6 July 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Docket Management System 

1200 New Jersey Ave., SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Re: Docket FAA 2015-1228, Petition for Amendment to Exemption No. 11881

Dear Sir or Madam: 

Empire Unmanned received FAA Exemption No. 11881 on June 23, 2015 authorizing us to operate

several DJI multi-rotor aircraft to conduct aerial surveying, aerial photography, agriculture, wildlife 

and forestry monitoring, wild land firefighting support, patrolling, aerial inspection, real estate 

surveying, crew member training, and mapping operations. This petition is for an amendment to 

that Exemption, namely to operate the SenseFly eXom multi-rotor UAS for the same purposes and 

benefits. 

The eXom, weighting 3.7 pounds (Maximum Take Off Weight), contains a rich array of 

advanced integrated sensors. These sensors work together to provide the user with full situational 

awareness and support obstacle avoidance:

• Five ‘Navcam’ vision sensors allow the operator to see in the direction the drone is moving via 

its flight control software, without needing to turn the system’s TripleView camera head. This 

technology is unique in such a lightweight UAS, similar to the visual parking sensors in modern 

cars, but brought into a 3D flight environment.

• Five ultrasonic proximity sensors work in harmony with eXom’s Navcams to ensure the 

operator always knows the drone’s distance from nearby objects. (The drone’s shock absorbent 

carbon fiber shrouding is also always on hand to protect its rotors in case of surface contact.)

• Numerous other sensors, including inertial measurement units, barometers, magnetometers, 

GPS and magnetic encoders, maximize the drone’s stability and safety.

The eXom offers different flight modes to the pilot: semi-automatic mode which consists of 

GPS-based waypoint navigation and the interactive ScreenFly mode, which uses the supplied 

joypad to navigate and orientate the drone via computer screen. The Screenfly mode includes 

flight assistance features such as cruise control and distance lock. An RC-based manual control 

is always available as a backup means of control.

The eXom was developed with flexible material in order to absorb potential shocks, and includes

unique carbon-fiber shrouding to protect the propellers. The eXom also includes redundancy in 

the command and control system. In case something happens to the primary autopilot, the eXom 

will switch automatically to the secondary autopilot.

Empire Unmanned will comply with all of the conditions and limitation imposed by Exemption 

11881 and will update and maintain the technical manuals for the additional aircraft. Because 
the requested amendment would not set any precedent or otherwise raise any new issues, we 

request the FAA to issue a summary grant based on the preceding exemptions.

The name and contact information of the applicant are:

Empire Unmanned LLC

Attn: Bradley Ward

Ph: 208-292-3850

Email: bradw@adavso.com

We are prepared to modify or amend any part of this request to satisfy the need for an equivalent 

level of safety. We look forward to working with your office. Please contact us at any time if 

you require additional information or clarification. 

Sincerely,

Bradley J. Ward

Chief Pilot, Empire Unmanned