# QSANDISI CIVIL ENGINEERS SURVE YORS PL ANNERS

Sand i s Ken Olcott , P .E
. Pr es id en t I L EED AP I QS D I P 1700 S. Winchester Blvd Su i te 200 Cam pbell , CA 95008 P: (408) 636-0925 ko lcott@sandi s .net U.S. Departm ent of Transportation Docke t Operations October 29 , 20 15

West Building Ground Floor , Room W 1 2 -140 1200 New Jersey Ave
. , SE Washington, D C 20590
Re: Request for FAA Section 333 e x empt i on from multiple regulator y pro v i s ion s to a ll ow th e use of unm an n e d aerial sy s t e ms (U A V s) in l and s urv e ying relating to ci v il a nd tr affi c engmeenng. D ear Sir or Madam: Pur s uant t o Sect i on 333 of the FAA Modernization and Refo rm A c t o f 20 1 2 (t h e Reform Act) and 14 C.F.R. Part 11 , SANDIS C IVIL ENG I NEERS S U RV E YORS PLANNERS , a Cal ifo rni a Corporat ion , located at 1700 S
. Winche s ter Blvd Su i te 200 Ca mpbell , CA 95008 (Sa ndi s) , h e r e by appl i es for a n exemptio n from the l i s ted F e de r al Av iation Regulations ( " FARs " ) t o a ll ow commerc ia l operati on of it s Small U nmanned A ircraft Systems ("sUAS " ) for ae ri a l imag in g for safety and monitoring of s ecured and controlle d env iromnent project sites , so long as such operations are con du cted w ith i n and unde r the conditions outlined herein or as may be es t a bli s h ed by the FAA as r e quired by Sect i on 333
. T he requ ested exemption wou ld permit t h e o p era ti on o f s UAS under con t rolled conditions in airspace that is I ) limit ed 2) predetermined 3) controlled a s to acce s s a nd 4 ) wou l d provide safety e nh ance ment s to t h e already best practices safety pro to co l s follo w ed b y Sandi s at each one of it s project s it es . A ppr ova l of this exe mp t ion wou ld t h ereb y enhance s afe ty and fulfill the Secretary ofTransportation ' s (the FAA A dmini s trato r 's ) re s pon s ibi l it ie s to "
... es tabli s h requir e ment s fo r the safe operati on of suc h aircraft s y s t e m s i n the n a ti o n a l a ir s pace system." Sect ion 333(c) of th e Reform Act. Th e name a nd address of the applicant is: Sand is 1700 S. Winchester Bl vd S ui te 200 Campbell , CA 95008

1700 S. W inch este r Blvd., #200, Ca mpb e ll , CA 950081 P. 407.636.0900 

## I F. 408.636.0999 Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley Sacramento

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**E:~~~~F""** The make and model of the aircraft for proposed operations 

## is: Manufacturer: AeroTestra Mo d e l : Ivan Year: 2014 Seri al No
. ATMK09002 Dimensions 21.5 X 21.5 X 8 IN Takeoff We i ght 3.8KG (8 pounds , six ounces) Powertrain T

- MOTOR 4014 400KV 6S2P 9000 mAh LiPo 45 AMP OPTICAL ESC 1 5 X 5.5 CF PROPELLERS Auto pil ot System PIXHAWI< w i th 32 bit STM32F427 Cortex M4 core RFD ULTRA LONG RANG E 900 mHz TEL E METRY MODEM Rad i o System SPEKTRUM DX6 6 CHANNE L Tx SPEKTRU M A6210 6 CHANN E L

**~'{** 

## with SATELLITE

1 700 5. W inch e ster Bl v d., #200, Ca mpb e ll , CA 95008J P

. 4 07

. 636.0900 J F

. 408

. 636

. 0999 

### Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley SacramentoReg ul atio n s from which the exemption is request ed : 14 C.F.R. Patt 2 1 14 C.F. R. 45
. 23(b) 14 C.F.R. 61. 11 3 (a) & (b) 14 C .F.R. 91.7 (a) 14 C.F. R. 91.9 (b) ( 2 ) 14 C.F.R. 91. 1 03 1 4 C.F.R. 91. 109 14 C.F.R. 91.1 1 9 14 C.F.R. 91.121 14 C.F.R. 91.151 (a) 14 C
.F .R
. 9 1. 203 (a) & (b) 14 C.F.R. 91.405 (a) 14 C.F.R. 407 (a) ( I ) 14 C.F.R. 409 (a) (2) 1 4 C.F. R. 417 (a) & ( b)

I. STATUTORY AUTHORITY FOR EXEMPTIONS The Federal Av i at io n Act ex pressly g rant s the FAA a uth o rity to issue exe mp tio n s . This statutory a uthorit y i nc lud es exempt in g civil a ir c raf t , as the term i s defined u nd er § 40101 of the Ac t , in c ludin g sUASs
. from t h e require m e nt th at all c i v il airc raft mu st have a cune nt a ir wo rthin ess cert ifi cate. Th e Ad mini s trator ma y grant an exempt io n from a requirement of a r egulation prescribed und e r s ub section (a) o r (b) of thi s sec ti o n o r a ny sect ions 44 702-44 7 1 6 of t hi s tit l e ift he Administrator find s th e exe mp t ion in th e public int e r est. 49 U
. S.C. §44701(f) See also 49 USC §447 11( a); 49 USC § 44704; 14 C FR §9 1 .203(a) ( 1 )
. Sect io n 333(b) of the Ref o rm Act assists th e Sec reta r y in determ ining whether sUA S ma y operate in the ational A ir s pace System ( AS) w ith out c r eat in g a hazard to the u se r , th e pub l ic , or a threat to national se curit y . If the Sec reta ry determines that a sUAS " ma y operate safe l y in th e national ai rspace sys t e m. the Secretary sha ll estab li sh requirem e nt s for the safe operation of s uch aircraft in th e nati ona l airspace sys tem." !d. § 333(e)
. Sandi s · s UAVs ha ve a takeoff we i ght of less than I 0 lb s (as specified by the manufacturer it is exact ly 8 pounds, s ix o unc es). They operate und er normal conditions at a speed of no more than 50 knots and ha ve the capab ility to ho ve r. and m ove in the ve rti cal a nd hori zonta l plan e s imult a neo u s l y . T he sUAS will ope r a te o n ly in the Pilot's v i s ual lin e of s ig ht at a ll tim es an d w ill operat e on ly direct ly above un inhabited o pen gro und or over bui ldings whe re no o ne i s o n the roof. Such operat ions w ill in s ure tha t t he sUAS will · 'not create a h azard to u se r s of t he nati ona l airspac e system o r the pub I ic. '' R eform Act Sect ion 333 ( b)
.

1700 S

. W in cheste r Blvd., #200, Campbell, CA 950081 P. 407.636.0900 

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. 408 .636.09 99 

### Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley Sacramento

### Gi ve n the s mall s ize of th e sUAS in vo l ve d and th e r est ri cted and s ter il e e nv ironment w ithin wh i ch th ey w ill operate, o ur app li cati o n falls s qu a r e l

y w ithin th e zo ne of safety (a n equivalent l eve l of safety) in w hi c h Co ng ress env is io ned th at th e FAA m u st, by exe mp ti o n , a ll ow commerc ia l operations of sUAS to comme nce imm edi a t ely. Also du e to t he s mall s ize of th e sUAS a n d th e l ow altitudes and r es tr icte d a r e as in w hi c h th e sUAS w ill operate , app r ova l of the application presents no nati ona l sec urit y i ss ue . Given th e clear direction in Section 333 of th e R e form Act, th e auth ority co ntai ned in the Federa l Av iation Ac t , as amended ; the st ro ng eq ui va lent level of safe ty s urro undin g th e propo sed opera ti o n s, and the s ignificant pub li c be ne fit. inc lu d in g en hanced safety
. th e g rant of the requested exe mpti ons i s in the p ubli c in te r est. Acco r d in gly. Sa ndis r espec t f

ull y r eq ue s t s that th e FAA grant th e r equ es ted exemption w ith o ut dela y. II. PUBLIC INTEREST 

### Thi s exe mption ap plication i s exp ress ly su bmit ted to fu lfill Co ng r ess' goa l in pas s in g Sect ion 333(a) tlu·ough (c) of th e Reform Ac t. This l aw dir ects th e Secreta r y of Tra n sportation to co nsider w het he r certa in unm a nn ed a ir c ra ft sys te m s ma y ope r ate safe l y in th e NAS befo re co mpl e tion of th e rulem ak in g required under Sec ti on 332 of th e Reform Ac t. By g ra ntin g an exe mpti on th e FAA w ill f ulfill Congress's intent o f a ll ow in g UAS to ope ra t e \ ;l,l

ith s ign ifi ca nt safe ty preca ut i o n s in low ri s k env irom1 1en t s. The u se of sUA S to ph o tograph a nd s ur vey open la nd or to keep tr ack of dai ly pr og r ess on a proj ect s it e can significantl y r educ e th e ri sk t o wo rk e rs of f a ll s whil e in s p ecting , s ur veyi n g , or monitorin g si te p rogress. s UAS ca n in s pec t , ph otog ra ph , a nd co ll ect data on h ard to get to areas th a t othe rwi se wo uld re quire c lim bing o f s te ep hill s id es and placing workers at ri s k for va riou s e l ev at e d or difficult to reac h in s pec ti o ns . F a ll s are a l ead in g so urc e of work p lac e fatali ty and injur y o n co n s truct io n s it es 1
, 

### and reducing fa ll s o n s t ee p , woo de d , unst ea d y o r un se cure g ro und a r eas thr o ug h sUAS u se fo r s ite im ag in g co uld save wo r ke r s li ves and preve nt se ri o u s inju ri es. Due to the very ea rl y ho ur s of wo rk e r arri va l and r e lati ve ly ea rl y hour s of wo rker d epa rtur e, th e ac ti ve p ro j ec t s it es can be s urveye d after
' vV ork ho ur s, b ut before s un se t. Additiona ll y , sUAS co ul d rep l ace the u se of he lic op t e rs a nd s ma ll ai r c ra ft t o m o ni tor s ite s . The sUAS we p rop ose to fly in this ap plication are l ess than ten pound s , and ca r ry no c o mbustibl e mater ia l o n boa rd , as opposed to th e mu c h la r ge r co nve ntionall y powered s m a ll a ir c raft. S hiftin g to sUAS from h e l icopters p r ese nt s a marked sa f ety in crease fo r o ur worke rs and th e public. Last ly , sUAS reduce t h e env ir onme ntal imp ac t by d ramatica ll y dec r easing th e e nerg y u se d for ae ri a l im aging and data co ll ect io n over a p ro j ec t s ite. O ur sUAS u se rechargeab le lithium i o n batte ri es, as op po se d to fossil fue ls burned in o pe r ation of s ma ll ai r c raft th at a r e many hun dreds of tim es heavier.

1 " Commonly Used Stat istics", Occupational Saf ety & H ea lth Admin is t rati o n. Ava il able at : https://www
. os h a.gov/oshstats/commo n stats.html 1 70 0 S. W i nc h ester Blvd ., #20 0, Campbe ll , CA 95 00 8 1 P. 407.636.0900 

### I F. 408.636.0999 

### Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley Sacramento

# Q SANDIS I CIVIL ENGINEER S SURVEYORS PLANNER S

III. EQ UIV A L ENT LE V EL OF SAFET Y S andi s pro p oses th a t t he exem p t i o n r e qu es t e d he r e in a pp ly to sUAS t hat have th e c ha r acte r i s ti cs a nd t hat o pe r a te w it h t he li m itati o n s l iste d he r e in
. These limi t at io n s p r ov ide fo r a t le ast a n e qui va le n t o r eve n hi g her leve l o f sa f e ty to ope ra t io n s u nd e r the current re g ul a to r y st ru c tur e b eca u se the p ro p os e d o pe ra ti o n s r e prese n t a sa fety enhance m ent to the a lr ea d y safe protoco ls fo ll owe d o n pr ojec t s it es a nd im a g ing a n d s urveying operat i ons c o nd ucte d w ith he l icop te r s an d o th e r co nven ti o n a l a ir c r

a ft. Sandi s w i ll be b o und by th e fo ll ow in g l imi ta ti o n s w h e n co nduct in g it s sUAS o p erat io n s und e r a n FAA i ss ued exe m p ti o n:

1. Th e sUAS w i ll be l ess t han I 0 p o u nds
. 2. F l ig ht s w ill be ope r ate d w i t hin v i s u a l li n e of s ig h t of a p il ot. 3. M ax imum tota l fl ig ht t ime for eac h ope rat io n a l !"l ight wi ll be 30 mi nu tes . The U A S ca l c u lates bat te r y r ese rve in r ea l t im e, a nd , . vi ii r e tu rn to its grou nd station w i th a t least 2 0 % batte r y powe r r ese r ve s h ou ld t h at occu r prior to th e 30 m in ute l im it. 4. F li g hts w ill no rma ll y b e ope r ated at an a lti tude of 300 feet AGL. never exceed in g 400 feet AGL. 5
. A n y s ite w it hin 5 m i les of an a i rpo r t w i l l not be fl ow n w i thout notification and ap p rov al of t he loca l FAA F li ght Sta n da r ds Di st ri c t Office (FS D O) and a irpo r t c ontr o ll e r. 6. C rew fo r eac h ope r at ion w ill co n s i st of the sUAS P i lot vvho wi ll keep the sUAS w it hin hi s vis u a l lin e of s ig ht at a ll t im es . 7
. T h e sUAS Pil ot w ill b e t rai ned in fli g h t , ope r a ti o n s. and safety p rocedu res as de ta i led in FAA bu ll et in s a nd indu stry tr a i n in g p rog ra ms . T he ope rator s hall be a trained and ex p e ri e n ced d ro ne p il ot mee tin g th e rul es of the FAA t hat ex i st or ma y be modified at t he t im e of t he r espective fl ig h ts . 8. T h e sUAS w ill o nl y o p e r ate w ithin a co nfi ned zo n e w hi ch will re q uire t he est ab l i s hm ent o f a "Sec ur i t y P e r im ete r '' fo r the fli g ht o pe r at i ons area . 9
. A br ie fin g w i ll be co n d ucted in r egard to the pl anned sUAS ope ratio n s prior to each d ay ' s p r o du c ti o n act i v iti es . It w ill be ma nda t o ry t hat a l l perso n n el who wi ll be pe r formi ng du t i es w ith in t he bo un da ri es of t he safe t y pe ri mete r be p resent for t his b r ie fin g . 10
. A ll on s it e p e r so nn e l w i l l co n se nt to t he UAS flyove r o n s ite by waive r , and the op e r a to r w i ll o b ta in ad di t io n al ve rb a l o r w rit te n co n se n t of a ll persons w ho wi ll be a ll owe d w i t h in 10 0 feet of th e fli g h t ope r a ti o n. l l. P il o t w i ll have b ee n tra in ed in o p e ra ti o n of UASs ge n e ra ll y and rece i ve d up - to
- date inf o r m a t io n o n t he p a rt ic ul a r UAS to b e o p e rated in acco r dance wi th then industry a pp rove d g u id a n ce a nd s t a nd ard s. 1 2 . W r itte n a nd/ o r o r a l pe rmi ss i o n f rom the re leva nt pr ope rty holde r s wi ll be obtained
. 1 3 . A ll r e quired pe rm i ss io n s a nd pe rm i t s w ill b e ob t a in ed f r om te r r ito ri al, sta te , county or c i ty ju ri s d ict io n s, in c l u d i n g l oca l law e nfo rce m e nt , fir e, or other a pp r op ri ate gove rnm e nt a l age nc ies . 1 700 S. W inch es t e r Bl v d., #2 00 , Ca mp be ll , CA 95 0 08 1 P. 407

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### Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley Sacramento14. Wher e re quired , th e re w ill be communic a tion a nd sc h e duli ng of the fl ig h ts w i th appropriat e ATC p e r s onn e l suffi c i e ntl y fa r in ad v an ce t o a ll ow del iberate and c o n s i d e red eva luati o n and impl e m e nt a ti o n of th e r e qu est. 15. If the sUA S lo ses c ommunic a ti o n s o r loses it s G P S s i g n a l , it wi l l have capab il ity to enter " loiter mode " a nd ho ve r. rees t a b l i s h s at e llit e co nn ect ion, and retu rn to a p re determined l ocation w ithin th e Sec urit y P e rim ete r a nd l a n d. IV. DESCRIPTIO N OF SP E CIFIC R E G U LATIO NS 14 FR 61.113 (a) & (b): Private pilot privileges a nd limitation s : Pilot in command Section s 61.11 3 (a) & ( b ) limi t p r i vate p il o t s to no n- co mm e r c i al operations
. Because t h e sU A S w ill not carr y a pil o t or p ass en ge r s, th e pr o p ose d ope rati o n s ca n ach ieve the equiva le n t l e v e l of s af e ty o f c urre n t o p e r a ti o n s by requirin g t h e Pil ot ope rat in g the a ir craft to have ( 1 ) c o mplet e d a sUAS fli g h t t r a inin g c o ur se of 50 h o ur s b e f o re n y in g a sUAS an d (2) a S p o rt Pilot cert ifi cat e . Th e F AA h as pre v iou s l y a c kn ow le d ge d in pri o r g r a nt s of exe m p ti on u n de r S e ction 333 that a commercia l p il ot' s ce rtifi ca t e was n ot n ecessa r y to operate a sUAS , b u t t h at the FAA cou ld not wai ve the requirem e n t f o r a n F AA -i ss u e d p il o t' s lice n se . A Sp01t Pi lo t certificate addre sses th e F AA's requir e m e nt th a t th e Pi lo t in co mm a nd h ave t h e requis i te training and under s tanding o f the N ati o na l A ir s p ace Sys t e m , a nd a lso e n s u res t h a t the Pi lo t i s r eg istered with the FAA and will not po s e a ri s k to nation a l sec uri ty . Th e Spo rt P il o t ce r ti fi ca t e a ls o do es not re quir e the Pilot to und e rtake th e addi t ion a l c os t a nd t im e o f add it iona l m an n ed aviation fli g ht tim e that th e Privat e Pilo t's li ce n se r e quir es and w hi c h w il l n ot tr a n s l a te to ski ll or comp e t e ncy op e ra t in g t he s UA S
. Unlike a con ve ntion a l air c r aft that c a rri es th e pi lo t and p asse n ge r s, th e sUAS i s remotel y contro ll e d with no l ivin g t hin g o r ca r g o o n b o a rd. Th e sUAS to b e o p e rat ed h e re und e r i s less th a n 10 lb s . f ull y loaded, ca rr i es ne ither a pi l o t nor p ass en g er , c arri es no exp l os i ve m a t e ri a l s o r fl a mm a bl e li q u id f u els , a n d ope r ates e xclu s iv e ly w ithin a se cur e d a re a as set out in th e Ma nu a l. Lik e othe r civ i l a irc ra ft , op e ra tions und e r t hi s e x e mption w ill b e ti g htl y co ntroll e d a nd m o ni tored by th e ope r ato r , pur s uant t o th e Ma nu a l 's r e quir e m e n ts, and und e r th e r e qu ir e men ts a n d in comp l iance with l oc al public saf e t y r e quir e m e n ts , t o prov id e sec uri ty fo r t h e a r ea of o p e rat i on as i s c u r rently don e o n a ct i ve s urvey in g a n d c o n s tru c ti o n s it es . Th e FAA w ill h ave advance n otice of a l l op e rati o n s th a t w ill be w ithin t h e ap pli ca bl e r a n ges of a irp o rts. as spec ifi ed b y th e FAA. Th e ri s k s asso ciate d w ith t h e o p e rat i o n of th e sUAS a re t h e refore d imi n i shed fr om the le ve l of ri s k asso ciat e d w ith co mm e r c i a l o p e rati o n s co nt e m p l ated by Part 6 1 w h en dr a ft e d , a nd a llo w in g o p e r a ti o n s o f t h e sUAS as r eq u es t ed w ith a P i lot who has met the min i mum r e quir e m e nt s sta t e d in t hi s ap pli ca ti o n ac hi eves th e level of safety co nte mpl ate d b y 14 C
. F .R. §6 1.11 3 (a) & ( b ).

1 70 0 S

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### Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri -Va lley Sacramento14 C.F.R. 91.103: Preflight A ction T hi s reg ul at io n requ ir es eac h p il ot in co mmand t ake ce rt ain act i on s befo re fli g ht to e n s ur e th e sa fety of flight. An exemption i s n ee de d f r o m t hi s r equ ir e ment as th e Pilot w il l tak e sepa rat e prefli g ht actio n s, in c lu din g c heck in g for wea th er cond ition s, check in g flight b attery r e quire ments , c h eck ing takeoff and landin g distance s . and a l l oth er act ion s in industry g ui de lin es and st andard s .
14 C.F . 

### R. 91.119: Mi nimum Safe Altitudes Sect ion 91.119 e s t ablishe s safe a ltitudes fo r ope r ati o n of civ i I airc raft. Sectio n 91.1 1 9 (d) a ll ows he licop te r s to be operated at le ss than th e m inimums p r escribed
. pro v id ed t he pe r so n o p erat in g th e helicopter comp li es w it h a ny rout e or altitude s pres c ri b ed f o r he li copte rs by the FAA
. Th i s exempt i o n i s for a mul tiroto r c r aft t hat fli es s imi lar l y to a he li co pter , w ith vert ical takeoff and vert ical landin g, which wi ll typ ical ly operate at a lti tude s of300 AGL , so an exe mption may be needed to al low s uch o pe rati ons. Th e s UAS w i l l never ope rate at altitude hi ghe r than 400 AGL and wi l l be in a re s tric ted are a w ith se curit y pe rim e te r , whe re buildin gs and peop le w il l not b e ex posed to operations w ithout the ir pre obtained consent. T he equi va le nt leve l of safe ty w ill be ach ieve d g ive n th e s i ze, weig ht , s pee d of th e sUAS as we ll as the lo cat io n w he re it i s operated. No fli ght w ill b e tak e n w ith out th e pe rmi ss ion of the p roperty own e r or l ocal offic ia ls . Beca u se of th e adva nce not ice to t he property ovv n e r and a n y onsite per s onnel, a ll affec t ed indiv idua ls w ill be aware of th e p la nn e d fli ght operations. Un li ke fl i g ht operat ions with a irc r aft o r r otorcraft we ig hin g fa r mo r e th an the maximum 10 lb s . propo se d he r e in , o ur sUAS w il l n ot carry flammable fu e l. In addit i o n , t he low - a ltitude ope ratio n s of the sUAS w ill e n s ure se pa rat ion between sUAS ope rati o n s and th e ope r ations of co n ve ntiona l aircraft that mu s t co mply w ith Sec ti o n 91. 1 19.
14 C.F.R. 91.121 : Alt imeter Settings Thi s r eg ul ation requir es eac h per so n ope r at in g an aircraft to ma int a in cr ui s in g altitude by reference t o an a ltim eter th at i s se t "
.. .to th e e l eva ti o n of th e d e p a rtur e a irport or an app r opr iat e a ltimeter se tting a va ilab le before d e parture . " As the sUAS m ay not hav e a b a rom et ric al tim eter , but in s tead a GPS altitude read out. an exe mp t i o n may be needed. An eq ui va l e nt level of safety w ill b e achieved b y th e op erato r. pur s uant to t h e Ma nu a l and Safety Check li st, confirming th e a lt itude of the la unch s ite s hov.m on the GPS a ltitu d e indi cator be fo r e flight. 14 CFR 91.151 (a) : Fuel requirements for flight in VFR conditions Sect io n 91.151 (a) out line s fuel req uire me nt s fo r beg innin g a fl ig ht in VF R condition s . Our sUAS i s limit ed to operat ion s in s t e ril e and contro ll ed e nv ir onment s as o utl ined in th e Ma nual , a nd has a limited r a n ge a nd fli g ht t ime w hich r eq uir e a n exem pti o n fr o m 14 CFR 91.15 l (a). 1700 S. W i nc h este r B l vd., #200, Ca mpb e ll , CA 95 00 8 1 P. 407

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### Th e b atte r y p owe rin g the sUAS p r ov id es a ppr ox im ate l y 3 5 minute s of powe r ed flight. T o meet the 30 min u te r ese rve req u i reme nt i n 14 C FR §9 1 .1 5 1. sUAS fligh ts woul d be limited t o app ro xi m a t e ly 5 minute s in l eng th
. Gi ve n th e li m itat io n s o n the sUAS ' s pr opose d flight area a nd the location of its propo se d ope r a tio n s w ithin a predeterm in e d ar ea, a long er tim e frame fo r flig ht in d ay li ght or n ig ht VF R 

### c o nditi ons is rea s onab le
. Sa ndi s be li eves that an exe mption from 14 CF R § 91.15 l (a) fa ll s w ithin th e scope of pri01· exe mp tions. See Exempt ion I 

### 067 3 (a ll ow in g L oc kh eed M a r t in Co r poration to ope rate without compli a nc e w ith FAR 91.151 ( a))
. O pe r ati ng th e s ma ll sUAS, in a t i g ht l y co ntrolled a r ea w he re on l y peopl e and propert y ow ne rs o r off icial r e presenta ti ves w ho have s ig ned waivers wi ll be a llow e d , w ith less th a n 3 0 minut es o f rese r ve fu e l, does not en ge nd er th e t ype of ri sks that Sectio n 9 1. 15 l (a) was int e n ded to a ll ev ia t e g ive n the s iz e and s peed of th e s m a ll UAS. Additiona ll y, limitin g s UAS flight s to I 

### 0 m i nute s would g reatly r educe the utili ty fo r wh ic h the exe mption w ill be g ran ted
. A n equ i va le nt leve l of sa f ety can be ac hi eved b y li mitin g fligh ts to 30 minutes, or e nough b a tt ery r ese r ve to e n s ur e th at the sUAS lands at th e g r ound stat i o n with at least 20 % of b a tt e r y power (as d e term in e d by the o nb oa r d monitori ng system a nd the Pi lot)
. wh ichever happe n s fi rst. Thi s restriction wou ld be mo r e than adeq uate to return the sUAS to its pl a nn ed l a ndin g zo ne from an yw he r e in its limit ed ope r a tin g area . S imi lar exe mpti o n s have been g ran ted to o th e r o pe r ation s, including Exe mp t io n s 26 89 F , 5745 , 106 73 , a nd 10808.

14 CFR 91.405 (a); 407 (a)(l); 409 (a)(2) ; 417 (a) & (b) : M ain t enance in spections 

### The se reg ul at i o n s r e quire that an a irc raft ope rat o r o r ow ne r '" sha ll ha ve that aircraft in specte d as presc rib e d in s ubpart E of thi s part a nd s ha ll between required in spect i ons . exce pt as prov id e d in paragraph (c) of th is sect i o n , have d isc repanc ies rep ai r ed as presc r ibed in pa rt 4 3 of thi s c h apter ... ;' and o th e r s s ha ll in s pec t o r mainta in the air craft in compl i ance v, , ith Part 4 3. G i ve n th a t th ese sec tio n s and Part 43 app ly o nl y to a irc r a ft w ith an a irworthin ess certific a t e, th ese sec tion s w ill n ot app ly to Sand i s . Ma int e na nc e w ill be acco mpli s hed by the ope rator purs uant to th e fli g ht manu a l an d ope ratin g ha ndbook. An eq ui va le nt l eve l of safe ty w ill be ac hi eved becau se th ese s m a ll sU AS a r e ve r y limit ed in s ize a nd w ill carry a s m all p ay loa d a nd operate on ly in res trict ed areas for limi ted pe ri o d s of tim e . If m echani ca l i ss ues ari se th e sUAS can l and imm e di ate ly a nd \V iii be ope ratin g fl·om no hi g he r th an 400 feet AGL. A s p r ovided in the Ma nu a l, th e Pil o t w ill e n s ur e that th e sU AS i s in wo rkin g o rd e r p ri o r to init iat in g fl ig ht , perfo rm r eq ui red m a in te na nce , a nd keep a lo g of a n y m a int e nance pe rform e d. Mo r eove r , th e Pil ot i s th e pe rso n m ost f amili a r w i th the a i rcraft and be st s u ited t o ma int a in th e a ircraft in an a irwo rth y condit i o n to prov id e th e eq ui vale nt level o f safety.

1 700 S. W i nch es ter B l vd

. , #2 00, Cam pb e ll , CA 950081 P

. 407

. 636.0900 

## I F. 408.636.0999 

### Silicon Valley SF /East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley Sacramento

# QSANDIS I
V . SUMMARY C I VIL ENGINEERS SURVEYORS P L ANNERS

Pur suan t to 14 C
. F.R. Pa rt II. th e fo ll ow ing s umma ry i s p ro v ided fo r publ i ca t ion in th e Fe d e ra l Regi s ter , s hould it be dete r min e d that publication i s n e e d e d : Ap pli cant seeks an exe m pt ion fr om the follo w i ng ru les : 1 4 C .F.R. § 21 , subpart H; 1 4 C.F .R 45.23(b);14 C.F.R
. §§ 6 1.11 3( a) & ( b );9 1.7 (a); 9 1. 9 (b ) ( 2) ; 9 1. 103 ( b ) ;91.109; 9 1.11 9; 91.121; 91. 15 1(a );9 1.203 (a) and (b); 9 1.405 (a); 9 1 .407 (a) (I) ; 9 1 .409 ( a) (2) ; 9 1 .409 (a) (2) a n d 9 1. 4 1 7 (a) & (b) t o ope ra te commerc i a ll y a s m all unmanned ve h i cle ( 551b s o r less) in co n s truction ope rati o n s . A pprova l of exemptio n s a ll owin g co mm e rcial operat i ons o[ s UAS in th e area l ph o tograph y, s urvey ing a nd const ru ct io n indu s try enhances safe t y wh i le reduc ing ri sk. Mann e d a ir craft mon i t o rin g and s ur vey in g c r ea tes a greater risk b ecau s e the c raft are much larg e r , h ave combust ibl e f u e l , a nd car ry a n o nb oard human pilot. In co n tras t, a sUAS we i g hin g fewer than 10 lb s . and powered by batteries e li minates v i rtuall y a ll o f t hat ri sk given th e r ed u ced m ass and l ac k of combus tibl e fu e l can·i ed on board. The sU AS will ca r r y n o pas se n ge r s or c re w a nd , therefore , wil l n ot ex p ose them to the ri s k s assoc i ated w ith m a nn e d a ir c r aft flig h ts . T he operat i o n of sma ll sUAS , we ig hing less than 10 lb s . , conducted in t h e s tric t cond ition s o utlin ed above, wi ll pr ov i d e a n e q ui va le nt l eve l o f sa f ety s up po rt in g t h e grant of th e exempt i ons r e q u es te d here in , in c ludin g exe mptin g the ap pli ca nt fro m th e require m e n ts of Part 2 1 a nd allowing co m merci a l o p e ratio n s. T h ese li ghtwe i g ht a ircraft ope r a t e at slow s pe e ds, c l ose t o t he ground. a nd in a s ter il e e n v ir o nm ent a nd. as a res ul t. a r e far safe r t han con ve n tio n a l ope r a ti o n s conducted w ith turb in e he lic opte r s ope r at i ng in clo s e p r ox i m i ty t o th e g r o und and peop le .
VI. PRIVACY A ll flight s w ill occur ove r pri va te or contr o l l e d acc ess prop e rty w ith th e p roper ty ow ner 's prior conse nt a nd know le d ge . I mage s taken w ill b e of in d i v idua l s w h o h ave also co n se nt ed t o be i ng film e d o r ot h erw i se h ave ag r eed t o b e i n th e a rea whe r e ae rial ph otog raph y w ill tak e plac e. Sati s faction of the cr ite ri a provided in Sec tion 333 of the R eform Act of20 12

-- s i ze , we i g ht , speed, ope r at in g capabi liti es . co n tro ll ed operating e n v ironmen t and operation with i n v i s ual lin e of s i ght and national sec urit y - pro v ide mor e than adequate just i fication for t he g rant of t h e req ue s ted exe mp t io n s a ll ow i n g comme r c ia l o perati o n o f app l i ca n t ' s s U AS in t h e ae ri a l photograp h y, s urvey in g a nd co n s tru ct i on in s p ec ti o n a nd m on itor in g industry
.

1 700 S. W i nchester Blvd. , #200, Ca mpbe l l, CA 950081 P. 407.636

. 0900 

## I F. 408.636

. 0999 

### Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley Sacramento' 

# Q SANDIS j CIVIL ENGINEERS SUR VE YORS PLANNERS 

### Sincerely ,
Ken O l cott , P
. E. President 

### I LEED AP 

### I QSD I P

1700 S. Wi nchester B l vd., #2 00, Campbe ll , CA 950081 P. 407.636.0900 

### I F

. 408.636.0999 

### Silicon Valley SF/East Bay Central Valley Tri-Valley Sacramento