# I Dowlohnes

Dow Lohnes PLLC Attorneys at Law www.dowlohnes.com 

### November 

### 14,2012



### U. S. Department 

### of Transportation 

### Docket Management System 1200 

### New Jersey 

### Ave., SE Washington, 

## DC 20590 

### from 14 21.1

91.9 

### (b) (2) and 91.203 (a) and 

### fb) Dear 

### Sir or 

### Madam: Trimble Navigation 

### Limited ("Trimble") has applied 

### for 

### two Special 

### Airworthiness Certificates, Experimental, 

### for an Unmanned 

### Aircraft System 

### ("UAS"ithat it produces

### through its indirect subsidiary Gatewing 

### NV., a 

### Belgium company. The Gatewing Unmanned 

### Aircrañ System 

### ("UAS") 

### will be registered in the name 

### of Trimble, a U.S. 

## ro-p*y and a 

### U.S. citizen. As part 

### of the 

### application process, 

### Trimble is 

### petitioning the Federal 

### ,qviation Administration, 

### Office of Rulemaking 

### for anexemption covering the listed 

### regulations. Trimble notes 

### that similar exemptions have been granted 

### for other 

### UAV/UASs. The

### X-100 has operated 

### for over 370 hours 

### without significant incident in Europe and other countries aroundthe

### world. 

### Trimble's UAS weighs lessthan 5 lbs. and 

### literal compliance 

### with the requirements 

### of parts 

### 45.3,91.9 and 91.203 

### would be

### physically impossible. Relief from Part

# it.t}tlj would not result in any 

### denigration to safety and

### would 

### allow Trimble to operate 

### its UAS, as

### all U.S.- 

### built experimental aitcraft., 

### to conduct market surveys, sales demonstrations and customer 

### crew training. The name and address 

### of the applicant is: 

### Trimble Navigation 

### Limited 935 Stewart 

### Drive Sunnyvale, 

### California 94085 -39 19 

### Attn: James 

### Kirkland Ph:408-481-8930 

### Fax:408-481-7780 Email

### j im_kirkland@trimble. com The 

### specific sections

### for which an exemption is requested are as

### follows: Re: Jonathan B. Hill D zoz.776.z7z5 E jhill@dowtohnes.com

12oo New Hampshire Avenue, NW Suite 8oo Washington, DC 20036.68cz I zoz.776.zooo F 202,776z222 WASHTNGToN, DC I Arr-¡¡rr¡, GA

### U.S. Department 

### of Transportation

November 

### 14,2012 Page2

14

### C.F.R. $21.191(Ð 

### and 21.195 (a). These regulations 

### allow the holder 

### of a 

### U.S.-built aircraft operating under an experimental 

### certificate to use the 

### aircraft for: Market surveys. Use

### of aircraft for purposes 

### of conducting market surveys, sales demonstrations, and customer crew 

### training only as

### provided 

### in g21.195. (21. 

### l9l (Ð). 

### This use 

### is 

### limited by 14C.F.R.$21.191 (Ð

### to aircraft 

### built in the U.S. andtherefore 

### prohibits such us 

### byforeign manufactured 

### aircraft. The 

### X-100 

### UAS is manufactured 

### in Belgium. On

### April 5,

### 2\l2,Trimble AB, a Swedish subsidiary company 

### of Trimble Navigation Limited, acquired 

### all of the outstanding shares 

## of Gatewing 

### NV, a company 

### formed under the laws 

### of 

### Belgium. Gatewing 

### NV is 

### now a

### wholly owned subsidiary 

### of Trimble 

### AB. Gatewing manufactures the

## X-l00. The

### X-l00, which weights 4.4Lbs., has completed 

### over 1,120 

### flights, logging more than 370 hours 

### of

### flight time. The 

### limited operations 

### allowed under 14

### CFR $21.191 (a)

### -(Ð are

### further 

### limited for foreign manufactured 

### aircraft. Given the scope 

### ofthe operations 

### that are

### allowed under $2 1
.I 9 I , and 

### that are

### further 

### limited by $2 I

. 195(a), 

### Trimble believes that an expansion 

### of permissible operations 

### to allow the same scope 

### of operations 

### for its 

### UAS as 

### U.S.-built aircraft is 

### both safe and 

### within the scope 

### of 

### prior exemptions granted bythe 

### FAA. As the 

### FAA works on 

### new regulationsfor UASs, havingthe

### ability to usethe

### X-100 

### for sales demonstrations and customer crew 

### training is 

### important tothe development 

### ofthe 

### UAS industry in the U.S. and 

### Trimble's product,to the economic 

### growth and 

### growth 

### ofjobs in the U.S.
The equivalent 

### level 

### of safety

### will be 

### provided by both the

### flight hours already logged 

### without incident and 

### Trimble's receiving its Special

### Airworthiness Certificate, Experimental (SAC) and operating 

### in compliance 

### with the requirements and 

### limitations ofthe 

### SAC. In 

### all respects, 

### Trimble's UAS

### will operate under exactly the same 

### regulatory conditions and requirements imposed on U.S. 

### manufacturers. The 

### FAA has issued the

### following exemptions 

### to this regulation: Exemption 

### Nos. 6694,970,9793, 

### g7g3{.

14

### C.F.R. $as;23 

### (b). That 

### regulation requires: 

### when marks 

### include only the Roman capital 

### letter 

### "N" andthe 

### 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 

### airuaft near each entrance to the cabin, 

### cockpit, or 

### pilot station, 

### in letters

### U.S. Department 

### of Transportation



### November 

### 14,2012 Page 3 

### not less

### than2 inches 

### nor more than 6 inches 

### high, the

### words 

### "limited,"

"restricted," 

### "light-sport," "experimental," 

### or "provisional," asapplicable. The 

### X-100 

### UAV has no entrance 

### tothe cabin, 

### cockpit or 

### pilot station on

### which the

### word 

### "Experimental" can be

### placed. Given the size 

### of the 

### UAV,two inch lettering

### will be impossible. The 

### word "Experimental" 

### will be placed on the

### forward fuselage 

### in compliance 

### with $45.29 (Ð. The equivalent 

### level 

### of safety

### will be provided 

### by having the 

### UAV marked on its 

### forward fuselage as required 

### by $45.29 

### (f) where the 

### pilot, observer a¡rd others 

### working 

### with the 

### UAV 

### will seethe 

### identification of the 

### UAS aso'Experimental". The 

### FAA has issued the

### following exemptions 

### tothis 

### regulation: Exemption 

### Nos. 8738, 10167 and 

### 101674. 14 

### C.F.R. $e1.9 

### (b) (2). The regulation requires: 

### No person may operate a U.S.-registered 

### civil aircraft

... 

# (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 

### X-100 

### fully loaded weighs 4.4 

### lbs. As such, there is no 

### ability or place 

### for such 

### flight manual 

### to be carried on

### the aircl:aft, not 

### only because there is no 

### pilot on board, but there is no 

### room or capacity 

### to carry such an 

### item on the aircraft. The equivalent 

### level 

### of safety

### will be maintained by keeping the

### flight manual atthe 

### ground control point where the 

### pilot 

### flying the 

### X-100 

### will have immediate access 

### to

## it. The 

### FAA has issued the

### following exemptions 

### tothis 

### regulation: Exemption 

### Nos. 8607,8737,8738, 9299, 9299A, 

### 9565,95658, 10167 

### , 10167

### A, 10602,32927

. 14

### C.F.R. $91.203 

### (a)

### and (b). The regulation requires 

### in pertinent part: 

# (a) Except as 

### provided 

### in $ 91.715, no person may operate a

### civil aircraft unless 

### it has

### within 

### it the

### following: (1)

### An appropriate and current airworthiness 

### certificate. [omission] 

# (b) No person may operate a

### civil aircraftunless the airworthiness 

### certificate required 

### by paragraph (a) 

### of this section 

### or aspecial

### flight authorization issued passengers 

### or crew.

### U.S. Department 

### of Transportation



### November 

### 14,2012 Page 4
The

### X-l00 fully loaded weighs 

### 4.4lbs. As such, there is no 

### ability or place 

### to carry 

### certification and 

### registration documents and

### to display them on the

### UAS. In addition there is no 

### pilot on board the 

### aircraft. The equivalent 

### level 

### of safety

### will be maintained by keeping these documents atthe 

### ground control point where the 

### pilot flying the

### X-100 

### will have immediate access 

### tothem. The 

### FAA has issued mrmerous exemptions 

### tothis 

### regulation.A representative sample includes: 

### Exemption Nos. 9565, 9665, 9789, 97 89

### A, 97 97, 97 97

### A, 98 I

### 6A. Trimble 

### will operate the 

### UAS (X-100) in the U.S. 

### for missions related

### to research and development, crew 

### training and market surveys associated 

### with ground 

### surveys. The results 

## of these operations 

### will contribute 

### to the 

### public safety andthe development 

### of ground survey techniques and procedures 

### for 

### UAS operations 

### in and outside 

### of the 

### u.S. Trimble believes, pursuant

### to 14 

### C.F.R. $ 1 1.87,that the grant 

### ofthis exemption request does not need

### to be published 

### in the Federal Register as

### similar exemptions, as

### listèd abovã, have been granted

### frequently in the past to those 

### who have applied 

### for Special

### Airworthiness Certificates, Experimental for UASs, and the grant

### will not set a

### precedent. 

### Additionally, Trimble asks that the 

### FAA waive any and 

### all time requirements 

### for notice and comment on

### this exemption request. Should you have any questions or need

### further information please 

### feel free 

### to contact the undersigned.

B. 

### Hill Counsel

### for Trimble Navigation 

### Ltd.

cc: James 

### Kirkland George Southard 

### Michael Maes