Sept 30 , 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 Base line Land Surveyors, Inc. 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, Base line Land Surveyors, Inc. ( Base Line ) 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 conducting aerial land surveying and

photogrammetry for real property.

This peti t ion for e x e mp t i on is c reated 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 Base Line documents ;

1. Flight Operations Manual;

2. Operations Manuals

(c ollectively referred to as “Operations Manuals")

3. User Guide and;

4. U ser Manual

(collectively referred to as "Manufacturer's Manual"). 1

Base Line submi t s these as well as other Base Line 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 Base Line 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

Sept 30 , 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. Description of 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

. A e ri a l S u r v e y s and Photogrammetry for Real Property

III. Relevant Statutory Authority

IV. Base Line ’s P r o p osed BL

- UAS 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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 3

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

Base Line L and Su rveyors, Inc. is a licensed land surveyor base d in Winter Garden, Florida. Petitioner

operates these service s as a sole proprietor and has been in busine ss for nearly 40 years. Base Line is

prepared to utilize currently

- owned and utilized UAV equipmen t on which user has more than a year ’s

experience operating without incident. Base Line provides top ographic land surveying for the real estate

industry for commercial, public, and private land ow ners, meeting their distinct sales, rentals, surveying,

p rope rty valuation, and upgrading (constru ction) needs. The firm has always been on the cutting edge of

equipment utilized and is currently specializing in ground base Lidar, Hydrographic and GPS technology.

Upon receiving a 333 Exemption Base Line will begin immediately conducting A e ri a l S u r v e y s and

Photogrammetry for Real Property

.

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:

Christopher Lindstedt

Base Line Land Surveyors, Inc.

15351 Amberbeam Blvd.

Winter Garden, Fl 34787

Phone : 321

. 377

. 0390

Email: clindstedt @earthlink.net

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

Base Line 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 DJI F550,

DJI S1000, PHANTOM 2, PHANTOM 3 also known as, ( BL

- UAS ) f o r the p r opos e d op e r a t i ons di scuss e d

b e low. All BL

- UAS 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

Base Line 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 BL

- UAS op e r a t i ons will b e 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 Base Line’s Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls. As d e tailed in Base Line’s O p e r a t i ons

Man u a ls, all BL

- UAS 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, Base Line’s 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 ontro ll e d are a o f BL

- UAS 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. A e ri a l S u r v e y s and Photogrammetry for Real Property

Base Line 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 s u r v e y s and

photogrammetry for real p roperty

. Base Line 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 ons a uthori z ing c om m e r c ial use o f BL

- UAS i n the aerial

videography and photography of real estate indust r y , includi n g :U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 4

 Trudeau, Realtor® ( Exemption N o. 11138 )

 Alon Sicherman ( Exemption No. 11728 )

 Sokoler Medley ( Exemption No. 11341 )

 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)

 Crossfield LLC ( E x e mp t ion No. 12574 )

 Ascend Aerials LLC ( E x e mp t ion No. 12322 )

 Mark R. Paulson, RPLS ( E x e mp t ion No. 12369 )

Base Line’s BL

- UAS a e ri a l s u r v e y and photogrammetry for real p roperty 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 i n t he

aerial videography and photography of real estate property

. All BL

- UAS operations 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, Base Line’s

op e r a t i ons pro v ide a sup e rior l e v e l of sa fe t y an d quality compared to p e r f o r m i n g the s a m e survey 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.

Base Line 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 aerial videography and

photography of real estate property

. T r a di t ional aviation methods of survey operations can expose survey

crew to r isk, physical h a rm, se r ious i nju r y or death

. Without the deployment of a BL

- UAS real estate

companies typically hire photographers and surveyors to cli m b roofs a nd p e r f o r m other el e v a ted w o r k, whi c h

e x poses th e m t o the r isk of f a l l s , electrocution, or other work

- related extremes

. The use o f s m a ll U A 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 is 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

real estate photography and data collecting.

Base Line aerial videography and photography of real estate property is 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 rr 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 the use o f sm a ll BL

- UAS 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 r io r

.

S mall BL

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 5

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 Airs p ac e System (" 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 h ow 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. BASELINE’S P R O P O S E D BL

- UAS 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 OF THE REFORM ACT

The small BL

- UAS op e r a t i ons p r opos e d b y Base Line 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.

A. A p 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 U A 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

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 6

 UAS h a ve 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 UAS w ei g hs l e ss t h a n 5 5 pounds, in c lud i ng p a y load.

 The UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 , t he 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, survey 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 BL

- UAS 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 survey op e r a tor is eli m inat e d.

_________________________

2 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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 7

A. 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 Base Line’s

O p er a t io n s M a nu a l s

Base Line’s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s a n d 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 Ba se Line’s 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 Base Line 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 BL

- U AS 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 cal 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 rr 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 cal 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 d d e d to t he Base Line’s

O p e r a t i o ns Man ua l s.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 8

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 Base

Line’s O p 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, Base Line 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.

10. Base Line m a y u pd a te or r evis e it s O p e ra ti o 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

. Base Line 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,

Base Line will se e k a n a m e ndment to i ts Gr a nt of Ex e mp t ion. Base Line will c o nta c t the F A A ’s BL

UAS 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. Base Line’s 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 t he g r o un d c on t r o l st a tio n a n y tim e t h e BL

- UAS 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 BL

- 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 BL

- UAS will be l i m i ted to 40

m i nutes or the a mount of time the BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 r

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 9

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 t o 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 ).

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 rr e nt F A A

publ i shed a e ron a

ut i cal Base Line 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 Base Line

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 BL

- UAS to co n 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS r e c o r ds a s r e qui r e d b y

Base Line’s Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s

.

19. Base Line 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS to se r vic e

.

20. A n y BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS

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 riti cal 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 Base Line O p e r a t i o ns 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS r e c o r d e nt r y shall be includ e d in the Base

Line’s O p e r a t i on s Man ua l s

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 10

21. The BL

- UAS 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 m ents on

Base Line’s Op e r a t i ons Manu a ls.

23. Base Line 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 rmi ts will be obtain e d f r om t e rritori a l, s t a t e

, c oun t y or c i t y

j u risdictions, including lo cal 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.

25. I f the BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 cal C e rtifi c a te.

29. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for operations , 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS p i lot with a simi l a r BL

- UAS

t y p e

.

30. P rior to condu c t i ng o p e rat i ons for operations , 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 BL

- UAS pi l ot ope r a t i ng the m a ke a nd model of BL

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 11

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 cal 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 i eld 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. BL

- UAS 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.

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 uth ori 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

Bas e Line 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

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 m p 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 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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 12

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM

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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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

Base Line’s use o f BL

- UAS are 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), BL

- UAS

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.

BL

- 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 BL

- UAS 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

5 S e e G r a nt of E x e mp t ion N o. 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 [ BL

UAS ] 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 BL

- UAS stabili t y a nd c ontrol. The BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS ’s op e r a tor c a n o p e r a ted e nt i r e l y b y a touc h

- s c r ee n, ma p

- b a s e d i nte r fa ce

. This me a ns the op e r a tor on l y n e e ds to c om m a nd the s y stem w h e re to g o, a nd the

s y stem do e s all the f

l y i n g for the op e r a t o r. T he BL

- UAS c a n b e op e r a ted in bo t h s e mi a nd ful l y

a utono m ous fli g ht mode s

, with the op e r a tor si m p l y c l i c ki n g on a map to c r e a t e a p r e

- plan n e d

fl i g ht p a th f

o r a fli g ht. I n a d di t ion, the 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

{footnote continued}U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 13

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 Base Line’s Op e r a t i ons Man u a ls

.

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 ocal 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. Base Line 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 UAVs u nd 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 , th e 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 wi ll 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

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 Base Line’s 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 a irwo r th i n e ss s a me r ea sons i d e n tified 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 ont i nu e d from pre v ious pag e }

d ee med uns a fe or un n ec e ssa r y to f l y o v e r. The p e t i t i on e r stat e s fu r ther t h a t the BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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.

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 kin g 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

automatically 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 r i a l ( F A A

- 201 4

- 0352 a t p g s. 1 3

- 14, 2 2 ).

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 14

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

Base Line 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 i dentifi 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 i r 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 c a 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 two inch e s nor mo r e than six inch e s h i g h, the wo r d s " l i m i ted,"

" r e stric t e d," " l i g h t

- sp o rt,

" Experimental ," 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 rra 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, Sub p 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

. " 10

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

f e ty

All UA f lown b y Base Line 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.

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

.

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 15

Base Line 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 BL

- UAS 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 Base Line’s 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 t he BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 i cal compon e nts of t he BL

UAS 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 riti cal c ompon e nts. As r e quir e d b y Base Lin e’s

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 BL

- UAS

a ir c r a ft r e c o r ds of the fli g ht.

Base Line’s 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 BL

- UAS

a ir c r a ft/compon e nt, maint en 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, survey s y s t e m, el ec tr i cal 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

, Base Line’s 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 BL

- UAS 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 Base Line’s Op e r a t i ons Man ua l s e nsure t h a t an e quiv al 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.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 16

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

Base Line 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 rti fi 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 cal 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 a e 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 BL

- UAS op e r a t i on outside of c on t roll e d a irsp a c e did not w a rra 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 cal

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 BL

- UAS 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 strict ions Base Line h a s pl ace d on i t s BL

- UAS 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. Base Line 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

. Base Line 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, Base Line 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 f

or 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

Base Line

. T h e p i l ot qualifi ca t i on, tr a in i n g

, a nd c u rr 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 Base Line ’ S pilo t s a r e c ompet e nt and p r o fi c ient in t he BL

- UAS th e y a re o p e r a t i n g

. Base Line’s

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 17

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, Base Line 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 n ts 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 r r 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 p l 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 BL

- UAS b e c a use th e re is s i m p l y no room a nd the BL

- UAS 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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 18

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 i ntent 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 BL

- UAS 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 t he

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

Base Line 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 Base Line’s 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 id enti 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 Base Line’s 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. Base Line’s 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.

I. 14 C. F

. R. § 91.109 ( a ) : F l i g h t Inst r u c tion

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 19

Base Line 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 ).

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 Base Line in t e nds to us e

, a n e qu iv 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 Base Line’s 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 BL

- UAS 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 Base Line ’

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 Base Line’s O p e r a t i ons M a nu a l s e nsure that the p r o posed BL

- UAS

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

Base Line r e qu e sts a n e x e mp t ion f r o m 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 i n 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 Base Line’s

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 BL

- UAS 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 th e BL

- UAS 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 BL

- UAS 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 BL

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 20

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

. 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 o f 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 BL

- UAS and a n y poss i ble d e b r is r e sul t ing f r om BL

- 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 BL

- UAS le a v e s a shi e lded position. F u r the r

, BL

- UAS 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 th e 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 Base Line’s

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

Base Line 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 i ent 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 n onp 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 .”U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 21

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 or 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 Base Line 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 Base Line’s O p e r a t i ons Man ua ls, t he P I C will be re qui r e d to

cal 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 Base Line 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

Base Line 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 i cal l i m i tations on BL

- UAS 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 q uir 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 BL

- UAS 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 )

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

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 22

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 begi nning a DJI F550 flight unless (considering 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. In reaching this conclusi on, the FAA considered that

the BL

- UAS batteries for the DJI F550 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 F550 operating manual states: “start every flight with a fully

charged battery in the aerial vehicle”, and that in the event that the BL

- UAS should run low on power, the

PIC will be alerted and can land the DJI F550 as soon as possib le. Like the VDOS Grant of Exemption,

Base Line use of the DJI F550 , 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 (Exempt ion 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 BL

- UAS unless (considering wind and forecast

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

and land the UA with 25% battery power remaining. Base Line will adhere to this limitation for BL

- UAS

flights.

The BL

- UAS includes a low battery warning system a nd the amount of battery reserve power

remaining is transmitted to the PIC via telemetric data feed, which downlinks from the BL

- UAS to a

ground

- based

- on

- screen display. 20 As required by Base Line’s Operations Manuals, the PIC will promptly

fly the BL

- UAS back to the home launch location or pre

- determined abort location where the BL

- UAS

may safely land, while still maintaining a minimum of 25 % reserve battery power. Base Line submits that

the procedures requiring flights to be safely terminated once the bat teries fall below 25% capacity,

combined with the requirement that flights only be conducted within a secure, isolated area, using a BL

UAS weighting less than 25 pounds, and within VLOS of the PIC and Observer(s), ensure that the

proposed operation will p rovide 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 BL

- UAS ground control station displays, the UASs position, navigation route, tail number, altitude,

heading, north seeking arrow, range to targets, cal culated target position, date/time, and sensor heading and

orientation r elative to the UAS.U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 23

VI. DRUG AND ALCOHOL PROGRAM

Base Line will have policies in place to ensure that no person may participate in BL

- 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 Base Line’s Petition for Exemption. Congress has

established a national policy that favors early integration of BL

- UAS into the NAS in controlled, safe

working environments such as those proposed in this Petition. Grant ing 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 BL

- UAS may operate safely in the NAS before completion of the statutorily

required ru lemaking.

The proposed BL

- UAS operations in this Petition for Exemption significantly improve s safety and

reduce s risk harm or serious injury to real estate companies, assessment teams, and surveyors. Traditional

m ethods of photography, videography and s urveying exposes them to the risk of dangerous falls. 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 an accident, Base Line’s 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 s ame functions proposed herein.

Lastly, as recognized by the FAA in prior Section 333 Grants of Exemption to survey ing , UASs provide an

additional tool for the aerial operations industry, 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 operations can weigh 6,000 pounds or more and are operate d

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 aircraft. The limited weight significantl y 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 with the use of a

BL

- UAS for the aeri al operations "

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

- 2014

- 0794 at 18).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 24

VIII. PRIVACY

All Base Line BL

- UAS operations will be conducted in accordance with applicable federal, state, or

lo cal 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 t o be conducted.

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 Regulations:

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 safety by reducing risk to the general public and property owners from

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

environmental monitoring of industrial sites, transmission and storage facilities, construction facilities and

precision aerial surveys with conventional fixed

- wing aircraft, rotorcraft, or other methods.

X. CONCLUSION

Base Line Petition for Exemption satisfies the criteria articulated in S ection 333 of the Reform Act

of 2012 including weight, speed, operating capabilities, proximity to airports and populated areas,

operation within VLOS and national security. The proposed BL

- UAS operations will benefit the public as a

whole by improving saf

ety and reducing risk by alleviating human exposure to danger. In consideration of

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

granting the requested exemptions allowing Base Line to use small UASs for conducting aerial land

surveying and photogrammetry for real property

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

- 2014

- 0794 at 18).U.S. D e p a rtme n t of T r a n sport a t io n

Sept 30 , 2015

P a g e 25

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

Res pectfully S ubmitted,

Christopher Lindstedt

Base Line Land Survey ors, Inc.

15351 Amberbeam Blvd.

Winter Garden, Florida 34787

Phone: 321

. 377

. 0390

Email: clindstedt @earthlink.net

(The following attached items contain and com mercial 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. PIC Operating Manual

3. Compan y Protocols

4. Location Protocols

5. Flight Communications Protocols

6. Departing Location Protocols

7. Transmitter Protocols

8. Preflight Checklist

9. Post Flight Checklist

10. Equipment Checklist

11. UAS Manufacturer’s Manuals

a. User Manuals

b. UAS Maintenance Manuals