## CROWDER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

September 21, 2015

U.S. Department of Transportation Docket Operations West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590
Reference: Exemption Request Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act and Part 11 of the Federal Aviation Regulations from 61.23(a ) and (c), 61.101(e)(4) and (5 ), 61.113(a), 61.315(a), 91.7(a), 91.119(c), 91.121, 91.151(a)(1), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.40 9(a)(1) and (2), 91.417(a) and (b)

Dear Sir or Madam:
Attached please find Crowder C onstruction Company’s request for an exemption from the listed Federal Aviation Regulations to allow commercial operation of i ts Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUASs) for capturing phot os and videos of Crowder Cons truction Company project sites to be used in project records, progress reports, project safety, a nd marketing materials. This exemption request is exclusively for the use of the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+

. Also attached is the DJI Phanto m 2 Vision+ technical specificat ions and safety features. Crowder Construction has reviewed these specifications and safety featu res and deemed the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ acceptable to be used on secure Crowder Construction pr oject sites.
Thank you for your time and cons ideration, please let us know i f you have any questions.
Sincerely,

Christopher Boyd Senior Project Manager Crowder Construction Company Heavy Civil Division PO Box 30007 (28230-0007) 6425 Brookshire Boulevard (28216) Charlotte, NC Telephone: 704.372.3541 Fax 704.716.5199

www.crowdercc.com1 

# Federal Aviation Administration Exemption

Petition for Exemption under Section 333

FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012

Public 112-95 Feb. 14, 2012, Section 333

Submitted by: Crowder Construction Company
Date: 09/14/152 

# Table of Content

Contact Information ...........................................

............................................................... ..............3

Mission Statement ............................................. .....................................................................3
Formal Exemption Request............................................. ..............................................................4
Intended Equipment for Exemption ..............................

............................................................... ...5

Aircraft Performance ..........................................

............................................................... .............5

Aircraft Features .............................................

............................................................... ..............6-8

Aircraft Maintenance ..........................................

............................................................... .............9
Safety Guidelines .............................................

............................................................... ..............10

Potential Hazards .............................................

............................................................... ..............11
Insurance Coverage ............................................

............................................................... ............12
Privacy Concerns ..............................................

............................................................... .............13
Operational Conditions ........................................

............................................................... ..........14
Pilot Qualifications ..........................................

............................................................... ..............15
Pre-Flight & Post-F light Checklists............................

............................................................... ....16
Appendix A: Authorization to R ecord & Photograph Property.................. ........................17
Appendix B: Pre-flight & P ost-flight Checklists.................... ................................................18-19

Additional Resources...........................................

............................................................... ...........203 

# Contact Information

Exemption Applicant: Crowder Construction Company - Seth Bennett, (704) 619-5089, sbennett@crowdercc.com - Christopher Boyd, (704) 372-3541, cboyd@crowdercc.com

www.crowdercc.com 6425 Brookshire Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28216

_____________________________ _____ ________________________ Seth Bennett Christopher Boyd



# Mission Statement

To responsibly operate a UAS, in or der to safely and effectivel y capture pictures and videos of Crowder Construction Company proj ect sites to be used in projec t records, progres s reports, project safety, and mark eting materials.4 

# Formal Exemption Request

In line with Section 333 of the F AA Modernization and Reform Ac t of 2012 and 14 CFR Part 11, Crowder Construction Company, hereby applies for an exempti on from the listed Federal Aviation Regulations to allow commercial operation of its Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems for aerial imaging for safety and monitoring of secured and control led environment construction sites, so long as such operati ons are conducted under the condi tions outlined or established by the FAA as required by Section 333. Regulations from which the exemption is requested 14 CFR: §61.23(a) and (c ) §61.101(e)(4) and (5) §61.113(a) §61.315(a) §91.7(a) §91.119(c ) §91.121 §91.151(a)(1) §91.405(a) §91.407(a)(1) §91.409(a)(1) and (2) §91.417(a) and (b)5 

# Intended Equipment for Exemption

Aircraft : DJI Phantom 2 Vision+



# Aircraft Performance

Supported Battery DJI 5200mAh LiPo Battery Weight (Battery & Propellers Included) 1242g Hover Accuracy (Ready To Fly) Vertical: 0.8m; Horizontal: 2.5m Max Yaw Angular Velocity 200°/s Max Tiltable Angle 35° Max Ascent / Descent Speed Ascent: 6m/s; Descent: 2m/s Max Flight Speed 15m/s (Not Recommended) Diagonal Motor-Motor Distance 350mm6 

# Aircraft Features

Parts Diagram:7 

### Failsafe Mode:8 Minutes le Ō in UAS ba Ʃ ery Wi

‐ Fi signal strength # of satellites connected to Wi

‐ Fi Percentage of UAS ba Ʃ ery

All flights performed by Crowd er will require the use of the DJI Pro app. This app allows the p ilot to track the Phantom’s orientation, battery life, and s ignal strength and provides sev

eral other helpful features f or piloting a safe flight. UAS loca Ɵ on Compass Remote Control—DJI Pro App:9 

# Aircraft Maintenance

Maintenance

 Simon Newton's Maintenance Videos



### o https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=7Jum34eU4W8

 Other tutorials and how-to videos o Hypervision Australia Tutorials



### o https://www.youtube.com/channel/U CrREhHrA2ATDsdKM6uQyuWA

Replacement Parts (sources)

 DJI (manufacturer)

 Reputable after-market companies

Crowder has no inten tion of modifying the UAS beyond factory sp ecifications.10 

# Safety Guidelines

Flight Environment Requirements:
1. Do not use the aircraft in severe weather conditions. These include wind speed exceeding category 4, snow, rain and smog. 2. Fly in open areas, as high buildings or structures may affec t accuracy of onboard compass. 3. Keep Phantom away from obstacl es, crowds, high voltage power lines, trees or bodies of water when in flight.
4. Reduce the chance of electro magnetic interference by not fly ing in areas with high levels of electromagnetism, including base stations or radio transmissions tower s. 5. The Phantom cannot opera te within the polar areas. 6. Do not fly the aircraft within no-fly zones specified by loc al laws and regulations (see below for details on “No Fly Zones Feature”).

Category A Zones

 Includes: Large international airports

 Restriction: 5 mile radius Category B Zones

 Includes: Smaller airports

 Restriction: 0.6 miles radius DJI’s “No Fly Zones” feature now pr events the Phantom from trav eling unsafely into or

near an airport’s no fly zone. Whe n connected to GPS, the Phant om is supplied with a global database of restricted ar eas—including those of airports . According to the categories denoted below, this feature will inhibit the Phantom from take- off within the restricted radius and from flight into the restricted radius.11 

# Potential Hazards
The following are potential haza rds that may or may not be pres ent during flight operations: - Jets, airplanes, glid ers, and other UAS’s - Houses, commercial buildi ngs, shops, and out buildings - Power lines, low voltage lines, high voltage lines, cable lin es - Trees, shrubs, and hedges - Automobiles and RVs - Wildlife, both land and air - Rivers, lakes, ponds, sounds, str aits, and other bodies of wa ter - Unaccounted for people - Unaccounted for pets

Return-to-Home Feature :
In the event that the DJI Phanto m 2 H3-3D loses signal or the b attery runs too low, the GPScontrolled Return-To-Home feature will ensure safe retrieval. T he 'home' location is to be set upon flight startup (see Pre-Flight Checklist Exhibit A).12 

# Insurance Coverage

Commercial UAS insurance coverage is not currently available th rough private insurers or through AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics).13 

# Privacy Concerns

Since privacy concerns are of hi ghest priority, a signed constr uction contract from the owner must be in place prior to commercial flying. (See Appendix A).
Adjacent Properties To maintain utmost integrity i n concerns of privacy while recor ding from the UAS, the pilot will exercise great care when operating near adjacent properties. Th e UAS is only intended to capture pictures and videos of areas w ithin the permissible boundaries of the construction site (according to written & signed consent).14 

# Operational Conditions

To capture high quality images and video, operational condition s will be closely monitored. The following variables will be taken into consideration:

Day Time

 Sunny Weather is Highly Preferred

 Little to No Cloud Cover

 Zero to Low Wind Speeds

 High Visibility Conditions

Night Time

 No night-time operations are to be conducted.15 

# Pilot Qualifications

Current Pilots: Seth Bennett and Patrick Buckley

Training requirements for a C rowder certified pilot(s):


# □ Watch Online Training Videos fo r General Types of Filming



# □ Watch Online Training Videos for Task-Specific Types of Filming



# □ (New Pilots) Shadow and “Spot” for Current Pilot for 90 Days Pr ior to First Flight Operation



# □ Attend Upcoming and Local UAS Cour ses (Part of Pilot's Continui ng Education)



# □ Attend Local Course Hosted by DJI (Part of Pilot's Continuing E ducation)



# □ Follow Flight Plans and Safety Gui delines Set Forth in this Doc ument

To ensure that pilot(s) maintai n awareness of current rules, la ws, safety techniques, and filming practices, pilot(s) are required to take at least (1) continuin g education course per year through a 3 rd party group and provide Crowder C onstruction Company with proo f of completion.16 

# Pre-Flight & Post-Flight Checklist

Prior to every flight, the pilot must complete a pre-flight che cklist and a post-flight checklist. These checklists will be filed with construction sit e paperwork for documentation in the event of an audit.

(See Appendix B for checklist examples.)┤Appendix A ├

Crowder Construction Co. – Char lotte 6425 Brookshire Blvd, Char lotte, NC 28216 (704) 332-8184 

### Authorization to Record & Photograph Property

I, ________________________, property owner, give permission to Crowder Construction Company to record video and captu re pictures of the property co mmonly known as:

__________________________

__________________________

The recorded footage may be use d in any ethical manner for proj ect records, progress reports, project safety, and marketing materials.

Sincerely,

_________________________ _______________ Signature Date

_________________________ _______________ Signature Date┤Appendix B ├

Crowder Construction Co. – Char lotte 6425 Brookshire Blvd, Char lotte, NC 28216 (704) 332-8184 

# Pre-Flight Checklist

Location: _____________________________________________________

______

Pilot: _________________________________

Date: ______________

□ Conduct thorough survey/walk-t hrough of flight area (take not e of weather conditions)
□ Identify potential ha zards with spotter
□ Designate safe launch & landing area
□ Select spotting lo cation for spotter (may change due to filmi ng angle)
□ Request all non-essential personn el to clear the take-off are a □ Unpack all equipment from UAS transportation case
□ Power up remote
□ Begin video recording
□ Power up DJI Phantom 2

□ Launch DJI Phantom 2
□ Conduct flight operations
□ Land DJI Phantom 2 in designated landing area┤Appendix B ├

Crowder Construction Co. – Char lotte 6425 Brookshire Blvd, Char lotte, NC 28216 (704) 332-8184 

# Post-Flight Checklist

□ Power off DJI Phantom 2
□ Turn off video recording

□ Power down remote
□ Replace all equipment into transportation case

____________________________________________________________ Pilot Signature20 

# Additional Resources

http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/ http://www.dji.com/newpilot https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRjoWtWg9BPyZK8YxMrH2Zw http://www.modelaircraft.org/ http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-2/download http://www.dii.com/product/phantom-2/spec http://www.dii.com/support http://wiki.dii.com/ en/index.php/Phantom 2 http://wiki.dji.com/ en/index.php/Phantom2Vision%2BFlightLimits http://www.dji.com/newpilot