US D e partm e nt o f Tran s p o rtati o n E x e mpti o n R e q u e s t P u r s u ant to S e cti o n 333 o f

the FAA

R e f o rm Act and P art 11 o f the F e d e ral Aviati o n

December 17, 2015

Ralph E. Reed

4001 River Pointe Pl.

#2D. High Point, NC

27265

wallrat11@aol.com

U.S D e partm e nt o f Tran s p o rtati o n D o ck e t Manag e m e nt S y s t e m

1200 Ne w J e r s e y Av e

., S E Wa s hingt o n D C 20590

R e : E x e mpti o n R e q u e s t P u r s u ant to S e cti o n 333 o f the FAA R e f o rm Act and P art

11 o f the F e d e ral Aviati o n R e g u lati o ns fr o m: 14 C FR 21 s u bpart H ; 14 C FR

45.23(b); 14 C FR 61.113(a) and (b); 14 C FR 91.7(a); 14 C FR 91.9(b)(2); 14 C FR

91.103; 14 C FR 91.109; 14 C FR 91.119(c); 14 C FR 91.121; 14 C FR 91.151(a);

14 C FR 91.203(a) and (b); 14 C FR 91.405 (a); 14 C FR 91.407 (a) (1) 14 C FR

91.409 (a)(1) and (2); 14 C FR 91.417(a) and (b)

D e ar S ir o r Madam:

P u r s u ant to S e cti o n 333 o f the FAA M o d e rnizati o n and R e f o rm Act o f 2012 (the

" R e f o rm Act " ) And 14 C FR P art 11 o f Unmann e d Aircraft S y s t e ms (UA S ), Ralph

E. Reed He r e by appli e s f o r ·an e x e mpti o n fr o m the li s t e d F e d e ral Aviati o n

R e g u lati o ns ( " FA R s " ) to all o w c o mm e rcial o p e rati o n o f D e s ignat e d U A S

,

pr o vid e d s u ch o p e rati o ns are c o nd u ct e d within and u nd e r the c o nditi o ns o u tlin e d

h e r e in o r as may be e s tabli s h e d by the FAA as r e q u ir e d by S e cti o n 333.

Thank y o u in advance f o r y o u r c o n s id e rati o n.C o mm e rcial o p e rati o n o f an UA S

, as d e s crib e d h e r e in, which are e q u ipp e d with

cam e ra( s ) and s e n s o r s

, w o u ld pr o vide pr o f e ss i o nal s e rvic e s in the f o ll o wing

ar e a s :

1. Search and Rescue

2. Real Estate

3. Aerial Photography / Videography

4. News

5. Aerial Collection

6. Aerial Surveys

7. Crops

8. Building Construction

9. Tower Inspections

10. Wild Life

11. Law Enforcement

12. School Events

13. Auto Accidents

14. Forest Fires

15. Resource Management

As d e s crib e d f u lly b e l o w, the r e q u e s t e d e x e mpti o n w o u ld p e rmit the o p e rati o n o f

d e s ignat e d UAS as s e t f o rth in this d o c u m e nt u nd e r c o ntr o ll e d c o nditi o ns in the

N AS that w o u ld be a) limit e d b) c o ntr o ll e d c) pr e d e t e rmin e d and d) s af e

. Appr o val

o f this e x e mpti o n w o u ld incr e a s e p u blic awar e n e s s o f UAS o p e rati o ns and

e nhance s af e ty to aid in f u lfilling the S e cr e tary o f Tran s p o rtati o n's (the FAA

Admini s trat o r' s ) r e s p o n s ibiliti e s to "

.... e s tabli s h r e q u ir e m e nts f o r the s afe

o p e rati o n o f s u ch aircraft s y s t e ms in the nati o nal air s pace s y s t e m."

The name and addr e s s o f the applicant is

December 17, 2015

Ralph E. Reed

4001 River

Pointe Pl. #2D

High Point, NC

27265

Wallrat11@aol.comF rom which the e x e m p tion is r e qu e st e d : 14 C FR P art 21 s u bpart H

14 C FR 45.23 (b)

14 C FR 61.113 (a) & (b)

14 C FR 91.7 (a)

14 C FR 91.9 (b) (2)

14 C FR 91.103

14 C FR 91.109

14 C FR 91.119 (c)

14 C FR 91.121

14 C FR 91.151 (a)

14 C FR 91.203 (a)

14 C FR 91.405 (a)

14 C FR 91.407 (a)

14 C FR 91.409 (a)

14 C FR 91.417 (a):

G rants o f e x e mpti o n in circ u m s tanc e s s imilar in all mat e rial r e s p e ct s

, In

G rants o f E x e mpti o n No s

. 11062 to A s tra e u s A e rial ( s e e D o ck e t No

. FAA−2014−0352), 11109 to C layc o

, Inc. ( s e e D o ck e t No

. FAA−2014−0507), 11112 to V D OS G l o bal, LL C ( s e e D o ck e t No

. FAA−2014−0382), 11213 to A e ry o n L ab s

, Inc. ( s e e D o ck e t No

. FAA−2014−0642), and 12645 to Alli e d D r o n e s ( s e e D o ck e t No

. FAA

2014

- 0804) E x e mpti o n No s

. 11062, 11109, 11112, 11213, and 12645;

No s

. 11062, 11109, 11112, 11213, and 1264 5

.

Ralph E. Reed Will o p e rate o ne o r m o re o f the F o ll o wing m o d e l UA S

.

DJI Phantom 3 Pro , Inspire 1 Pro

S af e ty r e q u ir e m e nt s

. The appr o val o f this applicati o n pr e s e nts no nati o nal

s e c u rity i ss u e s

. R e garding the l e v e l o f s af e ty s u rr o u nding the pr o p o s e d

o p e rati o ns and the p u blic b e n e fit, r e d u cti o n in e nvir o nm e ntal impact s

, incl u ding

b u t n o t limit e d to r e d u c e d e mi ss i o ns and n o i s e

, the grant o f the r e q u e s t e d

e x e mpti o n is in the p u blic int e r e s t. Acc o rdingly, the applicant graci o u s ly r e q u e s ts

that the FAA grant the r e q u e s t e d e x e mpti o n.AI RCR AFT A N D EQUIVA L E N T L EVEL OF S AFETY

The o p e rati o n limitati o ns pr o p o s e d f o r an e q u ival e nt o r high e r l e v e l o f s af e ty

b e ca u s e o p e rati o ns will f u rth e r e nhance the s af e ty o f the p e r s o ns and/ o r pr o p e rty

u s ing c o nv e nti o nal aircraft. Th e s e limitati o ns and c o nditi o ns to which the

applicant agr ee s to adh e re to wh e n c o nd u cting c o mm e rcial o p e rati o ns u nd e r the

FAA i ss u e d e x e mpti o n as s e t f o rth in the Flight Op e rati o ns Man u al (FOM)

incl u d e :

1. The UAS will w e igh s ignificantly l e s s than 55 lb s

. It w e ighs l e s s than 4 p o u nds

with batt e ry and cam e ra.

2. The UA S

, d e p e n d ing o n the m o d e l in o p e rati o n, will have a maxim u m

o p e rating s p ee d o f no m o re than 40 mph.

3. Flights will be o p e rat e d within line o f s ight o f the P il o t in C o mmand ( P I C )

and/ o r Vi s u al Ob s e rv e r (VO).

4. Maxim u m flight time f o r e ach o p e rati o nal flight will be d e p e nding o n the UAS

m o d e l in o p e rati o n, b u t will n o t e xc ee d 30 min u t e s

. Flights will be t e rminat e d at

25% batt e ry p o w e r r e s e rve o r 30 min u t e s o f flight time which e v e r o cc u rs fir s t.

5. Flights will be o p e rat e d at an altit u de o f no m o re than 400 f ee t Ab o ve G r ou nd

Le v e l (A G L ) and n o t m o re than 200 f ee t ab o ve an e l e vat e d platf o rm fr o m which

filming is plann e d.

6. Minim u m cr e w f o r e ach o p e rati o n will c o n s i s t o f the UAS P il o t and at l e a s t o ne

Vi s u al Ob s e rv e r (VO), and may incl u de a third, b u t s e parat e

, C am e ra Op e rat o r

( C O).

7. The UAS pil o t will be a d e s ignat e d P il o t in C o mmand ( P I C ). The P IC will have

l o gg e d a minim u m o f 20 h o u rs o n the d e s ignat e d UA S

.

8. A s af e ty bri e fing will be p e rf o rm e d pri o r to e ach day's flights c o n s i s ting o f all

the day s ' P r o d u cti o n activiti e s

.9. All flight activiti e s will be l o gg e d.

10. All flights will o cc u r u nd e r Vi s u al Flight Ru l e s M e t eo r o l o gical C o nditi o ns

(VM C ) o nly.

11. The flights will o cc u r in C la s s G air s pace no cl o s e r than a mile radi u s o f the

g eo graphic c e nt e r/Airp o rt R e f e r e nce Po int (A R P ) o f a t o w e r c o ntr o ll e d o r

u nc o ntr o ll e d airp o rt.

12. Flights will n o t be cl o s e r than a 5

- mile radi u s o f the g eo graphic c e nt e r/Airp o rt.

13. The o p e rat o r will do a pre ch e ck o f aircraft pri o r to e ach flight. And l o g e ach

flight.

14. The o p e rat o r will o btain v e rbal/writt e n c o n s e nt o f all p e r s o ns inv o lv e d with the

plann e d o p e rati o n and e n s u re that o nly c o n s e nting p e r s o ns will be all o w e d within

100 f ee t o f the flight o p e rati o n, and the radi u s may be r e d u c e d to 30 f ee t ba s e d

u p o n an e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty d e t e rminati o n, as U. S

. D e partm e nt o f

Tran s p o rtati o n r e q u ir e d u nd e r the FOM. With the advanc e d p e rmi ss i o n o f the

F S D O, o p e rati o ns at cl o s e r range may be appr o v e d.

15. The P IC and VO will have b ee n train e d in o p e rati o n o f UAS and r e c e ive u p to

date inf o rmati o n f o r the partic u lar UAS to be o p e rat e d.

16. The P IC and VO will be able to c o mm u nicate by v o ice and/ o r radio at all

tim e s

.

17. The P IC will abi d e by all r u l e s

18. If the UAS l o s e s c o mm u nicati o ns with the r e m o te c o ntr o ll e r o r l o s e s G P S

s ignal, the UAS will have the capability to r e t u rn to a pr e d e t e rmin e d

l o cati o n within a d e s ignat e d l o cati o n and

land a u t o n o m ou s ly.

19. The UAS will have the capability to ab o rt a flight in ca s e o f e m e rg e nci e s with

an a u t o mat e d " R e t u rn Ho me and L and" f u ncti o n.20. The UAS will have the capability to ab o rt a flight in ca s e o f u npr e dict e d

o b s tacl e s

, w e ath e r, o r e m e rg e nci e s s u ch as l o w batt e ry.

14 C .F. R

. P art 21, S u bpart H : Airw o rthin e s s C e rtificat e s 14 C .F. R

. §91.203 (a)

(1) S u bpart H

, e ntitl e d Airw o rthin e s s C e rtificat e s

, e s tabli s h e s the pr o c e d u ral

r e q u ir e m e nts f o r the i ss u ance o f airw o rthin e s s c e rtificat e s as r e q u ir e d by FAR

§91.203 (a) (1). G iv e n the s ize and limit e d o p e rating ar e a a ss o ciat e d with the

aircraft to be u tiliz e d by the Applicant, an e x e mpti o n fr o m P art 21 S u bpart H

m ee ts the r e q u ir e m e nts o f an e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty u nd e r P art 11 and

S e cti o n 333 o f the R e f o rm Act. The F e d e ral Aviati o n Act (49 U. S

. C .§44701 (f))

and S e cti o n 333 o f the R e f o rm Act b o th a u th o rize the FAA to e x e mpt aircraft fr o m

the r e q u ir e m e nt f o r an airw o rthin e s s c e rtificat e

, u p o n c o n s id e rati o n o f the s iz e

,

w e ight, s p ee d, o p e rati o nal capability, and pr o ximity to airp o rts and p o p u lat e d

ar e as o f the partic u lar UA S

. In all ca s e s

, an analy s is o f th e s e crit e ria

d e m o n s trat e s that the UAS o p e rat e d with o u t an airw o rthin e s s c e rtificate in the

r e s trict e d e nvir o nm e nt and u nd e r the c o nditi o ns pr o p o s e d will be at l e a s t as s af e

,

o r s af e r, than a c o nv e nti o nal aircraft (fix e d wing o r r o t o rcraft) o p e rating with an

airw o rthin e s s c e rtificate with o u t the r e s tricti o ns and c o nditi o ns pr o p o s e d. The

UAS to be o p e rat e d h e r e u nd e r is l e s s than 55 lb s

. f u lly l o ad e d, carri e s n e ith e r a

pil o t n o r pa ss e ng e r, carri e s no e xpl o s ive mat e rials o r flammable liq u id f u e l s

, and

o p e rat e s e xcl u s iv e ly within a s e c u r e d and d e s ignat e d ar e a.

Unlike o th e r civil aircraft, o p e rati o ns u nd e r this e x e mpti o n will be tightly c o ntr o ll e d

and m o nit o r e d by b o th the o p e rat o r and u nd e r the r e q u ir e m e nts and in

c o mpliance with l o cal p u blic s af e ty r e q u ir e m e nt s

. Th e s e s af e ty e nhanc e m e nts

pr o vide a gr e at e r d e gr e e o f s af e ty to the p u blic and pr o p e rty o wn e rs than

c o nv e nti o nal o p e rati o ns c o nd u ct e d with airw o rthin e s s c e rtificat e s i ss u e d u nd e r

14 C .F. R

. P art 21, S u bpart H

. L a s tly, applicati o n o f th e s e s ame crit e ria

d e m o n s trat e s that th e re is no cr e dible thr e at to nati o nal s e c u rity p o s e d by the

UA S

, d u e to its s iz e

, s p ee d o f o p e rati o n, l o cati o n o f o p e rati o n, lack o f e xpl o s ive

mat e rials o r flammable liq u id f u e l s

, and inability to carry a s u b s tantial e xt e rnal

l o a d

. 14 C .F. R

. § 45.23 (b). Marking o f the Aircraft The r e g u lati o n r e q u ir e s : Wh e n

marks incl u de o nly the R o man capital l e tt e r "N " and the r e gi s trati o n n u mb e r is

di s play e d o n limit e d, r e s trict e d o r light s p o rt cat e g o ry aircraft o r e xp e rim e ntal o r

pr o vi s i o nally c e rtificat e d aircraft, the o p e rat o r m u s t al s o di s play o n that aircraft

n e ar e ach e ntrance to the cabin, c o ckpit, o r pil o t s tati o n, in l e tt e rs n o t l e s s than 2

inch e s n o r m o re than 6 inch e s high, the w o rds " limit e d/' " r e s trict e d/' " light s p o rt/'

"e xp e rim e ntal/' o r " pr o vi s i o nal/' as applicable

14 C .F. R

. § 45.23 (b). Marking o f the Aircraft The r e g u lati o n r e q u ir e s : Wh e n

marks incl u de o nly the R o man capital l e tt e r "N " and the r e gi s trati o n n u mb e r isdi s play e d o n limit e d, r e s trict e d o r light s p o rt cat e g o ry aircraft o r e xp e rim e ntal o r

pr o vi s i o nally c e rtificat e d aircraft.

The o p e rat o r m u s t al s o di s play o n that aircraft n e ar e ach e ntrance to the cabin,

c o ckpit, o r pil o t s tati o n, in l e tt e rs n o t l e s s than 2 inch e s n o r m o re than 6 inch e s

high, the w o rds " limit e d/' " r e s trict e d/' " light s p o rt/' "e xp e rim e ntal/' o r " pr o vi s i o nal/'

as applicabl e

. E v e n th o u gh the UAS will have no airw o rthin e s s c e rtificat e

, an

e x e mpti o n may be n ee d e d, as the UAS will have no e ntrance to the cabin,

c o ckpit o r pil o t s tati o n o n which the w o rd l e tt e ring will be imp o ss ibl e

. The w o rd

"E xp e rim e ntal" will be plac e d o n the f u s e lage in c o mpliance with §45.29 (f). US

D e partm e nt o f Tran s p o rtati o n F e br u ary 20, 2015.

The e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty will be pr o vid e d by having the UAS mark e d

"E xp e rim e ntal" can be plac e d. G iv e n the s ize o f the UA S

, two inch o n its f u s e lage

as r e q u ir e d by §45.29 (f) wh e re the pil o t, o b s e rv e r and o th e rs w o rking with the

UAS will s e e the id e ntificati o n o f the UAS as "E xp e rim e ntal." 14 C .F. R

. § 61.113

(a) and (b

The pr o p o s e d UAS o p e rati o ns may achi e ve an e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty as

achi e v e d by c u rr e nt R e g u lati o ns b e ca u s e the applicant's UAS do n o t carry any

pil o ts o r pa ss e ng e rs n o r pr o p e rty. The ri s ks att e ndant to the It is b e li e v e d that the

o p e rati o n and limitati o ns s e t f o rth in the FOM will e q u ate to the s afe o p e rati o n of

the UA S

.

14 C .F. R

. §91.7{a): C ivil Aircraft Airw o rthin e ss

. The r e g u lati o n r e q u ir e s that no

p e r s o n may o p e rate a civil aircraft u nl e s s it is in airw o rthy c o nditi o n. As th e re will

be no airw o rthin e s s c e rtificate i ss u e d f o r the aircraft, s h o u ld this e x e mpti o n be

grant e d, no FAA r e g u lat o ry s tandard will e xi s t f o r d e t e rmining airw o rthin e ss

. G iv e n the s ize o f the aircraft f o r maint e nance and u s e o f s af e ty ch e ckli s ts pri o r to

e ach flight, an e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty will be pr o vid e d. 14 C .F. R

. § 91.9 (b) (2):

C ivil Aircraft Flight Man u al in the Aircraft. S e cti o n 91.9 (b) {2) pr o vid e s : N o

p e r s o n may o p e rate a U. S

. r e gi s t e r e d civil aircraft

... (2) F o r which an Airplane

o r R o t o rcraft Flight Man u al is n o t r e q u ir e d by §21.5 o f this chapt e r, u nl e s s th e re

is available in the aircraft a c u rr e nt appr o v e d airplane o r R o t o rcraft Flight Man u al,

appr o v e d man u al mat e rial, marking s

, and placard s

, o r any c o mbinati o n th e r eo f.

The UA S

, giv e n its s ize and c o nfig u rati o n has no ability o r place to carry s u ch a

flight man u al o n t h e aircraft, n o t o nly b e ca u s e th e re is no pil o t o n b o ard, b u t

b e ca u s e th e re is no r oo m o r capacity to carry s u ch an it e m o n the aircraft. The

e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty will be maintain e d by k ee ping the flight man u al at the

gr o u nd c o ntr o l p o int wh e re the pil o t flying the UAS will have imm e diate acc e s s to

it.14 C .F. R

. § 91.103: P r e flight Acti o n. This r e g u lati o n r e q u ir e s e ach pil o t in

c o mmand to take c e rtain acti o ns b e f o re flight to in s u re the s af e ty o f flight. As

FAA appr o v e d r o t o rcraft flight man u als will n o t be pr o vid e d f o r the aircraft an

e x e mpti o n will be n ee d e d. The P IC will take all acti o ns as s tat e d in the FOM in

S e cti o n 4 u nd e r No rmal P r o c e d u r e s incl u ding b u t n o t limit e d to r e vi e wing

w e ath e r, flight batt e ry r e q u ir e m e nt s

, landing and tak eo ff di s tanc e s and aircraft

p e rf o rmance data b e f o re initiati o n o f flight.

14 C .F. R

. §91.109: Flight In s tr u cti o n. S e cti o n 91.103 pr o vid e s that no p e r s o n

may o p e rate a civil aircraft ( e xc e pt a mann e d fr e e ball oo n) that is b e ing u s e d f o r

flight in s tr u cti o n u nl e s s that aircraft has f u lly f u n cti o ning d u al c o ntr o l s

. UAS and

r e m o t e ly pil o t e d aircraft, by th e ir d e s ign do n o t have f u lly f u ncti o nal d u al c o ntr o l s

. Flight c o ntr o l is acc o mpli s h e d thr o u gh the u s e o f a c o ntr o l b o x that

c o mm u nicat e s with the aircraft via radio c o mm u nicati o n s

. The FAA has appr o v e d

e x e mpti o ns f o r flight training with o u t f u lly f u ncti o nal d u al c o ntr o ls f o r a n u mb e r o f

aircraft and f o r flight in s tr u cti o n in e xp e rim e ntal aircraft. The e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f

s af e ty is pr o vid e d by the fact that n e ith e r a pil o t n o r pa ss e ng e rs will be carri e d in

the aircraft and by the s ize and s p ee d o f the aircraft.

14 C .F. R

. §91.119: Minim u m S afe Altit u d e s

. S e cti o n 91.119 e s tabli s h e s s afe

altit u d e s f o r o p e rati o n o f civil aircraft. S e cti o n 91.119 (d) all o ws h e lic o pt e rs to be

o p e rat e d at l e s s than t he minim u ms pr e s crib e d, pr o vid e d the p e r s o n o p e rating

the h e lic o pt e r c o mpli e s with any r o u te o r altit u d e s pr e s crib e d f o r h e lic o pt e rs by

the FAA. As this e x e mpti o n is f o r a UAS that is a h e lic o pt e r and the e x e mpti o n

r e q u e s ts a u th o rity to o p e rate at altit u d e s u p to 400 A G L

, o r n o t m o re than 200

ab o ve an e l e vat e d platf o rm fr o m which filming is plann e d, an e x e mpti o n may be

n ee d e d to all o w s u ch o p e rati o n s

. As s e t f o rth h e r e in, the UAS will n e v e r o p e rate

at high e r than 400 A G L with the e xc e pti o n that in circ u m s t anc e s wh e re the UAS

is u s e d to s u rv e y o r ph o t o graph a s tr u ct u re wh o s e h e ight e xc ee ds 400 f ee t A G L

, the UAS will n o t be o p e rat e d m o re than 200 f ee t ab o ve the high e s t p o int o n the

s tr u ct u r e

. It will h o w e v e r be o p e rat e d in a r e s trict e d ar e a with s e c u rity p e rim e t e r,

wh e re b u ildings and p eo ple will n o t be e xp o s e d to o p e rati o ns with o u t th e ir pre

o btain e d c o n s e nt.

The e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty will be achi e v e d giv e n the s iz e

, w e ight, and s p ee d

o f the UAS as w e ll as the l o cati o n wh e re it is o p e rat e d. N o flight will be tak e n

with o u t the p e rmi ss i o n o f the pr o p e rty o wn e r o r l o cal o fficial s

. B e ca u s e o f the

advance n o tice to the pr o p e rty o wn e r and participants in the filming activity, all

aff e ct e d individ u als will be aware o f the plann e d flight o p e rati o n s

. C o mpar e d t o

flight o p e rati o ns with aircraft o r r o t o rcraft w e ighting far m o re than the maxim u m

SS ib s

. P r o p o s e d h e r e in and the lack o f flammable f u e l, any ri s k a ss o ciat e d with

th e s e o p e rati o ns is far l e s s than th o s e pr e s e ntly pr e s e nt e d with c o nv e nti o nal

aircraft o p e ra ting at o r b e l o w 500 A G L

. In additi o n, the l o w altit u de o p e rati o ns o fthe UAS will e n s u re s e parati o n b e tw ee n th e s e UAS o p e rati o ns and the

o p e rati o ns o f c o nv e nti o nal aircraft that m u s t c o mply with S e cti o n 91.119. 14

C .F. R

. §91.121 Altim e t e r S e tti ng s

.

This r e g u lati o n r e q u ir e s e ach p e r s o n o p e rating an aircraft to maintain cr u i s ing

altit u de by r e f e r e nce to an altim e t e r that is s e t " ...to the e l e vati o n o f the d e part u re

airp o rt o r an appr o priate altim e t e r s e tting available b e f o re d e part u r e ." As the UAS

may n o t have a bar o m e tric altim e t e r, b u t in s t e ad a G P S altit u de r e ad o u t, an U. S

.

e x e mpti o n may be n ee d e d. An e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty will be achi e v e d by the

o p e rat o r, p u r s u ant to the s af e ty ch e ck li s t and live flight data m o nit o ring,

c o nfirming the altit u de o f the la u nch s ite s h o wn o n the G P S altit u de indicat o r

b e f o re flight. 14 C .F. R

. § 91.151(a): F u e l R e q u ir e m e nts f o r Flight in VFR

C o nditi o ns S e cti o n 91.151 (a) pr o hibits an individ u al fr o m b e ginning " a flight in an

airplane u nd e r VFR c o nditi o ns u nl e s s (c o n s id e ring wind and f o r e ca s t w e ath e r

c o nditi o n s ) th e re is e n o u gh f u e l to fly to the fir s t p o int o f int e nd e d landing, and,

a ss u ming n o rmal cr u i s ing s p ee d

- (1) Du ring the day, to fly aft e r that f o r at l e a s t

30 min u t e s ; o r (2) At night, to fly aft e r t hat f o r at l e a s t 45 min u t e s ." The applicant

b e li e v e s that an e x e mpti o n fr o m 14 C FR §91.151(a) falls within the s c o pe o f pri o r

e x e mpti o n s

. Op e rating the UAS in a tightly c o ntr o ll e d ar e a wh e re o nly p eo ple

and pr o p e rty o wn e rs o r o fficial r e pr e s e ntativ e s who have s ign e d waiv e rs will be

all o w e d d oe s n o t e ng e nd e r the type o f ri s ks that S e cti o n 91.151(a) was int e nd e d

to all e viate giv e n the s ize and s p ee d o f the s mall UA S

. The applicant b e li e v e s

that an e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty can be achi e v e d by limiting flight s to 30 min u t e s

o r 25% o f batt e ry p o w e r

- which e v e r happ e ns fir s t. This r e s tricti o n w o u ld be m o re

than ad e q u ate to r e t u rn the UAS to its plann e d landing z o ne fr o m anywh e re in its

limit e d o p e rating ar e a.

14 C .F. R

. §91.203 (a) and (b): C arrying C ivil A ircraft C e rtificati o n and

R e gi s trati o n The r e g u lati o n pr o vid e s in p e rtin e nt part: (a) E xc e pt as pr o vid e d in§

91.715, no p e r s o n may o p e rate a civil aircraft u nl e s s it has within it the f o ll o wing:

(1) An appr o priate and c u rr e nt airw o rthin e s s c e rtificate

. . . (b) N o p e r s o n may

o p e rate a civil aircraft u nl e s s the airw o rthin e s s c e rtificate r e q u ir e d by paragraph

(a) o f this s e cti o n o r a s p e cial flight a u th o rizati o n i ss u e d u nd e r §91.715 is

di s play e d at the cabin o r c o ckpit e ntrance s o that it is l e gible to pa ss e ng e rs o r

cr e w. The UAS f u lly l o ad e d w e ighs w e ll u nd e r the pr o p o s e d 55 lb limit and is

o p e rat e d with o u t an o nb o ard pil o t. As s u ch, th e re is no ability o r place to carry

c e rtificati o n and r e gi s trati o n d o c u m e nts o r to di s play th e m o n the UA S

. An

e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty will be achi e v e d by k ee ping th e s e d o c u m e nts at the

gr o u nd c o ntr o l p o int wh e re the pil o t flying the UAS will have imm e diate acc e s s to

th e m, to the e xt e nt th e y are applicable to the UA S

.

14 C .F. R

. §91.405 (a); 407 (a) (1); 409 (a) (2); 417(a) & (b): Maint e nance

In s p e cti o n s

. Th e s e r e g u lati o ns r e q u ire that an aircraft o p e rat o r o r o wn e r " s hallhave that aircraft in s p e ct e d as pr e s crib e d in s u bpart E o f this part and s hall

b e tw ee n r e q u ir e d in s p e cti o n s

, e xc e pt as pr o vid e d in paragraph (c) o f this s e cti o n,

have di s cr e panci e s r e pair e d as pr e s crib e d in part 43 o f this chapt e r..," and o th e rs

s hall in s p e ct o r maintain the aircraft in c o mpliance with P art 43. G iv e n that th e s e

s e cti o ns and P art 43 apply o nly to aircraft with an airw o rthin e s s c e rtificat e

, th e s e

s e cti o ns will n o t apply to the applicant. Maint e nance will be acc o mpli s h e d by the

o p e rat o r p u r s u ant to the flight man u al and o p e rating handb oo k. An e q u ival e nt

l e v e l o f s af e ty will be achi e v e d b e ca u s e the UAS is v e ry limit e d in s ize and will

carry a s mall payl o ad and o p e rate o nly in r e s trict e d ar e as f o r a limit e d p e ri o d o f

tim e

. If m e chanical i ss u e s ari s e the UAS can land imm e diat e ly and will be

o p e rating fr o m no high e r than 400 f ee t A G L

. The o p e rat o r will e n s u re that t he

U AS is in w o rking o rd e r pri o r to initiating flight, p e rf o rm r e q u ir e d maint e nanc e

, and k ee p a l o g o f any maint e nance p e rf o rm e d. M o r eo v e r, the o p e rat o r is the

p e r s o n m o s t familiar with the aircraft and b e s t s u it e d to maintain the aircraft in an

airw o rthy c o nditi o n to pr o vide the e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f s af e ty. An e q u ival e nt l e v e l o f

s af e ty will be achi e v e d b e ca u s e maint e nance and in s p e cti o ns will be p e rf o rm e d

in acc o rdance with the UAS Man u fact u r e r's U s e r Man u al. As pr o vid e d in the

FOM, and a link o n la s t pag e

, the o p e rat o r will e n s u re that the UAS is in w o rking

o rd e r pri o r to initiating flight and p e rf o rm r e q u ir e d maint e nance n ee d e d. A u th o rity

c o ntain e d in 49 U. S

. C

. 106(f), 40113, and 44701.

Additi o nal Inf o rmati o n.

The applicant Ralph E. Reed b e li e v e s this e x e mpti o n r e q u e s t and a ss o ciat e d

s af e ty c o n s id e rati o ns ad e q u at e ly s ati s fy crit e ria pr o vid e d in S e cti o n 333 o f the

R e f o rm Act o f 2012, pr o viding s u ffici e nt j u s tificati o n f o r the granting o f

c o mm e rcial o p e rati o ns o f the applicant's UA S

.

The applicant, Ralph E. Reed r e q u e s ts y o u r r e s p e ctive appr o val o f this

S e cti o n 333 e x e mpti o n p e titi o n r e q u e s t.

Thank y o u f o r y o u r att e nti o n in this matt e r. P l e a s e n o tify Ralph E. Reed

Of y o u r acti o n s

, and o r appr o val s

. Thank y o u

, f o r y o u r int e r e s t in this r e q u e s t

S inc e r e ly,

Ralph E. ReedManual Link:

https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_3/en/Phantom_3_Professional_User_Manual__

V1.6.pdf

http://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/inspire_1_pro/en/Inspire_1_Pro_User_Manual_en_v1.0_12

01.pdf