May 27 , 2015

Steven Doherty 508 Adirondack Way Walnut Creek, Ca. 94598

Mobile # 925

- 270

- 8089

Email: aussiesteve@gmail.com

U.S. Department of Transportation Docket Management System 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE Washington, DC 20590

Exemption Request Section 333 of the FAA Reform Act of 2012 Attachments: 1) Phantom 3 Professional Quick Start Guide 2) Phanto m 3 Professional User Manual

References: 1) FAA Exemption No. 11138, Regulatory Docket No. FAA20140481 in the matter of the petition of DOUGLAS TRUDEAU 2) FAA Exemption No. 11136, Regulatory Docket No. FAA

– 2014

– 0508 in the matter of the petition of ADVAN CED AVIATION SOLUTIONS LLC 3) FAA Exemption No. 11080 Regulatory Docket No. FAA20140355 in the matter of the petition of FLYING CAM INC

Dear Sir or Madam,

In accordance with the FAA’s Guidelines for Submitting a Petition for Exemption under section 333 o f the FAA Modernization and Reform Act
of 2012 , I, Steven Doherty , request exemption from the following sections of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations:

61.113(a). 61.113(b). 91.119(c). 91.121. 91.151(a). 91.405(a). 91.407(a)(1). 91.409 (a)(1). 91.409(a) (2). 91.417(a) & (b).

My business case to operate small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) commercially in airspace regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is for the purpose of aerial photography, structural inspections of cell towers,

constr uction sites, real estate photography

, and videography operations

.P erformed safely

, and more cost effectively with the use of small UAS at low altitude within the U.S. national airspace system as compared to a manned aircraft. Operations will be performed only at the request of and with the authorization and permission of clients or their authorized agents in order to
facilitate commerce and raise awareness of the beneficial uses of small unmanned air systems. So long as such operations are conducted withi n and under the conditions outlined herein or as may be established by the FAA as required by Section 333. The conditions identified and proposed by, Steven Doherty , are drawn from references 13.

The FARs

I, Steven Doherty , request exemption from the abo ve mentioned FARs for the following reasons.

61.113(a) & (b) . I, Steven Doherty , request relief in order to facilitate the utilization of pilots, who hold a PRIVATE PILOT (or greater) certificate. Any pilots operating under this exemption would be require d to comply with any conditions as set forth and in a similar fashion to the previously granted exemptions. A Visual Observer will be used at all times while under this requested exemption.

91.119(c) As discussed in Exemption 11138 (DOUGLAS TRUDEAU),

oper ations conducted closer than 500 feet to the ground may require that the UA be operated closer than 500 feet to essential persons, or objects that would not be possible without additional relief. The petitioner requests modification, waiver or exemption an d clarification concerning the terms “congested areas” and “densely populated”. I, Steven Doherty , request waiver for this condition to allow reasonable and responsible operations with safety as my main concern in areas of subdivisions and neighborhoods if required.

91.121 As discussed in Exemption 11138 (DOUGLAS TRUDEAU) is inapplicable

since the UAS does not have an altimeter and instead utilizes electronic GPS with
a barometric sensor for altitude information.

91.151(a) As discussed in Exemption 11136 (ADVANCED AVIATION SOLUTIONS LLC) prior relief has been granted for manned aircraft to operate at less than the prescribed minimums, including Exemption Nos. 2689, 5745, and 10650. In addition, similar UAS specific relief has been granted in Exemption

Nos. 8811, 10808, and 10673 for daytime, VFR conditions. The UAS provides battery power remaining in percent to the PIC. The UA batteries provide approximately 25 minutes of powered flight. Information provided in the operating documents discusses procedures r egarding remaining battery power management. Those documents contain a condition in which the PIC will initiatea landing procedure when battery remaining reaches a specified level. Given the limitations on proposed operations and the location of those pro posed

operations, The FAA found that a reduced minimum power reserve for flight in daytime VFR conditions was reasonable. 91.405(a). 91.407(a)(1). 91.409 (a)(1) & (2). 91.417(a) & (b) As discussed in Exemption 11138 (DOUGLAS TRUDEAU), I, Steven Doherty , p ropose to inspect and ensure that the UAS is in a condition for safe flight in accordance with the operating documents. The FAA found that adherence to the petitioner’s operating documents and the conditions and limitations specified, describing the requir ements for maintenance, inspection, and recordkeeping, were sufficient to ensure that safety would not be adversely affected.

The UAS

The DJI Phantom 3 Professional is a highly successful consumer grade small rotorcraft in the quadcopter configuration wi th an advertised wei ght of less than

45 ounces (1280 g) designed primarily to carry aloft a high definition camera. It
has an advertised maximu m speed of less than 30 knots (16 m/s) and a maximum climb rate of less than 1200 feet per minute (6 m/s). It is po wered by
four electric motors with a distance between motors of less than 14 inches (350mm) It utilizes an internal inertial measuring unit (IMU) with integrated barometric sensor augmented with global positioning system (GPS) to maintain its geospatial or ientation and position. It is controlled primarily through an FCC certified radio control (RC) unit. Real time video and telemetry information is transmitted back to a ground control station allowing the operator and/or PIC to monitor battery level, GPS si gnal strength, altitude (AGL), distance from PIC, camera imagery, and control camera angle. It has fail safe modes of operation for either loss of RC or GPS signal. Altitude can be limited by the onboard flight controller and maximum altitude can be prepro grammed by the PIC. Battery life limits flight times to approximately 25 minutes. The onboard flight controller will warn the pilot via telemetry and external lighting cues before reaching a low battery state. An automatic termination of flight and landing will be initiated when the battery reaches a predetermined low state. It is anticipated that flights will usually last less than 10 minutes. More information is available in attachment

1.

Risk mitigation

I, Steven Doherty , have reviewed FAA exemptions r eference’s 13 Conditions
and Limitations section and believe that the procedures specified therein are reasonable and will be utilized in order to manage and mitigate risk and ensure public safety.A preflight checklist will be developed and employed to e nsure that the UAS’s airworthiness will be verified before launch. Airworthiness will be maintained by performance of routine inspections before each flight, maintaining flight and maintenance logs to record time on failure prone components.

I, Steven Doh erty , request that in a manner similar to reference 3, be allowed to operate within 5 miles of an airport provided that.

“The UA may not operate in Class B, C, or D airspace without written approval from the FAA. The UA may not operate within 5
nautical m iles of the geographic center of a non towered airport as denoted on a current FAA published aeronautical chart unless a letter of agreement with that airport’s management is obtained, and the operation is conducted in accordance with a NOTAM as required b y the operator’s COA. The letter of agreement with the airport management must be made available to the Administrator upon request.”

Operations within 5 miles of an airport are not anticipated to be routine but I am requesting a mechanism to facilitate su ch activities without requesting a new and separate exemption(s) should the need arise. Operations within class B airspace are not requested due to the lack of mode C transponder.

Public interest

Use of the UAS in lieu of a manned aircraft would enhance safety and reduce the environmental impact as compared to similar operations conducted with manned aircraft of greater proportions, carrying a crew and flammable fuel.

In regards to performing inspections of bridges, towers, and natural gas pipelines the UAS will minimize the risk to persons attempting to climb these structures and photograph problem areas. It will provide a way for companies to have their engineers review photographs and provide additional safety to the general public in regards to towers failing or natural gas pipelines having structural issues. Many of the natural gas pipelines in our area travel in areas that are hard to reach by vehicle or foot and if an area is suspected of having problems the UAS can reach it to make an assessment ea sier and safer.

I, Steven Doherty , will also make the UAS and myself available to local volunteer organizations (for no charge) such as fire departments, local law enforcement, etc., to perform search and rescue operations, or other similar events as dire cted by authorities.

In addition the use of the UAS in order to facilitate commerce could lead to economic growth. Operations for this petition will enable service for property owners or their designees seeking an enhanced perspective for characteristics,amenities, and benefits of their desired photographic subjects that cannot be displayed through ground level photography. Aerial photography is a valuable

marketing tool that can lead to increased commerce and enhance my personal photography.

A visual ob server will be utilized at all times that the UAS is performing duties for compensation and the PIC will hold a Private Pilots license.

Liability insurance will be obtained commensurate with the granting of this request for exemption.

Flight data includi ng UAS flight time, Control Unit operation time, incident, and details will be recorded for each flight and made available to the FAA at any time

needed. Any deviations from normal operations will also be recorded and made available

to FAA.

Conclusion

I, Steven Doherty , am requesting this exemption for the purposes of aerial photography, structural inspections of cell towers, construction sites, real estate photography, and videography operations.

The reason for such a general and broad based request is that I, Steven Doherty , wish to utilize a business strategy in order to capitalize on opportunities as they may arise in the future without the long turnaround time associated with additional exemptions.

My business model is based on the idea of offering small UAS services to individuals or companies who wish to employ these services as a safe, effective, and legal option to enhance their business or prevent structural disasters that may influence the general public or individuals.

My own research shows a n upward demand for these services that currently exists in the real estate market, natural gas market and other markets are just beginning to realize the need for such services.

Several people are offering services such as the above in my area but I have refrained for pursuing commercial use of my UAS until I can properly be authorized by the FAA.http://download.dji

innovations.com/d ownloads/phantom_3/en/Phantom_3_Professional_Quick_Start_Guide_en.pdf

http://download.dji

innovations.com/downloads/phantom_3/en/Phant om_3_Professional_User_Manual_v1.0_en.pdf