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Michael A. Sackman

3162 Andover Court

Greenwood, IN 46142

Phone: 317-903-8934

Email: michaelsack@yahoo.com

FAA UAS Cert#: FA3TXP3LHF

To whom it may concern;

This letter is regards to petition FAA Section 333: Title 14 CFR

My name is Mike Sackman and I am an aspiring aerial 

photographer/videographer part time as well as a full time employee as a Medical 

Laboratory Technologist of 13 years. I have logged over 500 hours flying my UAV 

the DJI Phantom 3. Even more hours with the DJI Phantom 2 Vision. What first 

started as a hobby has since became apparent to me that the possibilities of use 

for the Phantom UAV have expanded the recreational use and should be utilized 

for more of a professional platform. The videos and photography I’ve shared with 

friends/family have feedback that goes beyond complimentary with such 

adjective verbiage as “amazing”, “is that real” and “astounding”. While I’d like to 

take credit for the work I do but I realize that the amazing camera attached to the 

Phantom does most of the work and all I do is fly it. 

My flight photographs have since reached more than the intended 

audience and that’s where the “professional side” has manifested itself. People 

have used social media to share my work and it has made it way to the general 
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public which includes real estate agencies, agriculture, and private people 

wanting to frame an aerial picture of their property and now even event planners 

wanting aerial pictures. We are reluctant to do business unless it is fully legal and 

approved through the FAA. I always strictly abide by the FAA recommendations 

when flying my drone which include;

 Flying below 400 ft.

 No flying near airports, stadiums, or other people.

 Don’t be careless or reckless.

 Keep UAS in line of sight.

 Keep away from emergency responders

 Don’t fly under influence of drugs or alcohol

 Intentions of flight are for the purposes of real estate, agricultural and 

private photography use. 

-Aerial picture of houses from front, back and side.

-Aerial pictures of businesses from front back and side.

-Farmer expressed use of my UAV for inspection of crops, fields and 

outlying building.

 Safety Operations- Preflight checklist:

-Inspection of UAV and components including making sure firmware is up-todate. Inspection includes:

*Never fly within 5 nautical miles of any airport. Phantom 3 DJi App has built 

in “no fly zones” for added safety.

*Always test Phantom 3 Advanced at around 10-20 feet after takeoff to 

ensure GPS hold is accurate and set.

*Propellers: No cracks, dents, balanced, threads are not worn and replace 

frequently using only manufacturer recommended high quality propellers.

*Motors: Check mounting screws to make sure they are not loose and are 

tightly secured.
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*Frame: No stress fractures, cracks, dents, gimbal dampeners are not worn.

*Walk around flight are to make sure there are no visible obstruction of 

flights i.e. trees, towers, power lines, street poles, cell phone towers, storm 

warning towers, etc.

*Experienced spotter is available for all flights to confirm.

*Never, ever fly near other aircraft.

*Battery is charged and properly seated. This, in case, is a major issue for 

power failure.

*No people will be at any danger in case of power or mechanical failure.

*RC is up to date on firmware and is overall good mechanical condition.

*Phantom compass is calibrated to the GPS signal in every area for 

designated flight and in case of GPS failure line of sight will be established 

and used for basis as “home point” and safety features such as course lock

and home lock are utilized. 

*Maximum altitude is set at 200ft in the DJI Go app. Return Home Altitude 

set to avoid any obstacles, IMU is calibrated if necessary. 

*No adverse weather conditions that would directly impact visual line of 

sight such as fog, rain, snow, smoke.

Features of Phantom 3 for safety: Phantom 3 

Advanced complies with part 15 of FCC Rules.

As stated in the manual which can be found herehttp://www.dji.com/product/phantom/download?www=v1

 Automatic go home in case of lost signal or low battery. I’ve 

tested this feature multiple times in open farmland and has never 

failed. I set the pre-designated “return to home” altitude and the 

Phantom 3 returned to home within 2 meters of take off point.
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 Built in “No fly zones” which will make the UAV return to home in 

case of entering restricted airspace which is included in a circle of 

red area in the built in flight navigation/GPS map.

 Home Lock: Keeps the nose of the aircraft pointed at take off 

point in case of loss of orientation.

 Return to home bottom on RC. In case of RIC and spotter loss of 

sight the Phantom 3 has a return to home button that when 

depressed the Phantom 3, as long as compass calibration is 

successful with return to home or in enough visible sight enough 

for PIC to depress button and regain complete control. 

 Maximum speed for Phantom 3 is 40 miles per hour, well under 

the 100mph maximum limit. For aerial pictures a high speed is 

not necessary.

With my first UAV my main concern has always been safety because 

after all, what comes up must come down, which is why I always take 

necessary precautions as well as spotter back up from a trained UAV pilot 

including everything listed above. I live in Greenwood, IN and so far this is

an emerging field that is relatively new and exciting to my geographic area. 

I would like to get ahead of the competition and of course make this a legal 

endeavor. From the information I have gathered from regular 

photographers of the information they provided in regards to the price they 

charge, I can do this at a substantially lower price and give the public a view 

of their prospected house, or business as well as the neighborhood in which 

they intent to move. Regular photography is somewhat one dimensional 

and with the Phantom 3 I can give them a “birds eye view” while saving 

everyone time and money. My insurance agent is waiting on an approval 

letter from the FAA before we can get a quote started and move forward. 

I appreciate the time in considering my petition. If there is any other 

information needed that I haven’t provided please let me know and I will 

promptly respond. Again, thanks for your time.

Respectfully submitted;

Michael A. Sackman
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