DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 Neil DiFranco DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC 14 Highland Ave. Flourtown, PA 19031

US Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20591



# Petition for ExemptionDiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 1 

## Contents
Background

................................ ................................ ................................ ............................ 2

Aircraft

................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 2

Name and Address

................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 3
Specific Sections of 14 C.F.R. for Exemption

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

Requested Relief

- Section 61.113(a) and (b)

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

Reason for Relief

- Section 61.113(a) and (b)

................................ ................................ 3
Impact on Safety

- Section 61.113(a) and (b) Relief

................................ ...................... 3
Requested Relief

- Section 91.7(a)

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

Reason for Relief

- Section 91.7(a)

................................ ................................ ................. 4
Impact on Safety

- Section 91.7(a) Relief

................................ ................................ ....... 4
Requested Relief

- Section 91.121

................................ ................................ ................. 4

Reason for Relief

- Section 91.121

................................ ................................ ................. 4
Impact on Safety

- Section 91.121 Relief

................................ ................................ ....... 4

Reason for Relief

- Section 91.151

................................ ................................ ................. 4
Impact on Safety

- Section 91.151 Relief

................................ ................................ ....... 4
Requested Relief from Sections 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1)&(a)(2), 91.417(a)&(b)

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

Reason for Relief

- Sections 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1)&(a)(2), And 91.417(a)&(b)

................................ ................................ ................................ ................. 5
Impact on Safety

- Sections 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1)&(a)(2), And 91.417(a)&(b) Relief

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

Public Interest

................................ ................................ ................................ ........................ 5
Additional Safety Considerations

................................ ................................ ........................... 6
Summary for the Federal Register

................................ ................................ ......................... 6

Appendix A

– Primary Area for Proposed Flight Operations

................................ ................. 6

Appendix B

– Phantom 3 Professional User Manual v1.4

- 0915

................................ .......... 8DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 2 

## B ackground
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC , a Pennsylvania Limited Liability Company, seeks exemption from the requirements of 14 C.F.R §§ 61.113(a) & (b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b), to allow operation of Unmanned Aircraft System s pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA). This exemption will permi t DiFranco Aeri al Consulting, LLC to operate Unmanned Aircraft System s (UAS) for the purpose of collect ing commercial aerial video, still imagery and ancillary data of commercial and residential properties (when contracted by the

owne r(s) of subject proper ties), public landscapes and points of interest over permissible
areas of the United States of America.

DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC provides services and expertise in the field of Aerial Survey, Photography and Mapping acquisition. DiFranco Aerial Con sulting, LLC has been in operation providing aerial survey and mapping consulting services since January of 2014. The Principal of DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC, Neil DiFranco, has over 12 years o f experience in aerial survey performing rolls that includ e sensor operator, survey pilot, mission planner, project manager, airspace coordinator, research and development , data processing and technical support. N eil DiFranco holds a Commercial Pilot Certificate and is rated for Airpla ne Single & Multiengine Land; Instrument Airplane. Since 1995, Neil
DiFranco has flown and logged over 2,600 hours of time as PIC and 2,800 Total T ime. The main objective of DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC’s aerial video and photography operation is to provide high quality aerial da ta for end users including, but not limited to, home owners, businesses, real estate professionals and the general public while increasing the public ’s knowledge of UAS and promoting safe and legal UAS operations.



## Aircraft
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LL C seeks an exemption to operate DJI Phantom 3
Professional for compensation and hire within the NAS.

DJI Phantom 3 Professional Specifications:

 Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) Unmanned Aircraft (UA)

 Ground Control Station (GCS) utilizing electronic tablet or smart phone systems.

 Maximum gross weight: ~2 pounds 11 ounces

 Length:16 inches

 Width: 16 inches

 Height: 8 inches

 Max Speed: ~29 knots.

 Four main rotors driven by Lithium Polymer battery powered electric motors.

All DJI Phantom 3 Professional UASs operated by DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC will be registered in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 44103

- Registration of Aircraft, 14 C.F.R Part 47

- Aircraft Registration, and marked in accordance with 14 C.F.R. Part 45

- Identification and Registration Marking

.DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 3 In accordance with 14 C.F.R. § 11.81, the following is provided to support the petition
for exemption and relief :



## Name and Address
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC
Neil DiFranco

– Principal 14 Highland Ave. Flourtown, PA 19031 neil@DiFAerial.com



## Specific Sections of 14 C.F.R. f or Exemption

 Section 61.113(a) and (b)

 Section 91.7(a)

 Section 91.121

 Section 91.151(b)

 Sections 91.405(a)

 Sections 91.407(a)(1)

 Sections 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2)

 Sections 91.417(a) & (b)



## The Extent of Relief Sought and The reason for the Requested Relief

Requested Relief

- Section 61.113(a) and (b)
Relief from Section 61.113(a) and (b) is requested to allow DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC to conduct flights of the UAs for compensation or hire utilizing a PIC who holds at least a private pilot certificate and current airman medical certificate and who has met the required flight

- hour and currency requirements.

Reason for Relief

- Section 61.113(a) and (b)
Section 61.113(a) and (b) states that a private pilot may act as PIC of an aircraft in connection with any business or employment if: (1) The flight is only incidental to that business or employment; and (2) The aircraft does not carry passengers or proper ty for compensation or hire. All flights of the UAs for compensation and hire covered by this exemption will be incidental to DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC’s business.

Impact on Safety

- Section 61.113(a) and (b) Relief
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC w ill not conduct flights while transporting passengers or property for compensation or hire.

Requested Relief

- Section 91.7(a)
Relief from Section 91.7(a) is requested to the extent required to allow the PIC to make
the determination that the UA is in airw orthy condition prior to every flight.DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 4 Reason for Relief

- Section 91.7(a)
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC seeks the requested relief because the DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAs do not require an airworthiness certificate in accordance with 14

C.F.R. Part 21, Subpart H.

Impact on Safety

- Section 91.7(a) Relief
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC’s PIC will ensure that the DJI Phantom 3 Professional UASs are in airworthy condition by ensuring that the UAS is safe to operate and in compliance with the manufacturer’s manual and ma intenance records prior to each flight.

Requested Relief

- Section 91.121
Relief from Section 91.121 is sought to allow operations of the UAs without a traditional
barometric altimeter set to a curre nt reported altimeter setting of a station within 100
nautical miles.

Reason for Relief

- Section 91.121
The DJI Phantom 3 Professional provides altitude reference by use of a barometric pressure sensor combined with GPS equipment. The altitude informatio n is provided to
the PIC t hrough the flight controller . Flights of the UASs may be conducted with the altimeter set to zero on the ground prior to each flight.

Impact on Safety

- Section 91.121 Relief
An equivalent level of safety will be ma intained since the DJI Phantom 3 Professional UASs navigation package ensures that a ground level setting is established prior to each flight and provides the PIC with continuous altitude information for the duration of the flight by way of the GCS.

Reques ted Relief from Section 91.151
Relief from Section 91.151(b) is requested to the extent required to allow flights of the DJI Phantom 3 Professional UAs under daytime visual flight rules (VFR) using no more than 75% of the total UA’s battery capacity (Approximately 17 minutes based on roughly 23 minutes at full charge)

.

Reason for Relief

- Section 91.151
Flight of the UAS would not be practical without the requested relief from Section 91.151(b).

Impact on Safety

- Section 91.151 Relief

DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC’s proposed operating limitations provide that the DJI
Phantom 3 Professional UASs will only be operated during daylight VFR with a limited
duration to allow for safe and controlled landings before battery power is exhausted

.DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 5 Requested Relief from Sections 91.405(a), 91.407( a)(1), 91.409(a)(1)&(a)(2), 91.417(a) &(b)
Sections 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b) apply to
aircraft wi th an airworthiness certificate.

Reason for Relief

- Sections 91.40 5(a ), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1)& (a)(2), A nd 91.417(a) & (b)
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC requests relief from these Sections as the DJI Phantom
3 Professional UAs meet the conditions of FMRA Section 333 that permit flight operation s without an airworthiness certificate.

Impact on Safety

- Sections 91.405(a ), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1)& (a)(2), A nd 91.417(a)&(b)
Relief
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC request for relief does not relieve the operator of the responsibility to provide an equivalent level of safety. All continuing and preventative maintenance will be performed by experienced technicians in a manner prescribed by
the manufacturer. All maintenance will be documented in detail and retained. No UAs will be permitted to operate unless all systems are fully functional to avoid any failures that could endanger persons or property.



## Public Interest
Granting the present Petition will further the public interest by allowing DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC to safely, efficiently, and ec onomically provide aerial data that meets the demand of imagery end users who may otherwise, and unknowingly, seek services from unlicensed individuals or other unsafe operators and operations.

While aerial video and imagery can and is traditionally suppli ed by manned aerial survey and photography companies , this traditional method tends to be out of the general public’s
reach due to cost. Traditional fixed

- wing aerial data acquisition does not permit flight activities that are low and slow enough to collec t the level of detail and precision that is possible with the DJI Phantom 3 Professional UA.DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 6 

## Additional Safety Considerations
The DJI Phantom 3 Professional UASs are not a threat to persons, property or national security based on their size, weight, speed and capabilities.

The DJI Phantom 3 Professional incorporates the following safety features:

Flight Limits

The Maximum Flight Altitude and Maximum Flight Radius can be set prior to operation

No

- Fly Zones

The DJI Phantom 3 Professional can be limited to respect No

- Fly Zones

. This feature can provide the PIC with warnings as the UA approaches a No

- Fly Zone, automatically limit flying height and prevent take

- off or trigger auto

- land

. Low Battery Failsafe RTH (Return

- to

- Home)
The DJI Phantom 3 Professional low battery failsafe is triggered when the battery is depleted to a point that may impact safe return of the UA . The PIC is first warned to take action and land immediately followed by an automatic return to
home if no action is taken after 10 seconds. The battery monitoring features of the UAS can determine warning thresholds based on current altitude and distance from the Home Point. An automatic landing will be triggered immediately if the system determines that the battery can only support the aircraft long enough for
the descent. Battery Level Warnings The FJI Phantom 3 Professional provides Battery Level Warnings through an Aircraft Status Indicator light located on the UA as well as through a DJI GO Application

. Failsafe RTH ( Return

- t o

- Home )
The Fail safe RTH (Return

- to

- Home) will be triggered if t he remote controller signal
is lost for more than three seconds.



## Summary for the Federal Register
DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC seeks exemption from the requirements of 14 C.F.R §§ 61.113(a) & (b), 91.7(a), 91.121, 91.151(b), 91.405(a), 91.407(a)(1), 91.409(a)(1) & (a)(2), and 91.417(a) & (b), to allow operation of Unmanned Aircraft System s pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (FMRA).

This exemption will permit DiFranco Aeri al Consulting, LLC to operate Unmanned Aircraft System s (UAS) for the purpose of collect ing commercial aerial video, still imagery and ancillary data of commercial and residential properties (when contracted by the owne r(s) of subject properties), publ ic landscapes and points of interest over permissible areas of
the United States of America.DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 7 

## Appendix A

– Primary Area for Proposed Flight Operations

Semi

- t ransparent red circles represent a 5 nautical mile radius around airports located
within DiFra nco Aerial Consulting, LLC’s primary area of operations.
The semi

- transparent blue area represents the surface area of Philadelphia Class Bravo Airspace.DiFranco Aerial Consulting, LLC

Neil DiFranco

- 2015 8 

## Appendix B

– Phantom 3 Professional User Manual v1.4

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