Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC						Supplemental	Information							July	27,	2015 Page	1

UNITED	STATES	OF	AMERICA	

DEPARTMENT	OF	TRANSPORTATION	

FEDERAL	AVIATION	ADMINISTRATION

WASHINGTON,	DC

IN	THE	MATTER	OF	THE	PETITION	FOR	EXEMPTION	OF:	

GOWDY	BROTHERS	AERSOPACE

FOR	AN	EXEMPTION	SEEKING	RELIEF	FROM	

THE	REQUIREMENTS	OF	TITLE	14	OF	

THE	CODE	OF	FEDERAL	REGULATIONS	

Supplemental	Information	to	the	April 30,	2015	Submission	

from

Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC.

Posted	on	the	FAA	Website	: 05/08/2015

ID: FAA-2015-1536-0001

Supplemental	Information,	July	27,	205	

Gowdy Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC

1540	Yorkshire	Lane,	

Shakopee,	MN	55379	

763-496-9551	

Steve@GowdyBrothers.com
Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC						Supplemental	Information							July	27,	2015 Page	2

Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace	has	determined	it	is necessary	to	provide	supplemental	

information	to the	original	request:

1.) Increase	number	of	approved	sUAV’s	(aircraft)	on	the	original	request	and;

2.) Increase	the	requested	purposes.

Please	find	attached	the	following:

1.) A	complete	list	of	all	requested	aircraft;

2.) A	complete	list	of	all	of	the	proposed	purposes;

Additionally,	submitted	and	to	be	treated	as	confidential	Information in	Appendix	AG

Appendix	A	- Exemption	Pattern

Appendix	B	- Technical	Manuals	and	Specs

Appendix C	- Commercial	(Mission/Operation)	Purposes	– FAA	Previously	

approved	Exemption	Numbers

Appendix D	- Equipment	- FAA	Previously	approved	Exemption	Numbers

Appendix E	- Exemption 14	C.F.R	- FAA	Previously	approved	Exemption	Numbers

Appendix F	- Monthly	Maintenance	and	Repair	Log

Appendix G	– Motion	Picture	and	Television	Flight	Operations	Manual	Ver.	1.0	

(MPTFOM)

1.)	Gowdy	Brothers	(petitioner) is	 seeking	 an	 exemption	to	 commercially	operate	

the	following	sUAV’s	makes	and	models:	

This	includes	the	entire	list	of	aircraft	the	petitioner is	requesting	to	be	granted:

DJI	- Phantom	2,	DJI	- Phantom	3,	DJI	- Inspire	1,	DJI	– Spreading	Wings	S800,	DJI	–

Spreading	Wings	S900,	DJI	– Spreading	Wings	S1000,	DJI	– Matrix	100,	Cinestar	8	

Octo and	 MK	 Heavy	 Lift,	 Altavian	 Nova	 F6500,	 CCO	 w/Wkm	 M, Blade	 350	 QX3,	

3DRobotics	 X8,	 3DRobotics	 Iris,	 3DRobotics	 Solo,	 SenseFly	 eBee,	 Yuneec	 Q500	

Typhon,	DraganFlyer	X4-ES,	Trimble UX5,	Microdrones	MD4,	Tayzu	Robotics	Titan	

X8,	Movi	Freefly	ALTA.

Each	 separately	 weighs	 55	 lbs.	 or	 less,	 with	 imaging	 payload	 and	 applicable	

equipment.

Equipment	 operation	manuals	for	 each	 sUAV	 are	 included	for	 your	 reference	 and	

are	considered	confidential	information	for	each	respective	company’s	UAS	and	are	

affixed	separately	in	these	documents	labeled	Appendix.
Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC						Supplemental	Information							July	27,	2015 Page	3

2.) Gowdy	 Brothers	 (petitioner) is	 seeking	 an	 exemption	 for	 the	 following	

Commercial	(Mission/Operation)	Purpose:

This	 includes	 the	 entire	 list	 of	 Commercial	 (Mission/Operation)	 Purposes	 the	

petitioner	is	requesting	to	be	granted:

This	exemption	request, once	granted	would	allow	the	petitioner	to	operate	a	small	

unmanned	aerial	vehicle	(sUAV),	unmanned	aircraft	system	(UAS)	to	conduct	bridge	

Inspections,	flare	stack	inspection,	utility-power	generation	system	inspections	and	

patrolling,	 aerial	 inspection,	 photography	 and	 videography	 of	 residential	 and	

commercial real	estate,	weddings,	aerial	inspection,	photography	and	videography	

of	 utility	 infrastructure	 including	 but	 not	 limited	 to	 electrical	 power	 lines,	 wind	

turbines	 and	 cell	 towers,	 pipeline	 inspection	 and	 patrolling,	 filmmaking,	

cinematography,	 and	 videography,	 precision	 agriculture	 with	 on	 board	 sensors,	

wildlife	and	forestry	monitoring and	mosquito	and	insect	control, aerial	surveying,	

construction	site	inspection	and	monitoring,	public	entity	support	operations,	Aerial	

imaging	 for	 safety,	 monitoring	 and	 comparing	 work	 efforts	 and	 completion	

percentages,	 and	 security	 of	 controlled	 environment	 of	 various	 sites,	 aerial	 video	

and	live	video	feed	to	assist	with	search	and	rescue	operations	under	the	authority	

and	support	of	local	authority	officials,	aerial	video	and	photography	for	public	and	

private	 use	 including	 television,	 public	 events,	 and	 cinematography	 live	 feed	 and	

live	newsgathering,	training	to	persons	individually	or	belonging	to	both	private	and	

public	 organizations	 to	 increase	 awareness	 and	 improve	 safety	 for	 current	 and	

future	 UAS	 operations	 within	 the	 NAS,	 special events:	 including	 high	 schools,

colleges,	professional	sports,	open	air	events	and	fairs,	research,	risk	management	

and	 assessment,	 motion	 picture	 production1,	 surface	 mining,	 closed	 set	 filming2,	

disaster	and	catastrophe	events.

																																																							

1 Motion	Picture	and	Television	Flight	Operations	Manual	is	herein	attached	as	

Appendix	G.

2 Motion	Picture	and	Television	Flight	Operations	Manual	for	closed	set	filming	is	

herein	attached	as	Appendix	G.
Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC						Supplemental	Information							July	27,	2015 Page	4

Expeditious	Summary	Grant	Approval	Request

The	 petitioner	 requests	 the	 agency	 issue	 a	 summary	 grant	 process	 for	 this	

application.	Petitioner	has	provided	in	a	confidential	document	attachment	labeled	

as	petitioner	proprietary	information,	specific	exemption	numbers	whereby	the	FAA	

has	 already	 granted	 a	 previous	 exemption	 similar	 or	 identical	 to	 each	 and	 every	

request,	herein.	

For	the	FAA’s	benefit,	Petitioner,	Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC,	has	 researched,	

categorized	 and	 arranged	 all	 631	 exemptions	 granted	 as	 of	 June	 23,	 2015	 into	 a	

usable	searchable	database,	based	upon	the	following	criteria:	date	submitted,	date	

grant	issued,	time	to	petition	grant,	petitioner,	petitioner’s	state,	exemption	number,	

sUAV	 equipment	 type,	 grant	 purpose	 (mission/operation),	 along	 with	 other	

supporting	data.		

Petitioner	 has	 identified	 four	 previous	 approved	 exemptions for	 each	 of	 the	

Petitioners	FAA	submission	requests:

 Commercial	(mission/operation)	purposes;

 Type	of	sUAV’s	(UAS);

 Title	14	Exemptions	(exemption	pattern	referenced	in	appendix	A)3

Thank	you	for	your consideration,

Stephen	Gowdy	

Chief	Pilot,	Gowdy	Brothers	Aerospace,	LLC.

1540	Yorkshire	Lane

Shakopee,	MN	55379

www.GowdyBrothers.com

Steve@GowdyBrothers.com

																																																							

3 Petitioner	 submits	the	Appendix	 and	 Manuals	 marked	“CONFIDENTIAL,”	 as	they	

contain	 proprietary	 confidential	 business	 information	 that	 is	 not	 released	 to	 the	

public	and	is	protected	under	the	Freedom	of	Information	Act	5	USC	§552	et.	seq.	5	

Reform	Act	Section	333	(b).