April 7 , 2015

A t tention: United States Secretary of Transportation Mr. Anthony R Fox 120 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590

Re: Exemption Request Section 3 3 3 of the FAA Reform Act and Part 1 of the Federal Aviation Regulations from 14 CFR 45.23(b); 14 CFR Part 21; 14 CFR 61.13 (a) & (b); 91.7 (a); 91.9 (b) (2); 91.103 (b); 91.109; 91.19; 91.121; 91.151 (a); 91.203 (a) & (b); 91.409 (a) (2); 91.417 (a) & (b)

Dear Mr. Secr etary,

Pursuant t o Section 3 3 3 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the Reform Act)
and 14 CFR Part 1, Innovative Imaging and Research (I2R) , a research developer and operator of
Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“sUASs”) equipped to conduct ae rial photography for environmental site monitoring, emergency response

, and UAS imaging research hereby applies for an exemption from the listed Federal Aviation Regulations (“FARs”) to allow commercial operation of its sUASs (Multi

- Rotor), so long as such operations are conducted within and under
the conditions outlined herein or as may be established by the FAA as required by Section 3 33

. As described more fully below, the requested exemption would permit t he operation of small, unmanned and relatively in expensive sUAS under controlled conditions in airspace that is 1) limited 2) predetermined 3) controlled as to access and 4) would provide safety enhancements to
the above mentioned application areas currently using conventional aircraft to gather image da ta

. Approval of this exemption would thereby enhance safety and fulfil the Secretary of

T ransportation’s (the FAA Administrator’s) responsibilities to “...establish requirements for the safe operation of such aircraft systems in the national airspace system. ” Section 3 3 3 (c) of the
Reform Act.The name and address of the applicant is:

Innovative Imaging & Research (I2R)

Attn: Richard Brown
Phone: 228

- 688

- 1236
Email: rbrown @i2rcorp.com
Address: Bldg 1103 Suite 140C

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529

Regulations from which the exemption is requested:
14 CFR Part 21 14 CFR 45.23 (b) 14 CFR 61.13 (a) & (b) 14 CFR 91.7 (a) 14 CFR 91.9 (b) (2)
14 CFR 91.103
14 CFR 91.109
14 CFR 91.1 1 9
14 CFR 91.121 14 CFR 91.151 ( a) 14 CFR 91.203 (a) & (b) 14 CFR 91.405 (a) 14 CFR 407 (a) (1) 14 CFR 409 (a) (2) 14 CFR 417 (a) & (b)This exemption application is expressly submitted to fulfil l Congress’ goal in passing Section

3 3 3 (a) through (c) of the Reform Act. This directs the Secretary of Transportation to consider whether certain unmanned aircraft systems may operate safely in the national airspace system (NAS) before completion of the rulemaking required under Section 3 3 2 of the Reform Act. In making this determination, the Secretary is required to determine which types of UASs do not create a hazard to users of the NAS or the public or pose a threat to national security in light of the following:

The UAS’s size, weight, sp e ed, and operational capability: Operation of t he UAS in close proximity to airports and populated areas; and Operation of the UAS within Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) of the Pilot and Observers.

Reform Act §333 (a). Lastly, if the Secretary determines that such vehicles “may operate safely

in the nati onal airspace system, the Secretary shall establish requirements for the safe operation of such aircraft in the national airspace system.” Id. §333 (c).

The Federal Aviation Act expressly grants the FAA the authority to issue exemptions. This
statutory au thority by its terms includes exempting civil aircraft, as the term is defined under §40101 of the Act, that includes sUASs, from the requirement that all civil aircraft must have a current airworthiness certificate. The Administrator may grant an exemptio n from a requirement of a regulation prescribed under subsection (a) or (b) of this section or any sections 4 4 702

- 4 4 716
of this ti t le if the Administrator finds the exemption in the public interest. 49 U.S.C. § 4 4704; 14 CFR §91.203 (a) (1).I2R’ s s UA Ss are rotorcraft weighing 20 or fewer lbs. including sensor payload. The rotorcraft

are operated , under normal conditions at a sp e ed of no more than 3 0 knots and have the capability to hover, and move in the vertical and horizontal plane simultaneously. T hey wil l manually operate only in VLOS and wi l l operate only within the sterile area described in the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) attached in Appendix C

. Adherence to the SOP will insure
that t he sUAS wil l “not create a hazard to the national airspa ce system or the public.”

Given the small size and weight of the sUAS involved and the restricted sterile environment within which they will operate, the applicant falls squarely within that zone of safety (an equivalent level of safety) in which Congres s envisioned that t he FAA must, by exemption,
allow commercial operations of UASs to commence immediately. Also due to the size of the
UASs and the restricted areas in which the relevant sUAS will operate, approval of the application presents no national security issue . Given the clear direction in Section 3 3 3 of the Reform Act, the authority contained in the Federal Aviation Act, as amended; the strong equivalent level of safety surrounding the proposed operations and significant pub lic benefit in the proposed operational usage including enhanced environmental awareness

, enhanced emergency response capability, and associated societal benefits arrived at through research initiatives performed by I2R that support those two areas , the gr ant of the requested exemptions is in the public interest. Accordingly , the applicant respectfully requests that t he FAA approve the requested exemption.AIRCRAFT AND EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF SAFETY

The applicant proposes that t he exemption requested herein apply to civil aircraft t hat have the characteristics and that operate with the limitations listed herein. These limitations provide for at least an equivalent or even higher level of safety to operations to the already safe environmental monitoring and e mergency response operations conducted with conventional aircraft. These
limitations and condition s to which I2R agrees to be bound when conducting commercial operations under an FAA issued exemption include:

1. The sUAS will weigh less than 20 lbs.
2. Fl ights will be operated manually within visual line of sight (VLOS) of the Pilot and aircrew (Observer). Automated mission flight segments may be pre

- programmed and activated by the Pilot while still maintaining VLOS. 3. Maximum total flight time for each o perational flight will be less than 30 minutes. Flights will
be terminated at 25% battery power reserve should that occur prior to the 30 minute limit. 4. Flights will be operated at an altitude of no more than 40 0 feet AGL in the area where airborne
data collection is planned

. 5. Minimum two (2) man crew for each sUAS operation will consist of the Pilot and Observer.
6. The sUAS Pilot will have passed a n FAA private pilot’s knowledge test and second class
medical. The Observer wil l not be operating the aircraft but the PIC will ensure that the Observer can perform the VLOS requirements of operations.
7. The sUAS Pilot will serve as Pilot in Command (PIC). If a pilot certificate holder other than the sUAS Pilot, who possess es the necessary PIC qualifications, is also present on location , that person can also be designated as PIC

. 8. The sUAS will only be operate d by the PIC within a confined “Sterile Area” as defined in the

SOP

. 9. A pre

- flight briefing will be conducted in regard to the pla n ned sUAS operation prior to each day’s flight activities

. It will be mandatory that all p ersonnel who will be performing duties within the boundaries of the safety perimeter be present for this briefing.

1 0 . Pilot and Observer will have been trained in operation of sUAS generally and received up

- to

date information on the sUAS to be operated.

1 1

. The Observer and Pilot will at all times be able to communicate by voice or radio/cell phone. 12. Any required permissions and permits will be obtained from territorial, state, county or city jurisdictions, including local law enforcement, fire, or other appropriate governmental agencies.

1 3 . If the sUAS loses communications or loses its GPS signal, the s UAS has a failsafe enabled to return to a pre

- determined location within the Security Perimeter and land.

1 4 . The sUAS will h ave the capability have its flight aborted in case of unpredicted obstacles or emergencies that are observed by the Flight Crew.14 CFR Part 21, Subpart H: Airworthiness Certificates 14 CFR §91.203 (a)(1)

Subpart H, entitled Airworthiness Certificates , establishes the procedural requirements for the
issuance of airworthiness certificates as required by FAR §91.203 (a) (1). Given the size and limited operating area associated with the aircraft to be utilized by the Applicant , an exemption
from Part 21 S ubpart H meets the requirements of an equivalent level of safety under Part 1 1 and
Section 3 3 3 of the Reform Act. The Federal Aviation Act (49 U.S.C. §4 4 701 (f) and Section 3 3 3 of the Reform Act both authorize the FAA to exempt aircraft from the requiremen t capability

, and proximity to airports and populated areas of the particular UAS.

Safety Mitigation : The s UASs selected by I2R are safe when taking into account their size, weight, speed, and operational capability. The s UASs weigh less than 20 pounds and will be flown at less than 30 miles per hour and outside controlled airspace unless prior permission is granted by controlling agency. Additionally, the s UASs carry neither pilots nor passengers, carry no explosive materials and or flammable li quid fuels, and operate exclusively within the parameters stated in the Operator’s Manuals and SOPs. Operations under this exemption will be closely controlled and monitored by the operator and will be conducted in compliance with local public safety and security requirements.

I2R will also provide the FAA with advance notice of all operations via communication with the nearest airport ATC . In all cases, the s UAS operated under the proposed conditions, will be at least as safe as, or safer than conventiona l rotorcraft operating with
an airworthiness certificate without the restrictions and conditions of the proposed UAS operations.

14 CFR §45.23 (B): Marking of the Aircraft

The regulation requires: When marks include only the Roman capital letter “N” and the registration number is displayed on limited, restricted or light

- sport category aircraft or experimental or provisionally certificated aircraft, the operator must also display on that aircraft near each entrance to the cabin, cockpit, or pilot station, in letters not less than 2 inches nor more than 6 inches high, the words “limited,” “restricted”, “light

- sport,” “experimental,” or “provisional,” as applicable

. Even though the UAS will have no airworthiness certificate , an exemption may be needed as the UAS will have no entrance to the cabin, cockpit or pilot station on which the word “Experimental” can be placed. Given the size of the sUAV, two

- inch lettering will be impossible . The word “Experimental” will be placed on the fuselage in compliance with § 45.29 (f).

Safety Mitigation : The equivalent level of safety will be provided by having the sUAS marked on its fuselage as required by §45.29 (f) where those working with the sUAS will se e the
identification of the UAS as “Experimental.” The FAA has issued the following exemptions to this regulation to Exemptions Nos. 107 0 0, 8738, 10167 and 10167A.14 CFR §61. 1 13 (a) & (b): Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations

- Pilot in Command

(PIC)

Sections 61. 1 13 (a) & (b) limit s private pilots to non

- commer cial operations. Because the UAS
will not carry a pilot or passengers , the proposed operations can achieve the equivalent level of safety of current operations by requiring the PIC operating the aircraft to have a private pilot’s license rather than a comm ercial pilot’s license to operate this small UAS. Unlike a
conventional aircraft t hat ca r ries the pilot and passengers , the sUAS is remotely controlled with no living thing on board. The area of operation is controlled and restricted, and all flights are

p lanned and coordinated in advance as set forth in the Manual. The level of safety provided by the requirements included in the SOP exceeds that provided by single individual holding a commercial pilot’s certificate operating a conventional aircraft. The ri sks associated with commercial operations contemplated by Part 61 when drafted, that allowing operations of the sUAS as requested with a private pilot as the PIC exceeds the present level of safety achieved by 14 CFR §61. 1 13 (a) & (b).

Safety Mitigation: Petitioner seeks to ensure safe operation by ensuring that any PIC is thoroughly versed in airspace and communication issues pertaining to all aircraft operators but also in the unique aspects of UAS flight. The PICs of I2R will have successfully completed ground pilot school

. I2R will require a ny PIC to have at a minimum completed private pilot’s ground school, pass a FAA private pilot’s knowledge test and adhere to the SOP listed in Appendix C

.

We find that the combination of aeronautical knowledge, UAS airmanship skills through regular flight time logged , and verification through remaining current is a sufficient method to evaluate a pilot’s qualifications, given that operations will be conducted within
the limitations outlined in this petition.

14 CFR §91.7 (a): Civil Aircraft Airworthiness

The regulation requires that no person may operate a civil aircraft unless it is in airworthy
condition . As there will be no airworthiness certificate issued for the aircraft, should this exemption be granted, no FAA regulatory standard will exist for determining airworthiness

. Given the size of the aircraft and the requirements contained in the SOP for maintenance and use
of pre

- flight safety check lists prior to each flight, an equivalent level of safety will be provided.

The UASs to be operated by I2R are safe when taking into account their size, weight, speed, and operational capability. The UASs weigh less than 20 pounds and will be flown at less than 30 miles per hour and outside cont rolled airspace unless prior permission is granted by controlling agency. Additionally, the UASs carry neither pilots nor passengers, carry no explosive materials and or flammable liquid fuels, and operate exclusively within the parameters stated in the Op erator’s Manuals and SOPs.

The FAA has stated that no exemption is needed from this section if a finding is made under the Reform Act that the UAS selected provides an equivalent level of safety when compared toaircraft normally used for the same applica tion. (Regulatory Docket No. FAA

- 2014

- 0352).

These criteria are met, and therefore no exemption is needed.

14 CFR §91.9 (b) (2): Civil Aircraft Flight Manual in the Aircraft

Section 91.9 (b) (2) provides: No person may operate a U.S.

- registered civil a ircraft ... (2) For which an Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual is not required by §21.5 of this chapter,
unless there is available in the aircraft a current approved Airplane or Rotorcraft Flight Manual, approved manual material, markings, and placards, or any combination thereof. The sUAS, given its size and configuration has no ability or place to carry such a flight manual on the aircraft, not only because there is no pilot on board, but because there is no roo m or capacity to carry such an item on the aircraft.

Safety Mitigation: An equivalent level of safety will be provided by following the SOP and pre

- flight
checklist . The PIC will take all required preflight actions

- including performing all required chec klists and reviewing weather, flight requirements, battery charge, landing and takeoff distance, aircraft performance data, and identifying safe landing areas

- before initiation of flight. The equivalent level of safety will be maintained by keeping the checklist and SOP at the ground station with the operators at all times where the pilot flying the sUAS will have immediate access to it. The FAA has issued the following exemptions to this regulation: Exemption Nos. 8607, 8737, 8738, 929 9 , 929 9 A, 9565, 95 65B, 10167, 10167A

, 10602, 32827, and 1070 0.

14 CFR §91.103: Preflight Action

This regulation requires each pilot in command to take certain actions before flight to insure the safety of f

light. As FAA approved rotorcraft flight manuals will not be provi ded for the aircraft an exemption will be needed

.

Safety Mitigation: An equivalent level of safety will be provided by following the SOP and pre

- flight checklist. The PIC will take all required preflight actions

- including performing all required checklists and reviewing weather, flight requirements, battery charge, landin g and takeoff distance, aircraft performance data, and identifying safe landing areas

- before initiation of flight.

14 CFR §91.109: Flight Instruction

Section 91.103 provides that no person may operate a civil aircraft (except a manned free
balloon ) th at is being used for flight instruction unless that aircraft has fully functioning dual
controls. s UASs and remotely piloted aircraft, by their design do not have fully functional dualcontrols. Flight control is accomplished through the use of a handheld remote control (RC)

transmitter that communicates with the aircraft via radio communications. The FAA has approved exemptions for flight training without fully functional dual controls for a number of aircraft and for flight instruction in experimental air craft.

Safety Mitigation: Given the size and speed of the UAS employed by I2R , an equivalent level of safe training can still be performed without dual controls because no pilot or passengers are aboard the UAS and all persons will be at a safe distance away in the event that the UAS encounters any difficulties during flight instruction. In addition, we will conduct flight training at local Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) fields or other approved
locations. These training flights will be conducted in full compliance with AMA field safety and operational rules. The FAA has stated (Regulatory Docket No. FAA

- 2014

- 0352) that no exemption is required. Also see Exemptions Nos. 5 7 78K & 9862A.

14 CFR §91. 1 19: Minimum Safe Altitudes

Section 91. 1 19 establishes safe altitudes for operation of civil aircraft. Section 91. 1 19 (d) allows helicopters to be operated at less than the minimums prescribed, provided the person operating the helicopter complies with any route or altitudes prescribed for helicopters by the FAA. T he
UAS will never operate at higher than 40 0 ft. AGL.

Safety Mitigation: The equivalent level of safety will be achieved given the size, weight, spe e d of the UAS

as well as location where it is operated. No flight will be taken without the permission of the property owner or relevant authorities . Because of the advance notice to the property owner and participants in the activity, al l affected individuals will be aware of the plan n ed flight operations. Compared to flight operations with airc raft or rotorcraft weighing far more than the maximum 5 5 lbs. proposed herein and the lack of flammable fuel, any risk associated with these operations is far less than those presently presented
with conventional aircraft operating at or below 5 00 ft. AGL

. In order to avoid any risk to aircraft, flight operations will be restricted to 400' AGL or below. Prior to conducting UAS operations, all persons not essential to flight operations (nonparticipating persons) shall remain at appropriate safe distances awa y from the planned flight zone

. If a situation arises where nonparticipating persons enter the planned flight zone of the UAS, flight operations shall cease immediately by the PIC activating a Return To Launch (RTL) command to bring the UAV back to the lau nch area.

In addition , the low

- altitude operations of the sUAS will ensure separation between these
small UAS operations and the operations of conventional aircraft that must comply with
Section 91.119.

14 CFR §91.121: Altimeter Settings

This regulation requires each person operating an aircraft to maintain cruising altitude by reference to an altimeter that is set “...to the elevation of the departure airport or an appropriate
altimeter setting available before departure.”Safety Mitigation:

The FAA has stated that an equivalent level of safety can be achieved if the UAS will be operated at 400' AGL or below and within visual line

- of

- sight in addition to GPS based altitude information relayed in real time to the operator. See Grant of Exemption to

Astrae us Aerial, Docket No. FAA

- 2014

- 0352. As the attached Operations Manual indicates, the chosen UAS meets these requirements, and a zero altitude initiation point will be obtained prior to flight. The Ardupilot Hexacopter has both a barometric altimeter and a GPS altitude capability for dual comparative knowledge of altitude for both flight and position reporting via telemetry to the Ground Station. An equivalent level of safety will be achieved by the operator, pursuant to the SOP and Preflight Check list, co nfirming the altitude of the launch site shown on the Mission Planner “Home Location” before the flight. Setting the Home location is part of the standard procedure for all missions flown as it sets the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the launch point as “Home” for the mission. The default altitude setting in Mission Planner is “Above Ground Level”.

14 CFR §91.151 (a): Fuel Requirements for Flight in VFR Conditions Section 91.151 (a) prohibits an individual from beginning “a flight in an airplane und er VFR
conditions unless (considering wind and forecast weather conditions ) there is enough fuel to fly to the first point of intended landing, and, assuming normal cruising speed

– (1) During the day, to fly after that for at least 30 minutes; or (2) At n ight, to fly after that for at least 45
minutes.”

The battery powering the sUAS provides approximately 12

- 20 minutes of powered flight. To

m e et the 30 minute reserve requirement in 14 CFR §91.151, sUAS flights would be impossible. Applicant believes that a n equivalent level of safety can be achieved by limiting flights to 30
minutes or 25% of operational battery power whichever happens first. A highly audible low battery alarm is attached to the sUAS as per the SOP before each mission that alerts the pilot to this low battery condition and provides ample opportunity for the Pilot to safely land the vehicle. A remaining battery power level is also transmitted to the ground station HUD via telemetry during flights to provide the Observer with real time knowled ge of power levels. These monitoring controls along with the limiting restriction would be more than adequate to return the sUAS to its plan n ed landing zone from anywhere in its limited operating area. Similar exemptions have been granted to other operatio ns, including Exemptions 2689F, 5745, 10673,
and 10808.

Safety Mitigation: The FAA has stated that an equivalent level of safety is provided if the UAS flight is
terminated with at least 25% reserve operational battery power still available. I2R is not

se eking an exemption to fly at night. See Grant of Exemption to Astraeus Aerial, Docket

No. PAA

- 2014

- 0352. The Operations Manual conforms to this limit, providing an equivalent level of safety.14 CFR §91.203 (a) and (b): Carrying Civil Aircraft Certification and

Registration The regulation provides in pertinent part: (a) Except as provided in §91.715, no person may operate a civil aircraft unless it has within it

t he following : (1) An appropriate and current airworthiness certificate

... (b) No person may operate a civil aircraft unless the airworthiness certificate required by paragraph (b) of this section or a special flight authorization issued under §91.715 is displayed

at the cabin or cockpit entrance so that it is legibl e to passengers or crew.

Safety Mitigation An equivalent level of safety will be achieved by keeping these documents at the ground control point where the Pilot flying the sUAS will have immediate ac c e s s to them; to the

extent they are applicable to the sUAS. The UAS fully loaded will weigh no more than
20 lbs. and is operated without an onboard Pilot. As such, there is no ability or place to carry certification and registration documents or to display them on the sUAS.
The FAA has issued numerous exempti ons to this regulation. A representative sample of other exceptions includes Exemption Nos. 9565, 96 6 5, 9789, 9789A, 9797, 9797A, 9816A, and 10700.

14 CFR §91.405 (a); 407 (a) (2); 417 (a) & (b): Maintenance Inspections These regulations require that an aircraft operator or owner “ shall have that aircraft inspected as prescribed in subpart E of this part and shall between required inspections, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, have discrepancies repaired as prescribed in Part 43 of this chapter...,” and others shall inspect or maintain the aircraft in compliance with Part 43. Given that these sections and Part 43 apply only to aircraft with an airworthiness certificate, these
sections will not apply to the applicant . Maintenance will be ac complished by the operator as identified in the pre

- flight checklist and SOP as referenced to the Manual.

Safety Mitigation An equivalent level of safety will be achieved because maintenance and inspections will be performed in accordance with the Operato rs Manual. As provided in the Operators Manual, flights will not be conducted unless a pre

- flight operations checklist is performed that includes all of the aircraft's components. An equivalent level of safety will be achieved because the I2R sUAS is very limited in size and will carry a small payload and operate only in controlled areas for limited periods of time. If mechanical issues arise the UAS can be land ed immediately and will be operating from no higher than 400 ft. AGL. As provided in the Manual, the operator
will ensure that t he UAS is in working order prior to imitating flight, perform required maintenance, and keep a log of any maintenance performed. Moreover, the operator is the person most familiar with the aircraft and best suited to maintai n the aircraft in an airworthy condition to provide the equivalent level of safety.Summary of Exception Request:

Pursuant to 14 CFR Part 1, the following summary is provided for publication in the Federal Register, should it be determined that publication is needed

.

Applicant seeks an exemption from the following rules: 14 CFR § 21, subpart H; 14 CFR § 45.23 (b); 14 CFR § 61.13 (a) & (b); 91.7 (a); 91.9 (b) (2); 91.103 (b); 91.109; 91.19; 91.121; 91.151 (a); 91.203 (a) & (b); 91.405 (a); 91.407 (a) (1); 91.409 (a) (2) and 91.417 (a) & (b) to operate commercially a small unmanned vehicle ( 20 lbs or less) in support of environmental monitoring and emergency response imaging operations.

Privacy
Al l flights will occur over private or controlled a c ce s s property with the property owner’s prior consent and knowledge or over public lands with permissions received from public agencies.Appendix A UAS Photos and Specification Sheets



### Specifications:

MODEL: Ardupilot Hexacopter
MANUFACTURER: RCT800 frame /3DRobotics (Ardupilot flight control system)
DISTRIBUTOR: Innovative Imaging Research (I2R)
TYPE: Multi

- rotor: Hexacopter
FRAME DIAMETER: 8 00mm

READY

- TO

- FLY WEIGHT: 7lbs 8oz (with Canon camera and 1 4S 6000mAh batter y ) RADIO: 6 channel minimum, 8+ channels recommended and used (Spektrum DX

- 8)

BATTERY: 14.8V 4S 6000 mAh LiPo (1 or 2 in parallel for total 12000 mAh)
FLIGHT TIME: 12

- 20 minutes



### Gear Installed:

RADIO : Spektrum DX

- 8; 2.4 Ghz; 8 channel remote radio controller
MOTORS : (6) HP4215 630KV brushless motors
ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROLLERS : Turnigy Plush 40A ESCs
PROPELLERS : (6) T

- Motor 15x5 carbon fiber

BATTERY : (2) Turnigy N ano

- tech 4 s 6000mAh 25

- 50 C discharge rate
AUTOPILOT : 3DR Ardupilot 2.6 APM flight controller
CAMERA MOUNT : I2R direct to frame
CAMERAS : Canon SX260 HS 12 MPixel (RGB and NGB models) 8.2 ozArdupilot Hexacopter by I2R

Communications System Description

2.4GHz Data Link

 Link Type: Hexacopter to Ground & Ground to Hexacopter (Two

- Way)

 8 Channel

 Hexacopter Antenna: Wired Whip Antenna

 Contro ller Antenna: Omni

- Directional

 Transmission Power (North America): 200mW (+ 19.25 dBm)

 Frame Rate: 11ms

 Receiver Resolution : 2048

 Modulation: DSM2 with DSMX spread spectrum technology

 Frequency band: 2.4000

- 2.4835 GHz

 Certifications: CE, FCC

 Flight lo g recording to SD card on receiver

 Telemetry warning system

 Failsafe functions: Throttle, Battery, GPS and Ground
Control Station

900mhz 3DR Data Link

 Link Type: Hexacopter to Ground (One

- Way)

 Transmitter Antenna: Omni

- Directional

 Transmission Power: 100mW (20dBm)

 Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)

 Built in error correcting code

 Transmits realtime location, flight dynamics readings

, voltage readout, current draw , system health status

GPS

 GPS Used For: Position Hold, Location & Velocity Data

 Max imum Satellites Tracked Simultaneously: 16

 Position Update Rate: 4 Hz

 GPS Antenna: Ceramic Patch

 Battery Backup: 75mAh Lithium Polymer

### Mission Planner Ground Control Station

The Ground Control System ( GCS ) is a l aptop computer running MissionPlanner software and a

handheld Spektrum DX

- 8 RC radio

. The GCS is initially used for setup and calibration/configuration/testing of the flight con troller, GPS, and motors on the Ardu pilot
Hexacopter . It is also used for configuration of flightmodes and failsafe response actions for

low/loss of batte r y onboard or loss of signal from the radio. The GCS provides a multi

- window

view during flights consi sting of a HUD display for realtime airframe action monitoring, a moving map display showing the location of the Arducopter at all times, and live flight dynamics

readout from onboard sensors. Working through the GCS the pilot is also able to modify the

pr ogrammed m ission of the Arducopter in flight, but typically uses the DX

- 8 radio primarily. The HUD display of the GCS shows any mode changes enacted through the radio (eg. Switching

from Loiter to Auto m ode). Mission Planner heads up display (HUD) with live mission progress tracking on GoogleMap overlay on right.

Settable flight modes in Mission Planner that correspond to FMode and Gear 3

- position switches

on DX

- 8 RC controller/transmitter. These are pre

- configured and tested for proper switching before flight.Appendix B UAS Manual s



## I2R Mission Planning and Execution

1.0 Mission Planning in Ground Control System (GCS)
The Mission Planner GCS has many helpful utilities and tools for planning automated missions

(Auto mission), especially for aerial ground photography. These Auto missions are initiated by

putting the DX

- 8 controller Gear and Flap switches in the ( 1

- 0 ) position after flying in Loiter

mode (1

- 1) to check the stability of hold and correct GPS operation prior to mission execution.

NOTE : Before flying the first auto mission it is important that the hexacopter is properly

setup, and has been flown a few times and there is confidence that everything is working

correctly.

Begin by opening up the Mission Planner software that was previously used to configure t he

hexacopter. Connect the Ardupilot Mega (APM) flight controller board to the computer with the

USB to USB micro cable so that the mission can be uploaded after completion and s aved

. Once

you have connected by clicking the ‘ C onnect ’ button at upper right, click on the ’ Flight Plan ’ t ab

to bring up the screen shown in Figure 1

.

Figure 1 Flight Plan initial screen in Mission Planner

### 1.1 Home Location

When the hexacopter is first powered up at the flying field, it will try to get a GPS lock. The

Ardupilot flight controller will then save this position when it gets a GPS lock as the home

location and mark it on the screen as ‘ Home ’

. This home location is used as the reference point,

and all the waypoint altitudes are relative to the home altitude. If the mission is being planned

away from the flying site and there is no auto

- set home position, clicking on the ‘ Home

Location ’ text on the bottom right menu allows manually choosing a new h ome location by

clicking in the map.

NOTE : Set the H ome location carefully and with thought. This H ome location is very
important for automated Return to Launch (RTL) flight command and possibly some of

the F ailsafe defaults in Mission Planner. This is the pla ce that the hexacopter will

automatically fly back to if you enact an RTL command with your DX

- 8 radio controller or

if one of the failsafe conditions such as loss of radio contact or “out of range” occurs.

(These are all settable in Mission Planner’s CONFIG/TUNING tab when connected via

USB to the hexacopte r flight controller.)



### 1.2 Manually Adding Waypoints

The mission will be defined by a

number of waypoints that you will add

either manually or automatically to the

Flight Plan screen to define the Auto

mission. To add a waypoint you simply

need to click on the map.

B efore starting to add waypoints, some settings may need to be changed located on the Waypoint

interface at the bottom of the screen (Figure 2 )

. Note: Default units are m eters

.

WP Radius

- this is the distance around a waypoint that the hexacopter needs to be within,

before it assumes the waypoint has been reached. If the wind picks up and keeps the hexacopter

from getting there, it will fight to attain that waypoint before moving on to the next. A minimum

4 m

. ( 13 ft. ) is recommended as the WP radius. Figure 2 Waypoint entry table showing settingsLoiter Radius

- this is the radius of a circle that the hexacopter will loiter around if a l oiter

waypoint has been created

. A minimum 3 m. ( 9.8 f t. ) is recommended as the Loiter Radius.

Default Alt

- this is the default altitude of a waypoint that you add. This should be set at the

beginning so each waypoint you enter will not require you to enter a value each time.

To add your first waypoint,

simply click on the map where

you want it to be (Figure

3 )

. You will notice that on the

bottom section of the screen,

the waypoint table will show

your recently added

waypoint s

. To change

waypoint parameters, simply

click on the waypoint you want

to change on the waypoint

table, then change the desired

parameter s such as the

altitude

. The table column

headings dynamically change depending on what type of waypoint you are using.

You can change the type of waypoint by selecting the dropdown box on the corresponding

waypoint. There are many different types of waypo int commands that you can use with the

hexacopter (Fig ure 4 )

. However in this basic mission we will only be using the Waypoint

,
Condition , and RTL/Land commands. Figure 3 Entering waypoints manually in Flight Plan modeThere are three main types of commands that you will use initially,

each of them are briefly explained below :

Waypoint Commands

- these are traditional waypoints, and include

points that can be flown to , points loitered around, take

- off and landing

waypoints

Conditional Commands

- these are based on some condition, for

example there can be a Condition_D elay command that will only

execute the next command once the delay condition is met. The

column next to the command usually allows typing in the value for the

condition. ( t ime in seconds, alt change, etc

. )

RTL/Land Commands

- these are commands that result in initiating

either an immediate return to the launch point after the last waypoint or

a land operation. It is good practice to always end each auto mission

with an RTL command. The altitude of the final position of the RTL

command is set in the Config/Tuning main menu option. If this

altitude is set to zero (0), then the hexacopter begins a Land sequence

immediately upon reaching the Home position. Landing p rotocol suggests however, that the Pilot

switches to M anual (Stab ilize ) mode and lands manually once the hexacopter has arrived home.

Manual mode allows a more controlled expedient l anding.



### 1.3 Uploading a Mission
Once a mission plan has been completed and saved using the ‘ Save WP File ’ button on the right

side menu, it can be uploaded to the USB connected hexacopter by clicking the ‘ Write WPs ’

button. After confirmation of upload onscreen, the hexacopter is now out fitted on its flight

controller memory with an auto

- miss ion that can be executed by a (1, 0 ) FMode/Gear switch

setting on the DX

- 8 controller. Figure 4 List of possible waypoint command
entries3DR Ardupilot H exacopter : Communications /Lost Link Procedure

The laptop Ground Control Station (GCS) communicates to the aircraft via a 900mhz radio

modem for telemetry

. This allows the GCS Mission Planner Heads Up Display (HUD) to show realtime flight p arameters including voltage readout, current draw, GPS status, flight mode, radio signal strength, and many other configurable system parameters that can be added and arranged on the HUD display screen

. The HUD also graphically displays airframe orientati on with respect

to horizon along with a moving map display that tracks the location of the hexacopter as an icon positioned via live GPS coordinates sent via telemetry.

The Spektrum DX8 hand held transmitter controls for the Arducopter operate at 2.4 Ghz

. (see
Note below) The DX

- 8 communicates with the AR8000 receiver onboard the Hexacopter via their DSMX communications protocol. The AR8000 has an external satellite receiver unit attached for increased receiver reliability. Reboot times for this receiver after momentary power

loss has been tested to be around 1 second. There is a TM1000 full range telemetry module

onboard the Hexacopter as well that provides realtime flight log data, receiver voltage, flight pack batte ry voltage, RPM and temperature back t o the ground control station.

Note: The Spektrum DX

- 8 transmitter/receiver system uses the new DSMX signal frequency management technology to combine both spread spectrum(DSSS) and signal hopping (FHSS) for a more reliable communications system than eithe r alone. According to technical review 1 even if two DSMX systems find themselves transmitting on exactly the same part of the band at exactly the same time, the fact that they're also DSSS means that if each is using a separate spreading code, data will probably not be lost.

A s of version 3. 1 the Arducopter flight control firmware used on the onboard Hexacopter flight

controller has four (4) failsafes: Throttle, Battery, GPS, and Ground Station Control.

The Throttle Failsafe will trigger if:

 The Hexacop ter goes out of Spektrum radio range

 The transmitter is turned off.

 The receiver loses power for some reason.

 The channel 3 signal wire from the radio receiver to the APM flight controller becomes
disconnected for some reason.
When a throttle failsafe is t riggered one of the following will happen:

 Motors disarm

– if in stabilize mode and the throttle is zero

 Return to land (RTL)

– if the pilot has GPS lock and is at least 2m away from home (launch) position

1 http://www.rcmodelreviews.com/dx8dsmxreview.shtml LAND

– if the pilot has no GPS lock OR the Hexaco pter is within 2 meters of Home

when Failsafe triggers

 Continue with the mission

– If the pilot is in AUTO mission mode. Default setting for
this mode is “Enabled

, continue_in_auto_mode”

 If the failsafe clears (throttle climbs back up to nominal levels) th e Hexacopter will remain in its current flight mode active before the failsafe was triggered.

The Battery Failsafe will trigger if:

 The battery voltage becomes low for more than 10 seconds

 The estimated current consumed passes your battery capacity

When a battery failsafe is triggered one of the following will happen:

 Motors disarm

– if in stabilize mode and the throttle is zero

 RTL

– if in AUTO mode, have a GPS lock, and area at least 2 meters f ro m the home position

 LAND

– in all other cases

The GPS Fai lsafe will trigger if:

 You lose GPS contact for 5 seconds while you are in AUTO, GUIDED, LOITER, RTL, CIRCLE, or POSITION mode. This will trigger a LAND command to the Arducopter. Note: A LAND command will bring the Arducopter down to the ground at a set r ate for a safe landing. It is essentially a slow throttle lowering.

A GPS failsafe event will occur if GPS 3D lock or the position “Glitches” for at least 5 seconds while the copter is in a mode that requires the GPS (RTL, Auto, Loiter, Circle, Position, Guided
or Drift). The GPS failsafe response can be set to Land or switch to AltHold mode so that the pilot can retake manual control.

Without GPS updates, the inertial sensors allow approximately 10 seconds of accurate position

information

, but after this the horizontal position drift becomes so large that the horizontal position cannot be maintained at all. GPS failsafe enables here and either holds the copter in position or lands it. If held in position with Alt

- hold, the PIC can take back control using

Stabilize manual flight mode

.

GPS glitch protection has also been included in the latest version of the flight controller

firmware

. GPS glitch protection can help alert the pilot to a bad GPS position, trigger a failsafe and reduce the incidents of fly

- aw ays. Glitches are detected by comparing each new position update received from the GPS with a position projected out from the previous update’s position by a velocity estimate

.The Glitch clears when the GPS position returns within the acceptable radius (or the radius

expands to consume the GPS position). At this point the inertial nav igation position is reset back to the GPS position.

The Ground Control Station Failsafe will trigger if set to do so and the GCS laptop is the primary means being used for flight control. This is NOT the case for the proposed operations as the DX

8 radio controller is the Primary means of controlling the Arducopter and the GCS is used for monitoring of flight path, mission parameters, live system telemetry readings, and sys tem health monitoring. The GCS Failsafe is mentioned here as a possible option in case of a need for GCS

only control.

As well as Flight System emergency failsafe functions, ground team personnel will operate under a set of emergency response guidelines a nd checklists to ensure readiness and personnel safety in

adverse situations.

A standard pre

- , live, and post flight checklist will be employed for all flight operations with statements describing actions to take in identified emergency or system failure modes. A contact sheet with ATC, fire, and medical assistance numbers will be maintained at the ground control

site.

A first aid kit will be available at all times along with a fire extinguisher and a large towel to toss over the hexacopter for prop eller safing in the event of a disarm failure.Appendix C Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Pre

- Flight Checklist

The Ardupilot hexacopter is intended to be operated from 0'AGL to no greater than 400'AGL. The procedure for a typical Launch and Recovery is described below an d will be available :

Hexacopter Flight Checklist:

Make sure launch area selected is free of overhead obstacles within 50 feet. (trees, powerlines, buildings, etc.) Weather should be no rain predicted sustained winds below 15 knots.

1. Flight System check.

a. Check all motor mounts, propellers, and associated wiring for integrity and to see that they are securely attache d and properly mounted.
b. Check center Flight control stack (Ardupilot board, GPS, telemetry units) for integrity (loose, frayed wiring or other). Replace control stack dome securely after
check.

c. Attach and secure battery to undercarriage of hexacopter and c onnect battery to power control board lead. Listen for properly initiated ESC and motor sound cadence. (Short tune followed by single chirp.) If cadence is not correct or no cadence, then proceed to manual ESC bind and calibrate sequence.
d. Attach low batter y alarm module to white battery monitor lead. Black wire goes to negative (

- )

e. Power on flight control laptop with Mission Planner software.
f. If any Auto missions are to be flown, connect laptop via USB cable to the small USB port on the side of the Ardupilo t board in the flight control stack. Hit the
“Connect” button in Mission Planner to initiate tethered communication to the hexacopter.

g. Using the Mission Planner “Flight Planner” option, enter waypoints for mission and click “Write WPs” to upload the missio n to the hexacopter.
h. Disconnect USB cable from hexacopter and laptop.
i. Connect USB 3DR radio control module into USB port on side of laptop. j. Click the “Connect” button in Mission Planner to initiate remote telemetry and

control.
k. Affirm that the left flight HUD screen has “Disarmed” on the screen.

2. Sensor system check.

a. Ensure camera batteries are charged.
b. Prepare camera to be flown on mission by checking for proper battery charge and application settings.

c. Initiate camera application and insert c amera into holder or mount on the hexacopter making sure it is secure and all attach points good.
d. Place readied hexacopter system on flat clear dry launch area free of debris and at least 20 feet from pilot/observer ground station location.
3. Range check and Launch Sequence Initiation.

a. Announce that the hexacopter is ready for launch and ask for all eyes to check the range to make sure there are no personnel, manned vehicles, or other obstacles in the flight area.b. Make sure all switches on the DX

- 8 controller are forward (zeroed) and power on
the DX

- 8. Make sure “Hexa” is visible in the DX

- 8 screen.

c. Ask authorized observer to monitor the Mission Planner software for any abnormalities and to confirm the arming status of the hexacopter.
d. Announce t hat the hexacopter is ready to be armed and launched.

e. Pilot gives secondary range clearance check.
f. Pilot holds left throttle stick DOWN and to the RIGHT for 3 seconds or more to arm the controller with the hexacopter. Observer confirms the system is armed, in Stabilize mode, and ready for takeoff.

g. The pilot performs takeoff by slowly raising the throttle and using the right pitch control to achieve nominal clearance from launch area. (30 feet elevation and 50 feet out)
h. Pilot switches to Alt

- Hold and/or Loit er to stabilize hexacopter in flight.
i. Flight crew observes hexacopter in flight for any functional anomalies. (abnormal noise, lack of position hold, mechanical issues) Land, fix, and re

- test if anomalies
identified. j. Final check for range clearance.
k. Pilot performs manual flight mission or switches to Auto mode to perform pre

- set mission through waypoint navigation.
l. If any weather, system, or hardware anomalies are detected, the pilot will state that the mission is aborted and either immediately land the hex acopter if visibly safe to do so or switch to RTL mode to bring the hexacopter back to the launch site for landing.

m. To land at completion of a successful mission, the hexacopter is brought back to the approximate launch site and placed into Loiter or Alt

- H old mode at approximately 30 feet elevation, switched to Stabilize mode and the throttle lowered to place hexacopter on ground.

n. Hexacopter is disarmed by holding the throttle stick DOWN and to the LEFT. Observer confirms that the Mission Planner is reporti ng a Disarmed state.

o. The DX

- 8 is placed on the ground out of the way and pilot goes to hexacopter to disconnect battery.

p. Mission is complete and system is safed. Pilot declares that hexacopter is safed and battery is disconnected.

At this point

, the aircra ft is either put away completing the mission or a new battery pack is

installed and the same procedure is followed for take

- off and continuation of the next mission at

hand.

During flight, both the observer and PIC scan the sky and note any aircraft, aerial obstacles or weather that could cause a safety hazard. The vehicle will be landed immediately if any are

identified. PIC constantly scans the ground station screen for tel emetry data from the aircraft monitoring battery voltages, RF signal quality, altitude, attitude

, and GPS data.

### 3DR Ardupilot Hexacopter Emergency Procedures

Emergency Assumption of Control

If there is any question that the UAS is no longer flying its programmed mission, the Pilot in
Control (PIC) will take manual control of the aircraft and return it to the landing zone and land it

under RC control.

If there is any question that any of the other RC selectable flight modes (loiter, altitude

- hold) are not behaving as designed, the PIC will return flight mode to manual control (stab ilize mode) and fly the UAS back to home base or switch to RTL(return to land) mode for automated flight back

to home base.

There may be minor problems that do not require emergency assumption of control. (e.g. sudden wind gusts) In these cases the PIC can direct an autopilot landing or manually land the aircraft if

needed.

If electrical power drops below operational minimum (10.3V for 11.1V 3S batteries; 13.6V for 4S batteries), the PIC will initiate a mission abort procedure and immediately land. This is alerted both through the onboard low voltage alarm via a piercing tonal sound and on the HUD display of the ground control system (GCS).

Accident/Incident Notification

If the UAS is lost, the field crew will attempt to locate the downed aircraft using the GPS telemetry log file automatically sent via telemetry to the GCS. This file can be accessed as a KML file in Google Earth to view the entire track of the UAS flight and locate the last known good location on the map. If the crew needs help, they will r equest help from base operations personnel via cellphone. If the aircraft is recovered, the crew will fill out the flight log, recover the onboard flight log file, and check with technical support for evaluation. The crew will write a detailed description of the event for I2R ’ s flight safety review and the FAA. The field crew will

debrief I2R management of any abnormalities observed during flight operations and begin a system functional review when back at base. If a mechanical failure is identified, the crew wil l wait to hear from the technical support team and file a solution report with I2R management before returning to field operations.

If the UAS crashes and damages any property or anyone is injured the crew will assess the situation by:

 Maintaining personal saf ety in recovery effort

 Safe the UAS by throwing a towel over and disconnecting battery.

 Care for or request medical care for any injured parties.

 Notify any applicable response agencies Notify department management

 Write down exactly what happened and be ready to file a report with the department

review committee and the FAA.

The Ardupilot Hexacopter operational discrepancies/mission anomalies will be written up in the aircraft flight log forms. Information will be passed to the department safety officer and the manufacturer if necessary. Minor repairs can be made in the field and noted in the aircraft flight log forms. It is possible due to the lightweight nature of these aircraft for very minor frame/prop damage to occur if a landing is harder than normal. If this occurs and there is no major structural damage, the Arducopter may be quickly adjusted/repaired and re

- flown with usual first flight launch checks. These actions will be noted in the aircraft forms so general wear can be tracked and greater understanding of the aircraft characteristics will be understood.