l y p e r fo r m t h e op e r a t i ons spe c if i e d in t his

P e t i t i on f o r E x e mp t io n . To a s si s t t he F AA in m a king a sa f e t y a ssessment of Skies’ p ropos e d op e r a t i ons,

b e low is a summa r y of o p e r a t ional l i m i tations a nd c ondi t ions that Skies will a dh e re to, and w h i c h will

e nsure a n e q u i v a le n t or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y to ope r a t i ons c on d u c ted und e r c u rr e nt r e g u l a to r y g ui d e l i n e s:

1. The U A S w e i g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, ful l y load e d

.

2. All ope ra t i ons shall be c o ndu c ted ov e r p riv a te or c ontroll e d

- a c ce ss prop e r t y with p e rmission f r om t he

land o w n e r/ c ontroll e r o r a ut h o r i z e d r e p re s e ntative. P e rmission f r om l a nd own e r/ c ontroll e r o r

a uthori z e d r e p r e s e ntative w i l l be obtain e d for e ac h fl i g ht o p e r a t i on.

3. All UASs op e r a ted und e r the G r a nt of E x e mp t ion wi l l be id e nt i fi e d b y s e ri a l numbe r

, r e g is t e r e d in

a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C F R p a r t 47, and h a ve identifi c a t i on ( N

- Numb e r) ma r ki n g s in acc o r d a n c e with 14

C F R p a rt 45, Subp a rt C. M a r kin g s will be a s la r g e a s pr a c t ic a ble.

4. Mini m um c re w f

or e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on will c onsist of a pi l ot, who will be P i l o t

- in C om m a nd

( " P I C " ) o f the U A S

, a nd one o r mo r e Visu a l Obs e rvers ( " Obs e rv e r " ) a s ne c e s s a r y to sa f e l y c o ndu c t

t he m i ss i on.

5. P I Cs shall poss e ss at le a s t a Priv a te P i lo t ' s C e rtifi c a te a nd c u r re nt C lass I I I Medi ca l C e rtifi ca t e

. The

P I C will a lso m ee t t he f

l i g ht r e vi e w re qui r e ments spe c ified in 14 C

. F .R 61

. 56 in an a ir c r a ft in which

the P I C is r a ted on his or h e r pi l ot c e rtifi ca te.

6. The UA shall be o p e r a t e d with i n V L OS of the P IC a nd Obs e rver a t all t i m e s. The P I C must use

h uman vision un a ided b y a n y d e v i c e other t h a n c o r r e c t i ve l e n s e s, as spe c ified on the P I C ' s F AA

is s u e d medi c a l c e rti f

ic a te.

7. The P I

C a nd Obs e r v e r desi g n a t e d for a n y o p e r a t i o n will be a ble to c om m unic a te v e rb a l l y a t all t i m e s.

8. Ele c tronic mess a g i n g or t e x t i ng will not be p e rmit t e d du r ing fli g ht o p e r a t i o ns.

9. The a ddi t ional re qui r e m e nts i d e nt i fi e d in t he G ra n t of E x e mp t ion shall be a dd e d to t he Skies’

O p e r a t i o ns Man ua l s. The Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s will be maintain e d a nd made a v a i l a ble to the Admin i str a tor

upon re q u e st. I f a disc r e p a n c y e x is t s b e tw ee n the c ondi t ions and lim i tations in the G r a nt of E x e mp t ion a nd

Skies’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, the c ondi t ions and lim i tatio n s in t he G ra nt of E x e mp t ion shall t a ke pre ce d e n c e

a n d must be f

ol l ow e d. Oth e r w ise, Skies shall follow the p r o ce du r e s outl i n e d in t h e ir Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 8

10. Skies m a y u pd a te or r evis e it s O p e ra tio ns M a n u a ls

. R e vision s w il l b e t r a c k e d a n d a r e vi s e d c o p y of

t he M a n u a l w il l be p r ovi d e d to th e A dminist r a to r upo n re q u e st

.

Skies w il l a ls o p re s e n t a n u pd a t e d a n d r e vis e d O p e r a tion s M a n u a l s i f i t p e tition s f o r e x t e nsio n o r a m e nd m e n t t o

it s G r a n t of E x e mption

. I f a n up d a t e or r e vis i on would a f f ec t t he b a sis upon whi c h the F A A g ra nts t he

e x e mp t ion, Skies will se e k a n a m e ndment to i ts Gr a nt of Ex e mp t ion. Skies will c o nta c t the F A A ’s U AS

I nt e g r a t i on O f

fi c e ( A F S

- 80) if q u e st i ons a rise r e g a rdi n g u pd a tes or re vis i ons to the op e r a t i ng do c u m e nts.

11. Skies’ O p e ra t i on s M a n u a l s a nd it s G r a n t o f E x e mptio n w il l be a v a i l a bl e to th e

P I C a t the g r o un d c on t r o l st a tio n a n y tim e t h e UA S is op e ra ti n g

.

12. The P I

C is prohib i ted f

r o m be g inn i n g a UAS f

l i g ht un l e ss ( c onsid e r i ng wind a nd f o re ca st w ea th e r

c ondi t ions) the r e is en o u g h po w e r to f l y to t he f i rst in t e nd e d point of l a nding, and a ssu m ing n o rm a l c r uis i ng

spe e d, to f

l y a ft e r t h a t for a t l ea st 10 m i nute s

.

13. Ma x i m um to t a l fli g ht t i m e f or e ac h o p e r a t i on a l fl i g ht usi n g the D J I S 1000+ will be l i m i ted to 40

m i nutes or the a mount of time the U A S ca n be flo w n a nd s t i ll maintain a re s e rve b a t ter y po w e r of no less

than 25 % , whi c h e v e r oc c u r s fi r s t

.

14. F l i g hts will be op e r a ted a t an a l t i t ude of no more t h a n 400 fee t A G L a nd w i ll n e v e r e n t e r n a v i g a ble

c o ntroll e d a irsp a c e without prior w r i t ten a uthori z a t i on a nd a ppro va l f r om t he F A A. I n the e v e nt t he str u c ture

b e ing insp e c ted e x cee ds 400 f e e t A G L

, t h e U A S will not be oper a ted m o re th a n 100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st

point on the stru c tur e

, a n d no more than 50 f e e t h o r i z ontal l y f

r om t he s t ructur e

.

15. F l i g ht op e r a t i ons must be c ondu c ted a t le a st 500 fe e t f r om all nonpa r t i c ipat i ng p e rsons. ( p e rsons

oth e r t h a n the P I

C, V O, op e r a t o r t ra ine e s o r e ssential p er sonnel ), v e ssels, v e hicl e s, and st r u c tur e s unl e ss:

a

. B a rri e rs or str u c tur e s a re p re s e nt t h a t suf f ic i e nt l y p rot ec t nonpa r t i c i p a t i ng p e rsons f rom the U A a n d /or

d e b r is i n the e v e nt of a n a c c ident. The op e r a tor must e nsu r e that nonp a rti c ipating p e rsons re main und e r

s u c h p r ote c t i on. I f a si t u a t i on a ris e s wh e re nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rsons l e a ve such p r ote c t i on a nd a re

with i n 500 fee t of the U A

, f l i g h t ope ra t i ons must c ea se i m medi a te l y a nd/or;

b. The a ir c r a ft is op e r a ted n ea r v e s s e ls, vehi c les or s t ru c tur e s w h e re t h e own e r/ c ontroll e r o f su c h v e ssels,

v e hicl e s or str u c tur e s has g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C h a s made a s a f

e t y a s s e ss m e nt of the r isk of

op e r a t i n g c loser to t hose obje c ts and d e t e rmin e d that it do e s not pr e s e nt an undue h a z a rd, a nd;

c

. Op e r a t i ons n e a rer to the P I C, V O , op e r a tor t r a in e e s or e ssential p e rsons do not pr e s e nt an undue

h a z a rd to those p e rsons p e r § 91.119 (a ).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 9

16. The UA m a y not be o p e r a ted l e ss t h a n 500 f e e t b e low or less than 2,000 f e e t hori z ontal l y f

r om a

c loud or w h e n vis i bi l i t y is l e ss t h a n 3 st a tu t e m i les f rom the P I C.

17. The UA m a y not op e r a te with i n 5 nm of a n a irpo r t re fer e n c e point a s de n o t e d on a c u r r e nt F A A

publ i shed a e ron a

ut i ca l c h a rt unless a letter of a g r ee ment with that a irpo r t’s man a g e ment is obtain e d, a nd the

op e r a t i o n is condu c ted in a c c o r d a n c e with a N OT A M as r e qui r e d b y t h e Skies COA. The letter of a g re e ment

with the a irpo r t m a n a g e ment will be made a v a i l a ble to the A dm i nis t r a tor upon r e qu e st.

18. P rior to e ac h fl i g ht t he P IC sh a ll inspe c t t he U A S to con f irm th a t i t i s in a c ondi t ion sa f e f or fli g ht.

The pr e

- fli g ht i nsp e c t i on will acc ount for a ll disc re p a n c ies, e .g. inop e r a ble c omponents, items, or e quip m e nt,

not a lr e a d y c ov e r e d in t he r e le v a nt s e c t i ons of the op e r a t i n g d o c uments. The P I C s h a ll not op e r a te the U A S

if the i n spe c t i on r e v e a ls a c ondi t i on that a f f e c ts t he sa f

e op e r a t i on of the U AS un t il the n ece ssa r y

m a in t e n a n c e h a s b e e n p e r f o r med a nd the U A S is found to be in a c ondi t ion for sa f e f l i g ht. The g r ound

c ontrol s t a t i o n shall be includ e d in t he preflight ins p ec t i on. All m a in t e n a n c e a nd a l t e r n a t i ons must be

p r op e r l y do c umen t e d in t he U A S r e c o r ds a s r e qui r e d b y Skies’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.

19. Skies will c a r

r y out i ts m a in t e n a n ce , insp e c t i ons, a nd r e c o rd ke e ping r e quir e ments in a cc o r d a n c e

with t he Op e r a t i ons Ma n u a ls. M a in t e n a n ce , inspe c t i on, a nd a l t e r a t i ons will be not e d in t he U A S rec o r ds,

in c lud i n g to t a l t i m e in se r vic e , d e s c ription of wo r k a c c omp l ished, a nd the si g n a tu r e of the a uthori z e d p e rson

re turni n g the U A S to se r vic e

.

20. A n y U A S that h a s un d e r g one m a in t e n a n c e or a l t e r a t i ons that a f f ec t t h e U A S op e r a t i on or fl i g ht

c h a r a c te r is t ics ( e .g

., r e p l ace m e n t of a fli g ht c ritic a l c om p on e nt) must und e r g o a fun c t i o n a l test fli g ht in

a cc o r d a n c e with Skies O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

. The P I C who c ondu c ts the fun c t i on a l test fli g ht must make a n

e nt r y i n th e U A S a ir c raft r e c o rds of the fli g ht. The r e qui r e men t s a n d p r o ce du r e s f o r a f u n c tion a l test fli g ht a nd

U A S r e c o r d e nt r y shall be includ e d in the Skies’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.

21. The U A S will be op e r a t e d a nd maintain e d a cc o r d i ng to t he Ma n u f a c tu r e r ' s

Man ua ls and a n y r e quir e d manu fac tu r e r Sa f e t y / Se rvi c e B ul l e t i ns.

22. P rior to t he op e r a t i on, a Miss i on P ac k e t wi l l be c r ea ted in a cc o r d a n c e with t he r e quir e ments on

Skies’ Op e r a t i ons Manu a ls.

23. Skies will obtain a n A i r T r a f fic O r gani z a t i on ("AT O ") issu e d Ce r t i fi c a te of W a iver or

A uthori z a t i on, othe r wise known a s a CO A , prior to condu c t i n g a n y op e r a t i ons und e r this G ra nt of

E x e mp t ion. A N OT A M will be issued a s r e quir e d b y the CO A

. All ope ra t i ons will be c ondu c ted in

acc o r d a n c e with a irsp a c e r e quir e ments in the A T O is s u e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a ce

, a l t i t ude l e v e l a nd

potential tr a nspond e r re quir e ments.

24. All r e quir e d p e rmissions and p e rmits will be obtain e d f r om t e r ritori a l, s t a t e

, c oun t y or c i t y

j u risdictions, including loc a l la w e n f o rce m e nt, fire or ot h e r a ppro p ri a te g o v e rnm e nt a l ag e n c ies.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 10

25. I f the U AS l oses c om m u nic a t i on with t he pi l ot, i t will h a ve the ca p a bi l i t y t o r e turn to a p r e

d e t e rmin e d loc a t i on with i n the op e r a t i on a l a r e a a nd land s a f e l y

.

26. Cont i n g e n c y plans w i l l b e in p l a c e to s a f e l y te r m i n a te f

l i g ht i f t h e re is a lo s s of c om m unic a t i on

b e tw ee n the P I

C a nd the Obs e r v e r

.

27. The U A S will h a ve the c a p a bi l i t y to sa f e l y a bort f

l i g ht i n the ca se o f un p redict e d obst ac les or

e m e r g e n c ie s

.

28. P I

Cs and Obs e rv e rs will h a ve a t le a st a c u r r e nt Class I I I Me d i ca l C e rtifi c a te.

29. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for f i l m i n g , the P I C will h a ve a c c umu l a ted a nd log g e d, in a m a nn e r

c on s is t e nt wi t h 14 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um of 200 f l i g ht c y c les a nd 25 ho u rs total t i me a s a U AS

rotor c r a ft pi l ot and a t l ea s t 10 hou r s log g e d a s a U AS p i lot with a simi l a r U AS t y p e

.

30. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for f i l m i n g , the P I C will h a ve a c c umu l a ted a nd log g e d, in a m a nn e r

c on s is t e nt wi t h 14 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um of 5 4 C F R § 61.51 ( b ) , a m i ni m um o f 10 logged hours a s U A S

pi l ot ope r a t i ng the m a ke a nd model of U A S to be uti l i z e d for op e r a t i ons und e r the e x e mp t ion and th irty tak e

o f fs a nd thirty landi n g in t he p r ec e ding 90 d a y s.

31. Op e r a t i ons shall oc c u r d u r ing d a y t i me V F R Met e o r olo g i c a l C ondi t ions; f l i g hts und e r S p ec i a l

V i sual F l i g h t R ul e s ( " S V F R") sh a ll n o t be c ondu c ted.

32. The UA shall r e main c l e a r a nd y ield the ri g ht of w a y to all o t h e r m a nn e d op e r a t i ons a nd a c t i vi t ies

a t all t i m e s (in c lu d in g

, b ut not l i m i ted to, u l t r a l i ght v e hicl e s, pa r ac hute ac t i vi t ies, p a r a s a i l i n g ac t i vi t ie s , h a ng

g l i d e rs, e tc. )

.

33. U A S Op e r a t i ons und e r Instr u ment F l i g ht R ules, a t n i g ht, or b e y ond V L OS a re p r ohib i ted.

34. The U A s will not be op e r a ted f rom a n e lev a ted pl a tfo r m or mov i ng d e v i ce / v e hicl e

.

35. B e f

o re c ond u c t i ng o p e r a t i ons, the ra dio f re q u e n c y spe c trum used f o r op e r a t i on a nd c ontrol of the

U A w i ll c omp l y with t he F e d e r a l C om m unic a t i ons C o m m i ss i on ( F CC) or other a ppro p r i a te g o v e rnm e nt

ov e rsi g ht a g e n c y r e quir e m e nts.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 11

V. R E G ULATI O NS F R O M W H ICH E X EM P T I O N IS R E Q UES TE D

The Fe d e r a l Aviation A c t e x p re ss l y g r a nts t he F A A the a uthori t y to i ssue e x e mp t ions. This statuto r y

a uthori t y

, b y i t s te r ms, i n c ludes e x e mp t ing c iv i l air c r a ft, a s t he te r m i s de f ined und e r § 40101 of the A c t

, including U A S s, f

r om i t s sa fe t y r e g u l a t i ons a nd m i ni m um s t a nd a rds wh e n the A dm i nis t r a tor d ec ides a

r e qu e sted e x e mp t ion i s in t he publ i c in t e r e st

. 3

Skies s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om sev e r a l i nte r r e la t e d pr o vis i ons of T i t le 14 of the Code of Fe d e r a l

Re g ula t ions ( "14 C

. F .R " ) Pa r ts 21, 45, 61 a nd 91 f or pur p o s e s o f c ondu c t i n g the r e qu e sted o p e r a t i ons us i ng a

U A S

. L is t e d b e low a r e : ( 1) the s p ec ific s ec t i o ns of 14 C. F .R f or whi c h e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht, and ( 2) the

op e r a t i n g p r o ce du r e s and s a fe g u a r d s that P e t i t i o n e r h a s e stablished whi c h will e n sure a le v e l of s a f e t y b e t t e r

th a n or e qu a l t o the r u l e s f r om which e x e mp t ion i s sou g ht

. 4

A. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 21, Subp a r t H

– Ai r w o r thi n e ss C er ti f ica te s a n d 14 C

. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a ) (1)

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d f r om t his s ec t i on if a f

ind i ng is m a de und e r the

R e f o rm Ac t t h a t t he U A S sel ec ted p r ov i d e s an e quival e nt l e v e l of sa fe t y wh e n c ompa re d to a i r c r a ft no r mal l y

used f o r the same a ppl i ca t i on. Th e se c rite r i a a re m e t, and the re fo r e no e x e mp t ion i s ne e d e d

. 5 I f, ho we v e r,

t h e F AA d e te r m i n e s that t h e re a re some c h a ra c te r is t ics of the c h o s e n U A S that fa il to m ee t the re quir e m e nts

of the R e fo r m A c t, an e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Skies’ use o f the D J I S 1000+ i s s af e w h e n taki n g in t o acc ount their si z e , w e i g ht, sp ee d, a nd

op e r a t i on a l c a p a bi l i t y

. A s set f o r th i n the d e s c ript i on of pro p osed op e r a t i ons in S ec t i on I V ( A), the D J I

S 1000+ w e i g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pou n ds, in c lud i ng p a y load a n d will not be f lown a t a g r ound sp ee d in e x ce ss of

50 knots. UAS i s a lso e quipped w i t h s a f e t y fe a tur e s that will allow P e t i t i on e r to op e r a te the U A S sa f e l y a ft e r

e x p e ri e n c e c e rt a in i n

- fli g ht conti n g e n c ies or f a i l u re s

. 6 7

3 49 U.S. C . § 44701 ( f) (a

u thori z ing the g ra nt of e x e mp t ions f r om r e quir e me n ts of r e g ulations p re s c rib e d

p u rsu a nt t o Se c t i ons 44701( a ) a nd (b) a nd S ec t i ons 44702

- 44716 )

.

4 14 C. F .R § 11.81 (e ), w h ich re quir e s a p e t i t i on f o r e x e mp t ion t o inclu d e:

The r e a sons w h y gr a nt i n g the e x e mp t ion would not a dv e rs e l y a f f e c t s a f e t y

, or how the e x e mp t ion would

p r ovide a lev e l o f s a f

e t y a t l e a st e qu a l to that p r ovided b y t h e rule f rom w hich y ou s ee k e x e mp t ion.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 12

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM

Op e r a t i ons c ond u c ted u n d e r this e x e m pt i on will b e c lose l y c ontroll e d a nd mon i tor e d b y the op e r a tor

a nd will be c ondu c ted in c omp l ian c e with l o ca l pub l ic s a f e t y r e quir e ments, to p r ovide s ec u r i t y f o r the a r e a of

o p e r a t i on. Skies will a lso provide the F A A w i t h a dv a n c e not i c e of a ll op e r a t i o n s via N O TAMs a s r e quir e d

b y the a ppl i ca ble CO A

. In a ll ca s e s, op e r a t i on of the D J I S 1000+ und e r the pro p osed c ondi t ions will be a t

l ea st as s a f

e a s, or s a f

e r th a n, c onv e nt i on a l r otor c r a ft o p e r a t i n g with a n a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi ca t e

.

L a st l y , the U ASs do not ne e d a m e a ns to c om m unic a te w i t h other a i r c r a ft o r A TC, b eca use tho s e

ca p a bi l i t ies w i l l be poss e ssed b y t h e P I C a nd Obs e r v e r, w ho a re not onbo a rd the U A S

. 8 I n a ddi t ion, no

s e ns e

- a nd

- a void t ec hnol o g y is ne ce ssa r y for the U ASs b eca use t h e y will be op e r a t e d a t all t i m e s in V F R

c ondi t ions and w i th i n V L OS of the P I C a n d Op e r a tor

. 9

5 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e r i a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g s. 1 3

- 14, 2 2 ).

6 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to L o w Count r y RC, Corp. (F A A

- 2014

- 0803 a t p g . 3): " The [ D J I

S 1000] h a s the ca p a bi l i t y to op e r a te s a f e l y a f t e r e x p e ri e n c i n g ce r tain i n

- fli g ht c ont i n g e n c ies o r f a i l u re s a nd

uses a n a ut o

- pi l ot s y stem to mainta i n U A S stabili t y a nd c ontrol. The U A S is a lso a ble to r e spond to a loss of

g lobal pos i t i oning s y stem ( G PS ) or a los t

- l i nk e v e nt with a p r e

- c oo r dinat e d, p re dict a ble, a u t omat e d fli g ht

man e u v e r, a nd m a nu a l fli g ht c ontrol fun c t i on a l i t y a s a b a c kup. Th e s e s a f e t y f e a tu r e s p r ovide a n e q u ival e nt

lev e l of s a f

e t y c ompa re d to a mann e d a ir c r a ft p e r f o r m i n g a si m i l a r oper a t i on."

7 S e e e .g

., G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11184 to VD O S Glob a l, LL C. ( F A A

- 2 0 1 4

- 0382 a t p g s. 4

- 5 ) : T he S1000’s

op e r a tor c a n cr ea te no f

l y z on e s or ma x i m um fli g ht r a n g e s a nd a l t i t ud e s so the s y stem c a nnot e n t e r a r ea s

.

Addit i on a l l y , the U ASs c a rr y n e i t h e r pilots nor p a sseng e rs, c a rr y no e x plo s ive m a te r ials or fl a m m a ble liqu i d

fu e ls, a nd op e r a te e x c lus i v e l y w i t hin t he p a r a met e rs st a t e d in Skies’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls.

B

. 14 C. F

. R. P a r t 27 Ai r w o r thi n e ss S tan d a r d s: N o r m al Ca te g o r y Ro t o r c r a f t

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. P a rt 27 s e ts fo r th t he pro c e d u r a l r e quir e ments for a i r wo r th i n e ss ce rtifi c a t i on of norm a l

c a te g o r y roto r c r a ft. To the e x tent that Skies’ sm a ll U A S s would othe r wise r e q uire c e rtifi c a t i on und e r Pa r t

27, P e t i t i on e r s ee ks an e x e mp t ion f r om P a rt 2 7 ' s

{ c ont i nu e d from pre v ious pag e }

The p e t i t i on e r stat e s fu r ther t h a t the U A S h a s bui lt

- in in t e l l i g e nt f a ult h a ndl i ng whi c h a l l ows the Dji S 1 000 to

d e te c t a s y stem f

a ult while in t h e a i r a n d a uto m a t i ca l l y f l y b ac k to i t s tak e o f

f lo c a t i on a nd land. Fa ul t s that

ca n be d e t e c t e d includ e : lo s s of c om m u nic a t i on; e x cee ding p re

- s e t wind thr e sholds; and low b a t ter y le v e ls.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 13

All fli g ht op e r a t i ons a re g lobal posit i oning s y st e m ( G PS ) c ontroll e d, m a king the s y stem ea s y to n a v i g a te. At

a n y point if t h e op e r a t or is not e x pl i c i t l y c om m a nding the s y stem t o move, the s y stem a uto m a t i ca l l y holds i t s

G P S posi t ion. The fli g ht c ontrol s y s t e m e mp l o y s n ot on l y GPS posit i oning but a v a ri e t y of s e nsors i n c lud i ng

sona r

, b a rom e tr i c p re ssu r e

, temp e r a tu r e

, wind speed a nd othe r s to e nsure stabi li ty s o long a s wind thr e s h olds

a re not e x cee d e d. Also a fli g ht t e rmin a t i on l i nk

– to p re v e nt a ' f l y a w a y ' or other po t e nt i a l l y d a n g e rous

situ a t i on

– is av a i l a ble to the op e r a tor

. "

8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g . 13).

9 Id. a irwo r th i n e ss s t a nd a rds f or the s a me r ea sons i d e n t ified in t he re qu e st f o r e x e mp t ion f

r om 14

C. F .R. P a rt 21, Subp a rt H, supra

.

C. 14 C. F

. R. §§ 91.9 ( c ), 45

. 23(b) and 45.27 ( a ) : A ir c r a f t M a r k i n g a n d I d e n ti f

ica t ion R e q u ir eme n ts

Skies s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he a ir c r a ft m a r k ing a nd identifi c a t i on r e q uir e ments c ontain e d in 14

C. F .R. § § 91.9 (c ), 45

. 23( b ) a nd 4 5.27 (a ).

● 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 (c ), Civ i l Air c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l, Ma r king a nd P la c a rd re q uir e ments, p r ovides th a t:

No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - re g is t e r e d c iv i l aircr a ft unless that a ir c r a ft is identifi e d in a cc o r d a n c e

with Pa rt 45 of th i s ch a

pte r

.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.23 ( b ) , M a rkin g s of t h e Aircr a ft, st a tes:

W h e n ma r ks include only the Roman c a pi t a l lett e r " N " a nd the re g is tr a t i on number is d i spl a y e d on l i m i ted,

re strict e d or li g h t

- sport ca t e g o r y a i r c raft or e x p e rime n tal or p r ovis i o n a l l y c e rtifi ca ted a i r c raf t

, the op e r a tor

must a lso disp la y o n that a ir c raft n ea r e a c h e ntr a n c e to the ca bin, c o c kpi t

, or pi l ot station, in lette r s not

less than 2 inch e s nor mo r e than 6 inch e s h i g h, the wo r ds " l i m i ted," " r e stric t e d," " l i g h t

- sp o rt, " e x p e r i ment a l,"

or " p rovisional," a s ap p l i ca ble.

● 14 C. F .R. § 45.27 (a ), Ro t o rc raft, stat e s:

E ac h o p e r a tor of a rot o rcr a ft must disp l a y on that r otor c raft hori z ontal l y on both sur f a ce s o f the c a bin,

fus e l a g e

, boom, o r ta i l the ma r ks r e quir e d b y § 45.23.

I n a pr e v i ous G r a nt of E x e mp t ion, t he F AA d e t e r m i n e d that e x e mp t ion f r om t h e se r e quir e ments w a s

w a r ra n ted p r ovided th a t t he a i r c r a ft " h a ve i d e nt i fi ca t i on ( N

- Numb e r ) m a rki n g s in a cc o r d a n c e with 14 C

. F .R

P a rt 45, Subp a rt C i f the ma r kin g s a re a s la r ge a s pr ac t ic a ble

. " 10U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 14

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

All UA f lown b y Skies will b ea r N

- numb e r m a r kin g s that a r e a s l a r g e a s p rac t i ca b l e in acc o r d a n c e

with 14 C

. F

. R. P a rt 45, Subp a rt C

. 11

1 0 F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352.

C. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.405 ( a )

, 9 1.407 ( a ) (1 ) , 91.40 9 (a ) (1) a n d ( 2 ) ; 91. 4 17(a) a n d ( b ): M ai n t e n a n c e

I n s p ec tions

Skies s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om t he mainten a n c e inspe c t i on r e quir e ments c ontain e d in 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ),

9 1.407 (a ) ( 1 ), 91

. 409(a) ( 2 ) ; 91.417( a ) a nd (b ) . Th e s e r e g ulations spe c i f y mainten a n c e a nd insp ec t i on

st a nd a rds in r e f

e r e n c e to 14 C

. F .R. P a rt 43. S ee

, e .g., 14 C. F .R. § 91.405 (a ) ( stati n g that ea c h own e r o r

op e r a tor of a n a ir c r a ft " sh a ll h a ve t h e a ir c r a ft insp e c ted a s p re s c rib e d in sub p a rt E o f this pa r t and sh a ll

b e t w ee n r e qu i r e d insp ec t i ons ...h a ve disc r e p a n c i e s r e p a i r e d a s p r e s c rib e d in p a rt 43 of th i s ch a pt e r" )

. An

e x e mp t ion f

r om t h e se r e g ulations is n ee d e d b eca u s e P a rt 43 a nd these se c t i ons on l y a p p l y to ai r c r a ft with an

a i r wo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te, whi c h the U AS t o be op e r a ted und e r this g r a nt of e x e mp t ion wi l l not h a v e

.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hie v e d b ec a use m a in t e n a n c e a nd in s p ec t i ons will be p e r f o rm e d

in a c c o r d a n c e with t he Man u f ac tu r e r ' s Manu a l a nd a n y r e q u ir e d manu f a c tur e r S a f

e t y o r Se r vi c e B ul l e t i ns.

F u r the r

, a s r e qui r e d b y Skies’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua l s, the P I C will c ondu c t a p r e

- fl i g ht i nspe c t i on of the U AS

and a ll a ssoci a ted e quip m e nt t o acc ount f o r a ll disc re p a n c ies a nd/or ino p e r a ble c omponents. Ma i nten a n c e

will be p e r f

o rm e d a nd v e r i fi e d to a ddr e ss a n y c ondi t ions po t e nt i a l l y a f f e c t i n g s a fe o p e r a t i on of the U AS and

no fli g hts will o cc ur unless, a nd unt il

, a ll f l i g h t c r i t ic a l compon e nts of t he U A S h a ve b ee n fo u nd to be

a irwo r t h y a nd in a c ondi t ion sa f e f o r o p e r a t i on. A f

u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l be c ondu c t e d f ol l owing the

r e pla c e ment of a n y fli g h t

- c ritic a l compon e nts. As r e quir e d b y Skies’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s, the P I C who

c ond u c ts t he f

u n c t i on a l t e st fl i g ht wi l l m a ke a n e nt r y in t he U A S a ir c r a ft r e c o r ds of the fli g ht.

Skies’ O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l also in c ludes re qu i r e ments to follow the m a n u fac tu r e r ’ s U A S

a ir c r a ft/compon e nt, mainten a n ce , o v e rh a ul, r e pla ce m e nt, i nspe c t i on, a nd l i fe l i m i t r e quir e ments f o r the

f ol l owing a ppl ic a ble c omp o n e nts: pow e rt ra in s y stem ( pow e rpl a nt), p r op e l l e rs, a vion i c s a nd c ontrol sur fa c e s

(in c lud i n g a i le rons/ e levons ) , str u c tur e s & a ir f r a me, ca me r a s y s t e m, el ec tr i ca l s y stems (in c lud i n g b a t te ri e s),

g round c on t rol station, ha z a rd ac c e ssori e s, and s p a re p a rts. F u r the r

, Skies’ O p e r a t i ons Manu a l s a lso i n c ludes

p r o c e dur e s to do c ument a nd maintain a rec o r d o f the U A S main t e n a n c e , pr e v e ntative m a i nten a n ce

,

a l t e r a t i ons, status of re pla c e ment /o v e rh a ul compon e nt p a rts, a nd the total t i me in s e rv i c e of the U ASs us e d

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. As a whol e , the m a in t e n a n c e a nd insp ec t i o n pr oce du r e s r e qu i r e d in Skies’

Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s e nsure t h a t an e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d.

{ c ont i nu e d from pre v ious pag e } 1 1 S ee

, e .g., F AA D o c k e t N o. F AA

- 201 4

- 0352, a t 1 4

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 15

P I L O T

- I N

- C O MM AND O F T H E UAS

E

. 14 C. F

. R. § 61.113: P r i vate P i l ot P r iv i leg e s a n d Li m ita t io n s

Skies s e e ks e x e mp t ion f

r om 14 C F R § 61.113, w h ich re stricts priv a t e pi l ot c e rtifi ca te holde r s f r om

f l y i n g a i r c r a ft f

or c om p e nsation or h ir e

, a nd would a lso r e quire a s e c ond c lass medi ca l c e rtifi ca te. T h e

purp o se of P a rt 61 is t o e nsure that the skill and c ompet e n c y of a n y P I C mat c h e s the a irs p ac e in whi c h the

P I C will be o p e r a t i n g

, a s w e ll a s r e quir i ng c e rtifi c a t i ons if the p r ivate pi l ot i s c a r r y i n g p a sse n g e rs o r c ar g o for

hi re

. I n th i s c a s e

, while the U A S s will be op e r a ted a s pa r t of a c o m me rc ial op e r a t i on, it ca r r i e s neither

p a s s e n g e rs n o r ca r g o.

I n t h e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion t o Astr ae us A e ri a l 12 , the F AA d e t e r m ined th a t t he unique c h ar ac te r is t ics of

U AS op e r a t i on outside of c on t roll e d a irsp a c e did not w a r ra nt t he a ddi t ion cost a nd r e strictions a t t e nd a nt wi t h

r e quiri n g a the P I C to ha v e a Co m me rc ial P i l ot C e rtifi ca te a nd C l a ss II Me d i c a l C e rtifi ca te. T he ful f i l l m e nt

of the a ddi t ional re q u ir e ments for a p riv a te pi l ot t o b ec ome qu a l i fi e d a s a c om m e r c ial pi l ot would not le a d to

a n y a ddi t ional s a f

e t y b e n e fits wh e n U A S op e r a t i ons a r e invo l v e d.

Eq u ivale n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The re strictions Sk ies h a s pl ace d on i t s U A S o p e r a t i ons m ee t or e x cee d t he re strictions si m i l a r l y

i m posed on Astr ae us A e ri a l. Skies w i ll op e r a te on p r iva t e pro p e r t y a w a y f r om p e rsons a nd p r o p e r t y not

invo l v e d in t he op e r a t i o n

. Skies will a lso obta i n a n A T O issued COA prior to condu c t i n g a n y o p e r a t i ons

und e r this G ra nt of E x e mp t ion. All op e r a t i ons will be c ondu c ted in a cc o r d a n c e with ai r spa c e r e qui r e me n ts i n

the A TO issu e d COA in c lud i ng c l a ss of a irsp a c e

, a l t i t ude lev e l a n d pote n t i a l t r a nspond e r r e quir e ments. A

N O T A M will also be is s u e d a s r e quir e d b y the a ppl i ca b l e CO A

.

I n a ddi t ion t o these f

l i g ht re strictions, Skies will f u r ther e ns u re s a fe o p e rat i on b y r e quiri n g that a n y

P I C be thorou g h l y v e rs e d not o n l y in ai r sp a c e a nd c o m mun i ca t i on is s u e s p e rt a in i ng to a ll a ir c r a ft o p e r a tors

but also in the u nique a spe c ts of U A S f l i g ht. As set f

o rth in the O p e r a t i ons Man u a l s, pi l ots will h a ve

e x p e ri e n c e not on l y in U AS ope r a t i ons g e n e r a l l y but h a ve l o g g e d fl i g ht t i m e in t he spe c ific m a k e a nd model

us e d for the op e r a t ions b e fo r e th e y a re p e rmit t e d to pa r t i c ipate i n c om m e r c ial fl i g hts on b e h a lf of Skies

. T h e

p i l ot qualifi ca t i on, tr a in i n g

, a nd c u r r e n c y requir e ments in the O p e r a t i ons Manu a ls ensu r e t h a t Skies’ pilo t s

a r e c ompet e nt and p r o fi c ient in t he U A S th e y a re o p e r a t i n g

. Skies’ tr a in i n g a nd qu a l i fi ca t i on r e quir e ments

a re c onsistent with those c ontain e d in prior F AA Se c t i on 333 G ra nts of E x e mp t io n

, a nd will pro v ide a h i g h e r

lev e l of c ompet e n c y a nd pro f ici e n c y for i t s pilo t s and w i ll e nsure a t le a st an e quival e nt l e v e l of sa fe t y

.

1 2 E x e mp t ion No. 11062 ( F AA D o c k e t No. F AA

- 2 014

- 0352 )

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 16

O P E RAT I NG P ARA METE RS O F T H E UAS

F

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.7 ( a ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t A ir w o r thi n e ss

Although t

h e re will be no a irwo r th i n e ss c e rtifi c a te issued f or the U A S s, Skies s e e ks a n e x e mp t ion

f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.7 (a ), whi c h r e q uir e s that a c iv i l aircr a ft be in ai r wo r t h y c ondi t ion t o be op e r a ted. The

F A A h a s s t a ted th a t no e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d for 14 C. F .R. § 91.7 (a ) to the e x tent that the re quir e m e nts of

P a rt 21 a re w a ived or f

ound inapplic a ble

. 13 A cc o r di n g l y

, P e t i t i on e r r e qu e sts that the re qui r e m e nts for §

91.7 ( a ) be t r ea t e d in a cc o rd a n c e with S ec t i on V ( A )

, supra.

G

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.9 ( b ) ( 2 ) : Civil Ai rcr a f t F l i g h t Ma nu al i n t h e Ai rcr a f t and 14

C. F

. R. § 91.203 ( a) a n d (b ): Ca rr yi n g Civil Ai r c r a f t Cer ti f ic a tion a n d R e gist r a t ion

Tit l e 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2) a nd § 91.203 ( a ) a nd ( b) re quire t h e op e r a tor to ca rr y a irwo r th i n e ss

docum e nts a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s onbo a rd the a i r c raft. Pursu a nt t o 14 C. F .R. § 91.9 ( b ) (2 ) :

... (2) F o r w hich a n Airpl a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a nu a l i s r e quir e d b y § 21

. 5 of th i s ch a pte r , unless

the r e is av a i l a ble in the a ir c r a ft a c u rr e nt app r o v e d Ai rp l a ne or Rotor c r a ft F l i g ht M a n u a l, app r ov e d

man u a l ma te r ial, ma r ki n g s, a nd pl a c a rds, or a n y c omb i n a t i on the re o f

.

P u r suant to 14 C

. F .R. § 91.203 (a ) a nd (b ) :

(b) No p e rson m a y op e r a te a U.S

. - r e g is t e r e d c iv i l air c r a ft

–

( a ) E x ce pt a s p r ovided in § 91.715, no p e rson m a y op e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft u n less it h a s within i t t he

f ol l owin g :

(1) An a p p rop r iate a nd c u rr e nt ai r w o rthin e ss c e rtifi c a te...

(b) No p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l a ir c r a ft unl e ss the a irwo r th i n e ss ce r t ific a te r e quir e d b y p a rag ra ph

(a ) of th i s s ec t i on or a sp e c ial fli g ht a uth o ri z a t i on i ssued und e r § 91.715 is disp l a y e d a t t h e c a bin or

c o c kpit e ntr a n c e so that it is l e g ib l e to p a sse n g e rs o r c r e w.

Giv e n the small s iz e a nd c onfi g u r a t i on of the U ASs, it would be i m poss i ble to ke e p a irwo r th i n e ss docum e nts

a nd other a i r c raft m a nu a l s on bo a rd the U A S b e c a use th e re is s i m p l y no room a nd the U AS has n o ca bin or

c o c kpi t

.

1 3 S e e id. a t 13

- 14, 22U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 17

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of S a

f e ty

I n a n F AA O f

fi c e of Ch i e f Couns e l ' s Opinion d a ted A u g ust 8, 2014, a nd p r e p a r e d b y D ea n E.

G ri f fith, Atto r n e y

, A G C

- 220, it w a s a c k n owl e dg e d that the intent of 14 C. F .R. 91.9 ( b) a nd 91.203 (a ) a nd ( b )

is met if the pi l ot of the u nmann e d a ir c r a ft h a s ac c e ss t o the U AS fli g ht manu a l, r e g is t r a t i on c e rtifi ca te, a nd

ot h e r r e quir e d do c uments f r om t he g r o und c ontrol s t a t i on f r om which he o r she is o p e r a t i n g the a i r c raft

. 1 4

As th i s F AA O f

f i c e of Chief Couns e l Opin i on c la r ifies, the in t e nt of the r ule is to e nsure the pilot h a s a c c e ss

t o these k e y d o c uments during fli g ht. Th e r e fo r e

, a n e q u ival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hie v e d b y e nsuri n g

that the pilot h a s ac c e ss t o the do c uments a t t he gro u nd c ontrol s t a t ion f r om which he or s h e is p i lo t ing the

U AS.

H. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.103: P ref l i g h t Ac tion

Skies s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.103, whi c h r e qui r e s a P I C to be c ome f a m i l i a r w i t h

sp ec ific in f

o r mation be f

o r e e a c h fl i ght, i n c lud i ng info r mation c ontain e d in t he F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht Manu a l

on board the a ir c raft. W hi l e the P I C will be fa m i l i a r w i t h a ll info r mation ne ce s s a r y to s a f e l y c ond u c t t he

f l i g ht, a n e x e mp t ion i s r e qu e sted to the e x tent that a n F A A

- a ppro ve d F l i g ht Manu a l i s r e quir e d.

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

An e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y w i ll be pro v ided b y f

ol l owing the Skies ’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd the

Man u fa c tur e r ' s Man u a l . The P IC will p e r f o r m a s e r i e s of c h ec kl i sts d e s i g n e d to identi f y a n y d e f ec ts or

i n op e r a ble c omponents in acc o r d a n c e with t he Skies’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, including c h e c kl i sts c ov e ring P r e

F l i g h t

, L a u n c h, L a ndi n g

, a nd P os t

- F l i g ht pr o ce du r e s. The P I C will a lso be r e q uir e d to r e view w ea t h e r, fli g ht

r e qui r e ments, b a t ter y c h a r g e , landi n g a nd tak e o f f distan c e , UA p e r f

o r man c e d a ta, a nd c ont i n g e n c y landi n g

a r ea s

— b e f o r e i n i t iation of fli g ht. Skies’ Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls a nd the M a nuf a c tu r e r ' s Man u a l will be k e pt at

the g round c ontrol s t a t i on a nd will be a c ce ss i ble to the P I C a t a ll t i mes w hi l e op e r a t i ng the U AS.

1 4 Memo ra ndum f

r om M ar k B u r y

, F AA Assistant C hief Couns e l for I nt e rn a t i on a l L a w, L e g is l a t i on a nd

R e g u l a t i o n, to J ohn Dun ca n, F A A F l i g ht S tand a rds Se r v i c e ( A u g . 8, 201 4 ); s e e also Do c k e t No. F A A

- 2 0 1 4

-

0352 a t 16

- 18.

Skies s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ), w hich p rovid e s in p e rtine n t pa r t that " [ n ] o

p e rson m a y o p e r a te a c iv i l aircr a ft ( e x c e pt a m a nn e d f r e e b a l l oon) that is b e ing used for f l i g ht i nstru c t i on

unl e ss t h a t air c raft h a s ful l y f un c t i oning du a l cont r ols

. " U A S s and r e mo t e l y pi l oted a ir c raft, b y t h e ir d e si g n,

do not ha v e f

un c t ional du a l cont r ols. I nst e a d, fli g ht con t rol is acc omp l ished thro u g h t h e use o f a d e vice

t h a t c o m m unic a tes w i t h the a ir c r a ft via r a dio c om m unic a t i ons. A cc o r din g l y

, a n e x e mp t ion wi l l be r e quir e d

for the f l i g h t i nstru c t i on r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.109 (a ).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 18

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Giv e n the si z e a nd sp ee d of the U A S s that Skies in t e nds to us e

, a n e quiv a lent lev e l of s a fe tr a in i n g

c a n sti l l be p e r f

o r med without du a l c ontrols be ca u s e no pi l ot or p a sse n g e rs a r e a bo a rd the U AS, and a s

r e quir e d b y the Skies’ Op e r a t i ons Man u a l s, a ll p e rsons w i l l be a s a fe dis t a n c e a w a y in t he e v e nt t h a t t he U A S

e x p e ri e n ce s a n y dif

f i c ul t ies du r ing f

l i g ht i nstru c t i on. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y the Skies’ O p e r a t i ons

Man ua ls, a ll f

l i g ht tr a in i ng will be c ond u c ted in cont r ol l e d a nd st e rile environme n t. As a whol e

, the s a f e t y

pr o ce du r e s p r ovided f

or in Skies’ O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s e nsure that the p r o posed U A S op e r a t i ons p r ovide a n

e quival e nt or hi g h e r l e v e l of s a f e t y th a n that p r ovided b y t h e f l i g ht i nstru c t i on re g ulatio n s.

J. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.119(c): M i n i m u m S a f e Alti t ud e s

Skies r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om t he m i ni m u m sa f

e a l t i t ude re qu i r e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. § 91.119( c )

. 1 5

S ec t i on 91.119 p re s c rib e s t h e m i ni m um sa f e a l t i t ud e s und e r whi c h a ir c r a ft m a y not ope ra te, in c lud i n g 5 0 0

f e e t abo v e the su r f

a c e a nd a w a y f

rom a n y p e rson, v e ssel, v e hicl e , or stru c ture in non

- c o n g e st e d a r e a s. S e e 14

C

. F .R. § 91.119 (c ). S ec t i on 91.1 1 9 ( d) a l l ows f or a h e l i c opter to op e r a te a t le ss t h a n those m i ni m um a l t i tudes

w h e n it ca n be o p e r a ted " without h a z a rd to p e rsons or pro p e r t y on t h e sur f ace

, " p ro v ided th a t " e ac h p e rson

o p e r a t i n g the h e l i c opt e r c omp l ies w i t h a n y rout e s or a l t i t ud e s spe c ifi c a l l y p re s c rib e d for h e l i c op t e rs b y the

F A A

. "

An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d b eca use t h e pro p osed U AS ope ra t i ons will norm a l l y n e e d to o cc ur b e low

4 00 fe e t A G L

. I n c ir c ums t a n ce s wh e re the U AS i s used to insp ec t a stru c tu r e whose h e i g ht e x c e e ds 400 f e e t

A G L , the U AS wi l l not be op e r a t e d more t h a n 100 fee t abo v e the h i g h e st point on the stru c tur e

, a n d with i n

50 fee t hori z ontal l y of the str u c tur e

. A d di t ional l y , d u e the n a ture of the p ropos e d o p e r a t i ons, the P i l ot and/or

Obs e rvers ( s) m a y n ee d t o be less than 500 f e e t a w a y f

rom the U AS.

1 5 R e l i e f f rom § 91.119 ( a ) will not be n ece ssa r y b e c a use Petitioner will be a b le to p e r f o r m an e me r g e n c y

landi n g without undue h a z a rd to p e rs o ns or p r op e r t y on the g r o und in t he e v e nt of a f a i l u re

. P e t i t i on e r ' s

pro p osed U A S op e r a t i ons wi l l not o cc ur ov e r c o n g e st e d a r e a s, a nd the r e fo r e a n e x e mp t ion f r om § 91.119(b)

will not be n e c e ssa r y

. S e e e .g ., G r a nt of Ex e mp t ion No. 11157 to S lu g w e a r, I n c ., d b a L i k e on a tr e e A e ri a l

(FA A

- 2 014

- 0534 a t 15)

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

Compa re d to fli g ht op e rat i ons with roto rc r a ft w e i ghing f a r mo r e than t h e ma x i m um w e i g hts propo s e d

h e r e in, a nd g i v e n the l ac k o f f l a m m a ble f

u e l wi t h the U A S s, a n y r isk a ssoci a ted w i t h these o p e r a t i ons is f a r

l e ss t h a n t h ose th a t pr e s e nt l y e x ist with conv e nt i on a l a ir c r a ft. A n e quiva l e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac h iev e d

g iven the si z e , w e i g ht, and s p ee d of the U A S s, a s w e ll the c ontr o l l e d loc a t i on wh e re t h e o p e r a t i ons will

oc c u r

.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 19

I n o r d e r to a void a n y risk to m a nn e d a ir c r a ft, f l i g ht op e r a t i ons will be re stri c ted to 400 fee t A G L o r b e lo w

,

or w h e n inspe c t i ng a str u c ture w h ose he i g ht e x cee ds 400 f ee t A G L , with i n 100 f

e e t a bove the h i g h e st point

on that stru c ture a n d 50 fee t hori z ontal l y of t he stru c tur e

.

As s e t fo r th i n the Op e r a t ions Man ua ls, the U ASs will be op e r a ted in a r e st r ict e d a re a

, a nd a ll f l i g hts

will be op e r a ted a t a l a te ra l d i sta n c e of a t l ea st 500 f e e t f r om a n y non p a rticip a t i n g p e rsons, unl e ss t h a t

pe r s o n is i n a posit i on wh e re he or she is s hield e d f rom the U AS and a n y poss i ble d e b r is r e sul t ing f r om

UAS f a i l u re

. As r e quir e d b y t h e Op e r a t i ons Man ua ls, f l i g hts will be te r m i n a ted if a nonp a r t i c ipating p e rson

with i n 500 fee t of the U A S le a v e s a shi e lded position. F u r the r

, U A S op e r a t i ons will oc c ur a t l ea st 500 fe e t

a w a y f rom v e hicl e s o r stru c tur e s unl e ss t he p r op e r t y own e r/ c ontroll e r h a s g r a nted p e rmission and the P I C

h a s made a s a f

e t y a ssess m e nt of the r isk of op e r a t i ng c loser to t hose obje c ts and, o p e r a t i ons n e a r the P I C o r

Obs e rver w i l l not p re s e nt an und u e h a z a rd p e r § 9 1 .119 ( a ). Adh e ren c e to these r e strictions in Skies’

O p e r a t i ons

Man ua ls will e nsure op er a t i ons ca n be c ond u c ted without c ompromising s a f e t y

. 16

K

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.121: Al t i m e ter S e t t i n gs

Skies s e e ks an e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.121, whi c h r e qui r e s a pe r s on op e r a t i n g a n a ir c r a ft to

m a in t a in c r uis i ng a l t i t ude or f l i g ht le v e l b y r e f

e r e n c e to an a l t i m e ter that is set to the e lev a t i on of the

d e p a r ture a irpo r t or b a rom e tr i c pr e ssur e An e x e mp t ion i s r e quir e d to t he e x tent that the U ASs do not have a

b a rom e tr i c a l t i m e te r , but r a th e r a GPS a l t i t ude rea d out.

1 6 S e e e .g.

, G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11138 to Dougl a s Tr u d ea u ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0481 a t 19 ) :

" I f b a rr i e rs or stru c tur e s a re p re s e nt that ca n suf f i c ient l y p r ot e c t nonp a rtic i p a t i ng p e rsons f r om the UA or

d e b r is in the e v e nt o f a n a c c ident, then the UA m a y op e r a te c loser than 500 f e e t to p e rsons a f

fo r d e d s u c h

p r o te c t i on. The op e r a tor m u st a lso e nsure t h a t nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons r e main un d e r such p rot ec t i on. I f a

s i tuation a ris e s w h e re nonp a rtici p a t i ng p e rsons le a v e such p rot e c t i on a nd a r e with i n 5 00 f e e t of the U A

,

fli g ht o p e r a t i ons must cea s e i m medi a te l y

. W h e n c onsid e ri n g how to i m medi a te l y c e a se op e r a t i ons, the

p rima r y c on ce rn is the s a f e t y o f those nonp a rticip a t i ng p e rson s

. I n a ddi t ion, the F AA finds that op e r a t i ons

m a y b e c ondu c ted c los e r than 500 f e e t to v e ssels, v e hicl e s a nd stru c tur e s w h e n the own e r/ c ontroll e r o f a n y

s u c h v e ssels, v e hicl e s or stru c tur e s g r a nts p e rmi ssio n f o r th e op e r a t i on a nd the P I C mak e s a s a f

e t y

a ssessment of the risk of op e r a t i ng c loser to those obj ec ts and d e t e rmin e s that it does not pr e s e nt an undue

h a z a rd .”

Eq u ival e n t Le v e l of Sa

f e ty

The F A A h a s s t a ted th a t a n e quival e nt l e v e l o f s a f e t y to t he r e quir e m e nts of 14 C. F .R. §

91.121 ca n be ac hie v e d in ci rc ums t a n c e s wh e r e : ( 1) the U ASs will be op e r a ted b e low 400 f ee t A G L orU.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 20

b e lo w 17

, ( 2) with i n V L OS, (3) wh e re GPS b a s e d a l t i t ude info r mati o n is r e l a y e d in r e a l t i me to the op e r a tor

a t a g roun d

- b a s e d o n

- s c r ee n disp la y a nd, (4) w h e re p r ior to eac h fl i g ht, a z e ro a l t i t ude in i t i a t i on p o int is

establish e d for the P I C to co n fi r m a cc u r a c y of the onbo a rd G PS

. 18

The U A S s that Skies i ntends to use f or the p r o p osed op e r a t i ons will m e e t all t h e se op e r a t i on a l

c h a ra c te r is t i c s. Mor e ov e r, a s r e qui r e d b y Skies’ O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls, t he P I C will be re qui r e d to c a l i b ra t e

the a ir c r a f

t ' s GPS c ompa s s prior to e ac h fli g ht op e r a t i on. L ike p rior F A A S ec t i on 333 G ra nts of

E x e mp t ion, t he U A S s Skies in t e nds to us e

, a nd the sa fe t y m i t i g a t i on p r o ce du r e s co n tain e d in t he

Op e r a t i ons Manu a l s

, both ensu r e that a n e quival e nt l e v e l of s a f e t y will be ac hiev e d, a nd a G r a nt of

E x e mp t ion t o the re quir e ments of § 191.1 2 1 is t h e r e fo r e a ppro p ri a te.

L

. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.151 ( a ) : F u e l R e qu ir e m e n ts f or F l i g h t in V F R Con d itio n s

Skies r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r om 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) ' s f u e l r e qui r e ments f

o r f l i g ht in V F R

c ondi t ions. S ec t i on 91.151 st a tes:

( a ) No p e rson m a y b e g i n a fl i g ht in a n a irpl a ne und e r V F R c ondi t ions unless ( c onsid e ri n g wind a nd

fo r eca st w ea t h e r c ondi t ions) the r e is e nou g h fu e l to fly to the fi r st po i nt of int e nd e d la n ding a nd,

a ssu m ing nor m a l c r uis i ng s p ee d

–

(1) Du r i n g the d a y , to fly a ft e r th a t f o r a t l ea st 30 m i nutes; or

(2) At ni g ht, t o f

l y a ft e r t h a t for a t le a st 45 m i nutes.

H e r e , the t ec hnol o g ic a l l i m i tations on U A S b a t t e ry po w e r m ea ns t h a t no m ea ni n g ful fli g ht ope r a t i ons

ca n be c ondu c ted w hi l e st i ll maintaining a 3 0

- m i nute b a t ter y r e s e rv e . An e x e mp t ion f r om t he f u e l

r e quir e ments of 14 C

. F .R. § 91.151 (a ) is the r e fo r e r e quir e d.

1 7 I f t h e h e i g ht o f the str u c t u r e b e i n g inspe c ted e x ce e ds 400 fe e t A G L

, the U A S will not be op e r a ted more

than 100 f

e e t a bove the hi g h e st po i nt on t he stru c tur e

.

1 8 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion No. 11062 to Astr a e us A e ri a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t 2 1 )

.

Equivalent Level of Safety

In the Grant of Exemption to VDOS (Exemption No. 11112), the FAA determined that an

equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a Dji S1000 flight unless (consider ing wind and forecast weather

conditions) there was enough power to fly to the first intended point of landing and, assuming normal

cruising speed, to fly after that for at least 10 minutes.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 21

In reaching this conclusion, the FAA considered that the UAS batteries for the Dji S1000 provided

provide approximately 2 0 minutes of powered flight (with payload) and provided battery level and battery

time remaining in minutes and seconds to the PIC. 19 The FAA also considered the fact that the Dji S1000

operating manual states: “start every flight with a fully charged battery in the aerial vehicle”, and that in the

event that the UAS should run low on power, the PIC will be alerted and can land the Dji S 1000 as soon as

possible. Like the VDOS Grant of Exemption, Skies use of the Dji S1000 , combined with the requirements

of Petitioner's Operations Manuals, ensure that an equivalent level of safety can be achieved.

Similarly, in the Grant of Exemption to Alan Purwin (Exemption No. 11161), the FAA determined

that an equivalent level of safety to the fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions could be achieved by

prohibiting the PIC from beginning a flight with the DJI S1000+ unless (considering wind and forecast

weather conditions), there was enough power to fly at normal cruising speed to the intended landing point

and land the UA with 25% battery power remaining. Skies will adhere to this limitation for DJI S1000+

flights.

The DJI S1000+ includes a l ow battery warning system and the amount of battery reserve power

remaining is transmitted to the PIC via telemetric data feed, which downlinks from the UAS to a ground

based

- on

- screen display. 20 As required by Skies’ Operations Manuals, the PIC will promptly fly the UAS

back to the home launch location or pre

- determined abort location where the UAS may safely land, while

still maintaining a minimum of 25 % reserve battery power. Skies submits that the procedures requir ing

flights to be safely terminated once the batteries fall below 25% capacity, combined with the requirement

that flights only be conducted within a secure, isolated area, using a UAS weighting less than 25 pounds,

and within VLOS of the PIC and Observer( s), ensure that the proposed operation will provide an equivalent

or higher level of safety to that provided by the regulations from which exemption is sought.

19 Grant of Exemption No. 11112 to VDOS Global, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0382 at 10).

20 The Dji S1000+ ground control station displays, the UASs position, navigation route, tail number,

altitude, heading, north seeking arrow, range to targets, calculated target position, date/time, and sensor

heading an d orientation relative to the UAS.

VI. DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAM

Skies will have policies in place to ensure that no person may participate in UAS flight operations if

they are under the influence of alcohol or any drug.

VII. PUBLIC INTEREST

The public interest will be served by granting Skies’ Petition for Exemption. Congress has

established a national policy that favors early integration of UAS into the NAS in controlled, safe workingU.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 22

environments such as those proposed in this Petitio n. Granting this Petition for Exemption helps fulfill

Congress' goal in passing Section 333(a) through (c) of the Reform Act

— the FAA Administrator's

assessment of whether certain UAS may operate safely in the NAS before completion of the statutorily

required rulemaking.

The proposed UAS operations in this Petition for Exemption significantly improve safety and

reduce risk harm or serious injury to inspecting engineers. Traditional methods of inspecting monitoring

industrial and construction sites, an d utility power

- generation facilities and infrastructure requires

inspectors to climb towers or otherwise perform elevated work, which exposes them to the risk of

dangerous falls. Inspectors are often exposed to hazardous chemicals or oxygen

- deficient atmo spheres,

burns from steam or from hot equipment, and other mechanical hazards associated with industrial sites and

construction facilities. The use of small UASs can eliminate these hazards and is ultimately a much safer

method of performing these types of inspections.

The use of small UASs also enhances safety and reduces risk because, unlike manned aircraft weighing

thousands of pounds, carrying crew in addition to flammable fuel, the UASs carry no passengers or crew.

Further, in the unlikely event of a n accident, Skies small battery powered UASs presents significantly less

danger to persons on the ground when compared to operations by conventional manned aircraft. 21 As

Petitioner's UASs are battery powered, the public will also benefit from a reduction in harmful emissions

associated with conventional aircraft performing in the same functions proposed herein. Lastly, as

recognized by the FAA in prior Section 333 Grants of Exemption to filmmakers, UASs provide an

additional tool for the aerial filming in dustry, adding a greater degree of flexibility, which supplements the

current capabilities offered by manned aircraft. 22

21 See Grant of Exemption No. 11158 to Team 5, LLC (FAA

- 2014

- 0783 at 12):

"Manned helicopters conducting aerial filming can weigh 6,000 pounds or more and are operated by an

onboard pilot, in addition to other onboard crewmembers, as necessary. The petitioner’s UAs will weigh

less than 55 pounds with no onboard pilot or crew. The pilot and crew will be remotely located from the

aircr aft. The limited weight significantly reduces the potentia l for harm to participating and

nonparticipating individuals or property in the event of an incident or accident. The risk to an onboard pilot

and crew during an incident or accident is eliminated w ith the use of a UA for the aerial filming operation."

VIII. PRIVACY

All Skies UAS operations will be conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, or local

laws regarding privacy. All operations shall be conducted over private or controlled

- access property with

permission from the land owner/controller or authorized representative. Permission from land

owner/controller or authorized representative will be obtained for each flight to be conducted.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 23

IX. FEDERAL REGISTER SUMMARY

Pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 11, the following summary is provided for publication in the FEDERAL

REGISTER, should it be determined that publication is needed:

Petitioner seeks an exemption from the following rules in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulat ions:

Part 21, Subpart H; Part 27; 45.23(b); 45.27(a); 61.113; 91.7(a); 91.9(b)(2); 91.9(c); 91.103; 91.109(a);

91.119(c); 91.121; 91.151(a); 91.203 (a) & (b); 91.405(a); 91.407(a)(1); 91.409(a)(1) & (2); 91.417 (a) &

(b).

The exemption will enhance saf ety by reducing risk to the general public and property owners from

the substantial hazards associated with performing equivalent film work and aerial inspection and

environmental monitoring of industrial sites, transmission and storage facilities, constru ction facilities and

precision aerial surveys with conventional fixed

- wing aircraft, rotorcraft, or other methods.

X. CONCLUSION

Skies Petition for Exemption satisfies the criteria articulated in Section 333 of the Reform Act of

2012 including weight, s peed, operating capabilities, proximity to airports and populated areas, operation

within VLOS and national security. The proposed UAS operations will benefit the public as a whole by

improving safety and reducing risk by alleviating human exposure to dang er. In consideration of the

foregoing, this Petition for Exemption provides the FAA with more than adequate justification for granting

the requested exemptions allowing Skies to use small UASs for: (1) scripted, closed

- set filming for the

motion picture, t elevision, and web industry, and; (2) aerial inspection and environmental monitoring of

industrial sites, transmission and storage facilities, construction facilitie s and precision aerial surveys.

22 See e.g ., Grant of Exemption No. 11178 to Picture Factor y, Inc. (FAA

- 2014

- 0794 at 18).

We thank you for your prompt consideration of our requested exemptions.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard Pinto

President

Skies The Limit Productions LLC

Should you have any questions, or if you need any additional information to support the requested

exemptions, please contact the undersigned at:

Skies The Limit Productions LLC

Phone: 808

- 271

- 8377

Email: kela@skiesthelimit.comU.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

June 5 th , 2015

P a g e 24

(The following attached items contain proprietary and commercial information exempt from disclosure

under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 522 et seq. , and should be held in a separate file pursuant

to 14 C.F.R. § 11.35(b)).

Attachments:

1. General Operations Manual

2. Flight Operations Checklist

3. DJI S1000 User Manual

4. DJI S 1000 Release Note

5. DJI S1000 Pilot Operating Manual

6. MPTOM

7. Company Protocol

8. Ground Station Diagram

9. Preflight Checklist

10. Post Flight Checklist

11. DJI S1000 Equipment Checklist

12. On Set Proto co ls

13. Flying and Communications

14. Pilot Flight Log Example

15. Letter of Ex emption