September 

### 15,2015

U.5. 

### oepa.tment of Transportatlon, Docket Operations West BuildinS Ground Floor, Room w12-140 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

Re: Exemption Request Sedion 333

### ofthe FAA Reform Act and Pan 

### 11of the Federal Aviation Retulations 

### from 14 C.F.R, 55 45.23(b);14 CFR Part

### 21;14 CFR 61.3(a) & {c);51.113 (a) & 

### (b);91.7 (a);91.9 (b) (2);91.103(b); 91.109;91.119; 91.121; 91.1s1{a);91.203(a} 

### & (b);91.10s (a); 91.a07(a) (1 ); 91.409 (a) (2);91.a17 

### (a)& (b); 91.129; 91.130; 91.131; 91.209.

Deaa Sir or Madam:
Pu6uant to Sedion 333

### ofthe FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 ("Reform Act") and 14 C.F.R. Part 11, Blue Vigil, developer and operator of

### tether-powered smallunmanned aircraft systems ('rsUAS") equipped

### to provide 

### aerialvideo photography, hereby applies 

### for anexemption 

### from the listed Federal Aviation Regulations (.FARS") and

### anyother regulations

### the FAA deems necessary 

### to allow commercial operation of its SUAS

### forthe purpose 

### ofaerialdata collection. Under the proposed exemption, operations would be conducted 

### pursuanttothe condltions 

### outllned herein 

### oras may be established by 

### the FAA as required by S€ction333.

As described indetail below,the requested exemption would permit the operation of small,

### tetherpowered, unmanned and relatively inexpenslve SUAS under controlled conditlons inthe national airspace system ("NAS"). The predominant usewould be

### to capture video footage 

### for news media and events and as a platform 

### for aerlal surveillance 

### for law enforcement and

### fiGt responders. Approval 

### of this exemptlon would thereby enhance safety by reduclnSthe need

### for manned flights and providlng a quick deployment 

### platfo.mthat will aid the

### flrst responder 

### community. Currently available options

### for aerial data 

### colledion are mostly 

### imp.actical. Authorlring the operation of Elue yrgil's SUAS under 

### the conditlons described herelnwould 

### fulfillthe Secretary 

### ofTransportation's responsibility 

### to "establish requirements 

### for the safe operation 

### of IUASthat are capable 

### ofoperating gafelylin the national airspace system." Section 

### 333(c)ofthe Reform Act.

The name and address 

### ofthe Applicant is: Blue viSil 

### Attni Todd Stave Ph: srr0-638-0016 Email: todd@bluevigil.com Address:4O2 rcn8 Farm Slvd *125-141 Rockville, MD 20850

ReSulations 

### from whlch the exemption is requested:

14 CFR61.113{a} 14 cFR 91.7(a) 14 CFR91.103 14 CFR91.121 14 CFR91,129 14 CFR91.13014 CFR 91.131

14 CFR91.151(a) 14 CFR 91.209 14 CFR91.40s(a) 14 cFRa07(ax1) 14 CFR4o9(a)(2) 14 CFR

### 417(a)& (b)

THE FAA,S AUTHORIYY TO GRANT THIS 

### EXEMMO

This exemption 

### appli.6tion issubmitted to 

### fulfill Congress' goal in passing Section 333

### ofthe Reform 

### Ad. This

### lawdirectsthe Secretary of Tra nsportation to consider whether certain unmanned aircraft systems mayoperate safely in

### the NAS before completion 

### ofthe rulemaking required underS€ction 332

### ofthe Reform Act. ln making this determination, the Secretary is required to determine which types 

### of UAS do not create a hazard 

### to Lrsers

### ofthe NAS or

### the public or pose athreat 

### to national security in light of 

### the followinB:



# . The UAS'5 size, weight, speed, and operational capabllity;



# . Proximity

### to al.ports and populated areas; and



# . Operatlon 

### ofthe UAS

### within visual llne of siSht 

### ofthe operator.

Reform Act 5 333(a)-(b). Lastly,

### ifthe Secretary determines 

### that such vehicles 

### "mayoperate safely in

### the national airspace system, the Secretary sha ll esta blish requirements for the safe operatlon of such 

### aircraft inthe national airspace system." ld. 5333{c).

The Federal Aviation Act expressly Srantsthe FAAthe 

### authority to :ssue exemptions. see 49 U.S.C, 5/t4701(f) ('The 

### Administrator may grant an exemption 

### from a 

### requirementofa rcSulation prescribed under subsectlon 

### (a)or (b)

### ofthis section or any sections /14702{4716 

### ofthistitle ifthe Admihistrator findsthe exemption inthe public 

### interest.");see 

### obo49 U.5.C. 9i14711(a);49 U.S.C. S44704; 14 CFR 591.2031aX1). The FAA has previously used its S€ctlon333 and exemptlon 

### authorityto authorize commercial operation of 

### tethered UAs. see Exemption No. 

### 12&5to Allied Drones, Regulatory Docket No. FM-2014-O8(X.
AIRCRAFI, SAFETV FEATURES, AND PUBUC II{IENEST EENEFITS

Blue Vigil's 5UAS are small tethered 

### aircraftthat present 

### minimalsafety risks, asthetechnicaldesign 

### of the 

### airc.aft limits the operator 

### to relatively low 

### altitude, low speed, low-movement 

### operations. These SUAS are 

### rotorc.aft, weighing 15 or

### fewer pounds including payload. One of the defining technical characteristics of Blue Vigil's sUAs 

### lsthat allof the electric power required to operate the rotors and electronics subsystems istransmitted to the SUASvia a multicolored 

### tether cable

### with a maximum lenSth of 150 feet. They operate under normal conditions at asp€edof no mo.e than 2 knots, Because 

### the length of the

### tether i5 relatively short and limited, the SUAS can only operate in line of sight. Further, the operator has no

### abilityto move the stAS horlzontally (horlzontal movement ls llmlted to

### the automated 

### fli8ht controls 

### b.inSihgthe UAS back

### to hover above its ground station lf it has been blown 

### off center by the wind).The onboard fliSht controls are designed 

### to keepthe 5UAS in hover above its ground power station. The only 

### fliShtcontrols available to the 

### operatorare push buttons 

### for "la unch" and 

### "land" and a

### dlalseftingfor althude 

### that ranges 

### from 10

### to 150feet above Sround level("AGL"). Such operations 

### willensure 

### thatthe SUAS

### will"hot create a hazard 

### to users 

### ofthe national airspacesystem or the publlc." Given the smallsize 

### ofthe SUAS involved and 

### the restricted 

### tether-limited zone



### within which 

### theycan fly, the Applicant presents no national security issue and

### willachleyethe 

### levelof safety ConSrcss envlsloned in

### directingthe FAAto allow comrhercial operations of

### t AS

### that may safely operate inthe NAs.

One

### ofdefining characteristics

### ofthissuAS platform is its 

### power-tether subsystem. 

### Allelectric power required 

### forflight istransmitted to the SUASthrough an electrical

### tether cable.

### With the power

### tether the 5UAS lscapable of nearly unlimited fllSht endurance, but

### onlywithin the rone defined by the lenSth 

### ofthe tether. 

### without thetether, the system is incapable 

### offliSht. Similarto moored balloons, 

### the tether inthis SUAS provides a means 

### to limitthe range of the aircraft under hormal operating aondltlons. However, unlike moored balloons or5UASfeatuaing urpowered tethers which 

### would .ontinue to fly free 

### ifthe tether cable were severed, the SUAS operated by ElueVigil would have no 

### potentialto "fly away." The physical length of the

### tether defines the absolute limits of

### the ranSe of

### the sUAs. Any persons

### or property outsidethis range would be safe inthe unlikely event 

### ofa failure of one 

### ofthe crltlcal suAS subsystems. lnthis way the

### tether-powered sUAs has more in common

### wlth 

### cranet manlifts, and camera masts than lt does 

### wlthtraditional ./rtethe.ed SUAS.

The environment inwhich Blue Vigil's UAS is desiSned to operate 

### further contributes to the safety of

### the aircraft. The

### tether-powered SUAS does not pose a harard 

### to other 

### aircraft lnthevicinity when performinS its intended mission unless it is invery close 

### proximityto the end 

### ofan active runway {inside 

### the inner 

### markerand afew degrees

### from center 

### line)or othervery low flying aircraft 

### - the 

### chancesof which are miniscule 

### tiven the

### tether, 150-foot 

### altitude ceilin& and technical impossibility of a 

### "fly 

### away' scenario.

The operation 

### of Blue Vi8il's SUASwill provide significant enhancements to surveillance, area management, and obseNation operations. As

### the FAA has found, an unmanned aerial device provides
an add itional 

### tool for companies, adding a hiSher level of operationa I

### flexibilitythat supplements existing capabilities offered by manned aircraft. 

### Approvalofthis exemption would enhance safety by providinS an option 

### to use a highly 

### cont.olled aerialdevice 

### that remains stationary once deployed, instead of using an untethered device 

### that ls in constant motion while inflight, and

### that could 

### potentially lose contact 

### orcommunication with its operator, thereby compromising 

### controlofthe device. Blue Vigil's UAS isan important 

### tool for entities such 

### asfirst responders,law enforcement, and news media 

### outlets, The ability 

### to use a safe, controlled aircraft to quicklyand efficiently 

### collectcrucial aerialdata 

### will lead 

### to countless public interest benefits, including (1) new vantage 

### pointsforimage and data collection; (2) operations 

### that present 

### little safety 

### riskto those involved, ascompared

### with operations by manned aircraft or by individuals on

### foot in potentially danterous situations; (3)

### faster and more efficient data collection, which

### willallowfor quickeradion; and (41 more 

### cost-efficieht operations.
Grant

### ofthe requested exemptions is inthe public interest dueto enhanced workplace personalsafety, the 

### abilityto galn situationalawareness, and ability to assessthe 

### risksto persons

### within an otherwise hazardous 

### situation. AccordinSly, the Applicant respectfully 

### requeststhatthe FAA Srant

### the requested exemption 

### without delay.

OPERANNG PARAMETERS 

## A D EQUIVALET{T I.EVEI. OF SAFETYThefollowing limitations provide for at least an equivalent or even higher level of 

### s.fety to operationg

under the 

### curent retulatory 

### strudure because 

### the rlsks associated 

### with manned 

### aircraft use would be reduced andthe designfeatures of Blue Vigil's UAs ensure safeoperation 

### with minimal rlsk.

These 

### limitationsand conditions to which glue

### vigil agrees 

### to be boundwhen conducting commerclal operations under an FAA issued exemption includei

1.The SUAS

### willweigh no more than

### than 15 pounds includinS payload. 2. FliShG 

### will be operated 

### within line of sight of the 

### operatortechnician. 3.

### flights wlll be operated at a

### typicil ahitude 

### of 15-50 feet AGL, but no more 

### than 150 feet AGL. 4. Operator technician

### will have been

### trained inoperation ofSUAS and recelved 

### up-to{ate informatlon
on

### the partlcular SUAS

### to be op€rated as required the Operations 

### Manual.l 5. lfthe SUAS loses communications or loses its GPS sitnal, the SUAS 

### will have capability 

### to return 

### to ground station location and safely land. 6.The SUAS

### willhave the 

### capabilityto abort a

### flight in caseof unpredicted obstacles or emergencies,

Blue ViSil notes 

### that this request differs 

### from past requests 

### for exemption in

### th.ee .esp€cts. Specifically, glue ViSil's exemption would 

### permit use: (1) in controlled airspace; (2) at 

### nigh! and (3) bytechnicians who are not licensed 

### pilots, As demonstrated below, the unlque safety features of Blue Vigil's 

### tetherpowered UASensure 

### that the requested operations can be conducted safely 

### underthese circumstances and meet or exceed the tevel of safety required by the current 

### retulatory 

### strudure. 

### h addition, as 

### it gtands 

### the FAA andthe general public are 

### tolerant of kite flying, RCairplane

### flyin& and

### the use

### of tethered balloons for the collection 

### ofweather data, Noneofthese uses 

### requlrea pilot's license, permission 

### from the FSDO or ATC, or demonstration of knowledge of airspace rules. The Blue

### Vitil SUAS have slmllarsi2e, 

### wel8ht and mobllity, 

### theyare much more controllable andthey

### willbe used by

### trained operators.

Blue Vlgll's 

### UAswillachleve an equivalent level of safety 

### for speclfic 

### regulationrfrom which it se€ks exemption:

14 c.F.R.9 

### 61.u3(a) & (b): Prlvate Pllot 

### Prlvlleges.nd Llmltatlom: Pllot in

### command. Sections 61.113(a) & (b) 

### limit private pilots

### to non-commercial operations. gecausethe 

### SUASwillnot carry a pllot or passengers, has extremely limited operational controls, and istethered, 

### the proposed operatlons can achlevethe equivalent 

### levelof safety of current operations by 

### requiringthe operator technician to comply

### withthe Operations Manual and be

### trainedto operate the Blue ViSil's UAs. Unllke aconventlonal aircraft 

### that carries 

### the pilot and pass€ngers, the SUAS is remotely controlled 

### with no 

### livingthint on board. The area 

### ofoperation iscontrolled and lnherently rest.lcted. The level of safety provided by

### the requirements included inthe Operatlons 

### Manualexceedsthat provided by asingle individual holding acommercial pilot's certificate operating a

### convertional aircraft. Becasse a

### traditional pilot's 

### licensewillnot provide operatorc 

### with the requlslte 

### informailonto operate the 

### aircrafl and requires a

### $eat deal 

### oftralnlnS related to the dlfricultles of flying manned, untether€d 

### ai.craft, 

### requl nS such asuperfluous and 

### llFfittint qualification 

### would place an enormous burden on

### the operatoni 

### without providinS cognizable safety beneflts. The rlsks associated 

### wlththe operatlon 

### ofthe SUAS are so diminlshed 

### fiom the level of risk associaled 

### with commercial operations contemplated by


## 1 Blue 

### vigllwillbe submitting adetailed Operations Manualas ao.mendment to this p.tltlon once th€ manual irfinalized.Part

### 6l when drafted, 

### that allowinS operations of the SUAS by aqualified operator technician as

requested meets the present 

### levelof safety 

### a.hieved by 14 C.F.R. 561.113(a) & (b).

lnaddition, as

### with eliglble moored balloons operated pursuant 

### to 14C.F.R. part 101, subpaft B,

### the rlsks assoclated 

### with operating this 

### tether-powered SUAS in compliance 

### with appropriate operating limitations, are so low

### that there are no measurable safety benefits

### to requirlngthat the

### tether op€rator be acertificated 

### pilot. Moreover, glue Vigil's UAS, whlch will come down almost immediately if

### the tether power source ls 

### interrupted, would be far 

### saferthan moored balloons 

### gften used 

### bycommercial establishments

### without FAAauthorizatioh 

### for advertising and

### to make

### their locations .onspicuous

### to shoppers.

14 C.F.R. 091.7(a)! Clvll 

### alrcraft alrvyorthincss, The regulation requires 

### that no person may

### oprate acivil aircraft unless it ls In

### airworthy condltion. As there 

### willbe no airworthiness certificate issued for the aircraft, should this exemption be granted, no FAA regulatory standard 

### willexistfor determining airworthiness. Given the size

### ofthe aircraft and

### the requirements contained inthe Operations 

### Manualfor maintenance and use

### ofsafetycheck lists 

### priorto each flight, an equivalent 

### levelof safety 

### will be provided.

14 €,F.R,

### I 91.103: 

### Pr.flltht a.tlon This regulatlon requires each 

### pllot ln command to take certain actions before

### flightto ensure the safety of f,ight. As FAA-approved 

### rotorcraftflight manuals 

### will not be provided

### for the aircraft, an exemption 

### will be needed. An equivalent level of safety 

### will be provided as set

### forth inthe Operations Manual. The operator wlll take 

### allactions including 

### reviewint weather, powersource requirements, landinS and 

### takeolf dlstances and aircraft pedormance data before 

### initiation 

### offlight.


### t4 C.F.R. 99r,.121

### Altlmetei S€ttlrys This regulation requires each perron op€rating an aircraft 

### to maintain cruisinS

### altitude by reference 

### to
an 

### altimeterthat isset

### to "the elevation 

### ofthe departure 

### airport or an appropriate 

### altimeter settin8 avallable before departure." As the 5UAS mayonly have adigital barometdc 

### sensorand/ora GPS 

### altitude read out, an exemption may be needed. An equivalent level of safety 

### will be achieved by

### the operator, 

### pursuantto the Operations 

### Manualand Preflight Checklist, 

### confirmlngthe altitude

### ofthe launch site shown onthe ground station 

### altitude indicator before 

### flight. Further, the maxlmum 

### altitude of 150 feet ls inherently assured 

### bythe tether lenSth; the operator could not operate the 5UAS at a hlgher 

### altltude,

14 C.f.R. 591.151(al: Fuel 

### Requlrementi 

### tor Flltht lnWR 

### Condttlonr Sectlon 91.151(a) prohibits an individual 

### from beginning "a

### flight in an airplane under VFR condltlons unless {considering wind and

### forecastweather condltions) there is

### enouth 

### fuelto fly to

### thefirst point 

### of intended landin& and, assuminS normalcruising speed

## - (1) 

### Durintthe day,to fly

### afterthatforat least 30 minutes; or {2)At night,to fly after 

### that for at least 45 

### minutes." The tether-powered subsystem 

### of the SUAS provides 

### vlftually unllmited 

### fllght endurance, the only 

### limitation 

### beintthe endurance 

### ofthe ground power source,6iven the limitations onthe SUAS a 30 

### mlnute power reserve

### forfli8ht in dayliSht or 

### nithtVFR conditlons is reasonable.

14 C.F.R, Subpa.t E, 05

### 91./05(.); '|(,7(a)(l); i||lg(ax2); a17(a) & (b): 

### MalntGn.ncs Prcvcntiva Malmenanca, and 

### Alterations These re8ulations 

### requirethat an aircraft operator or owner "shall have 

### that aircraft inspected as prescribed insubpart E

### ofthis part and shall between required inspections, except as provided lnparagraph 

### (c)ofthis sedlon, have dlscrepancles repaired as prescribed in part 43

### ofthis.hapter" 14

C.F.R. S405(a), 

### shallinsped or maintain the aircraft in compliance 

### with Part43, 

### d. ES/O7(aX1), 409{aX2), 417(a} and 

### (b). Given that th€se

### sedion and Part 43 apply only to aircraft 

### with an airwonhiness 

### certiti.ate, these sections 

### willnot apply to 

### theApplicant. Maintenance

### willbe accomplished by the operator 

### puBuantto the Flight Op€rations and Procedures as referenced in

### th€ Operations Manual.

An equivalent 

### levelofsafety 

### willbe achieved b€cause these smallSUAS are very 

### limited in size and

### will carry asmall payload. lf mechanlcal issues ari5e,the 5UAS can land immediately and

### will be operating 

### from no 

### hiSherthan L50 feet AGL. As provlded inthe 

### OpeEtions Manual, the operator 

### will ensure

### that the sUAs is inworkin8 order 

### priorto initiating 

### flight perform required basic maintenancg and keep a log

### ofany maintenance performed. Moreover, the operator 

### isthe person most

### familiarwith the 

### aircraft and bestsulted to malntain the 

### aircraft in an 

### alrworthy condition 

### to provide the equivalent level

### of safety. 

### gtisfaction 

### ofthe criteria provided in Section 333 of

### the Reform Act of 

### 2012-si2e, weight, speed, operating capabilities, proximity to airports and operation 

### within visual line of sight and national 

### security-provide more than adequate 

### iustlfication for the grant of

### the requested exemptions allowing commerclal operatlon 

### ofApplicant's 5UAS inthe news media, law 

### enforcement and

### first responder industries 

### pursuantto the Operations Manual.

14 C.F.R. 991.129, 91.130, 

### 91.13t Op.ratlom in Controllcd 

### Ar.p.cc These regulations requlrevarlous permissions, minimum equipment requirements, and PIC license requirements 

### for operatlons 

### withln classes B, C,

### & Dalrspace. These restrictions were contemplated and revised oveatlme to ensure the safety of air

### traffic around 

### busyairpofts.

Blue

### vigil's suAS has 

### llmited mobllity and a maximum altitude 

### of 150feet AGI-. 

### Further,lts altitude can be adiusted by the operator 

### with a matter of leconds 

### from maximum altitude 

### to land. An equivalent 

### levelof safety 

### will be achieved becausethese smallsLJAs are very limited in slze and rage of ope.ations. Their operations 

### wlthln controlled airspa.e 

### would pose a lower 

### rlskto air safety than child flying a kite in
a park nearan 

### airport. Be@use its maximum weight is 15 lbs. and itsgroundspeed Is2ero inthe unlikely event of a

### fullforce collision

### with an aircraft would be less than

### thatofa bird strike and far 

### more preventable.

The Operations Manualwarns operators not

### to use the SUASwith 

## l mile of active runwayapproach 

### or departure path and 

### that they must be

### fahlliarwith restricted and prohibited ai6pace.

14 C.F,R. S91,2Olr: 

### Alrcraft 

### llthB.nd nltht tlm€

### oper.tlons These re8ulations require

### the use of position and anti-collision 

### lightint. The regulationswere contemplated 

### to assist ATC and pllots in VFRconditions and onthe Sround in

### theirduty to see and avoid other aircraft and objects.

Slue 

### vigil's

### suAswillhavea smallwhite or red l-CD 

### litht that can be s€en

### bythe operator 

### from 

### upto its maximum distance 

### from the

### tround station 

### of 150 feet away. However, due

### tothe low weight and power consumption 

### ofthe UAS, it is

### impradicalfor thls aircraft to carry lights 

### that are large and luminous enough 

### to meet the standards of liShts used on manned aircraft. An equivalent 

### levelofsafety will be achieved because the 

### suASwill not be operated at or near airporta or at altitudes 

### that conflict with other alr

### traffC,SUMMARY FOR THE FED€NAT REGISTER



### Petitioner 

### Blueviqil sections oJ 14 C.F.R.

### AIIeded 61.113{a); 91.7{a); 91.103; 91.121; 91.129; 91.130; 91.131; 91.151(a); 91.209; 91.40s(a); 407(aX1); ao9(aX2);417(a) & (b) Descripton 

### of Relid Soughti Pursuant 

### to 14 C.F.R. part 11 and Sedion 333

### ofthe FAA Modernization and Reform Act, 

### petitioner requests exemptlon 

### from 14 C.F.R, 9$ 61.113(a); 91.7(a); 91.103;91.121; 91,129; 91.130;91.131; 91.151{a); 91.209; 91.405(a); 407(aX1); 409(aX2); 

### 417(a}& (b), and any 

### other reBulations 

### the 

### FM deems necessaryto 

### operatetethered unmanned aerielsystems (UAS)

### forthe purpose of 

### aerialdata collection, 

### corcrusroN

Blue Vigll's 

### tethered UAS has the potential 

### to be an essential component of data collection and

### the overall operations 

### offirst responders, law enforcement, media outlets, and

### other entities. The unique features of lts design

### offer an unparalleled level of safety 

### that non-tethered UASsimply cannot achieve, including a 150-foot 

### altitude ceilin& asubstantially limited operationalarea, and no

### opportunity

### fora ',fly

### awa/ scenario. Because of thewide variety of applications, 

### the immense public benefit, and

### the minimalrisksto people and property created by BlueViSil's UAS, agrant 

### ofthe exemption requested herein 

### will help

### the FAA

### fulfill its objectives as required by Section 333 of the FMRA. Assuch, Blue VlSll respectfully requests 

### that the 

### FAABrantthis petition.
Respectf ully 

### submitted, 

# Tw-*

Todd Stave CEO, Blue Vigil